Randolph Magri-Overend

CONTEMPORARY CONDUCTORS : GUSTAVO DUDAMEL

Some people call him a genius.  Others claim he was at the right place at the right time.  Some claim that it is purely hype and spin that has made him famous.  Whatever you choose to believe, Gustavo Dudamel is probably the most exciting person to have emerged in the classical music world since Pope St Gregory the Great supposedly invented Gregorian chant.  I’m joking, of course, but you get my drift.

Now 38, Dudamel has been conducting orchestras in the higher echelons of music since he was 18.  His progression to the musical elite has been remarkable and although hardly known in this country he is probably the most sought-after conductor both in Europe and the USA.   

At 23 he first came to prominence when he won the Gustav Mahler conducting prize in Germany.  He was also instrumental in the late Claudio Abbado agreeing to conduct the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra in Dudamel’s native Venezuela.  

Both Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra are the product of Venezuela’s El Sistema.  Founded in 1975 by economist and musician José Antonio Abreu it is a national programme that oversees the 125-plus youth orchestras in Venezuela.  It is responsible for the instrumental training of between 310,000 and 370,000 children in its music schools with over 70% of its pupils coming from a low socio-economic background.  In addition once they become active members of the orchestra, the students help in tutoring the less advantaged pupils. Since its inception Abreu has created new musical ensembles from the original orchestra.  In 2010 one of the offshoots, the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra with Dudamel conducting received universal praise when it performed at the Beethovenfest in Bonn. Following its success it continued its trail-blazing musical adventure to great acclaim in Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid and London.  There are now replicas of the El Sistema philosophy throughout the world, especially in the USA.

As you might imagine Dudamel’s roots are musical.  His father played the trombone and his mother was a singing teacher while Dudamel jr started musical life as a violinist.  The pupil turned teacher and he was soon giving lessons. Abreu himself realised Dudamel’s potential when he observed the latter, then only 15, directing the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra.  Five years later Dudamel was appointed musical director of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.

Dudamel made his conducting debut in the USA with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2005 and was appointed its music director initially till 2009 but this has since been extended to include the 2018-2019 season.  He is also currently the honorary conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra with whom he has been associated since replacing an ailing Neeme Jarvi at short notice. His first stint with the orchestra was at the BBC Proms.

Dudamel has also conducted the San Francisco Symphony (2008), the Stuttgart Radio Symphony (2007), the Vienna Philharmonic (2007) and the La Scala, Milan in a production of Don Giovanni in 2006.  In 2011 he was named the Gramophone Magazine artist of the Year.  He is currently the Musical Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 

But it is with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra that he is principally associated and with whom he has received the most recognition.  They may be called a youth orchestra but, especially under the direction of Dudamel, they play with the mature confidence that rivals the Berlin Philharmonic or any other world-class orchestra.  Incidentally it appears that the word ‘Youth’ has been removed from the orchestra’s title following the comments from The Guardian’s Tom Service remarking that “….it is youthful no longer”.

Dudamel is very philosophical about his own success and that of El Sistema.  Quoting from one of Dudamel’s Deutsche Grammophon recordings (Gustavo Dudamel Discoveries – DG 479 0305 which also includes an illuminating DVD of how the orchestra prepares for the performance of Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony at the Beethovenfest in Bonn) he declares that El Sistema is “the most important cultural project in my home country. It has changed how people view classical music through the relationship it promotes between art and society.  Being part of an orchestra when they have nothing else gives these children the chance to start building a real bridge towards the dream of playing with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra – or the Vienna Philharmonic.  Little by little it becomes reality rather than fantasy.”

He concludes: “Music is a human right.  That is the idea behind El Sistema.” 

PS  To view and listen to a compelling version of Mahler’s Symphony #2 go to Youtube and the recording of Dudamel conducting the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra at the 2011 BBC Promenade concerts

 

 

Published by Randolph Magri-Overend

One of the questions Randolph hates to answer is “Where do you come from?” Why? Because the answer can be so time-consuming and, in a way, also gives away how old he is!! Plus the questioner has to wrestle with the wish he hadn’t asked the question!! He was born in Cairo, Egypt, many moons ago of British parents although he can trace Maltese and Croatian ancestry in his lineage. Educated in a Jesuit college in London his wander lust for things unorthodox drove him to embark on a seafaring career with both Canadian Pacific Steamships and Shaw Savill. That in itself dates him because both lines have been redundant for many a year. One of his boasts is that he was the Purser on the “Gothic” which ten years previously had been Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Yacht soon after her coronation in 1953. One of the objects imported on the ship by HM and left behind was a tape player which Randolph utilised on many a memorable Sunday evening with a classical concert for his passengers. Thus began a journey that not only awakened Randolph’s love for good music but also eventually led to his extensive knowledge of music in all forms. That he loves the era of Sinatra, Crosby, Armstrong, Dorsey (both) and many many more exponents of the post-war music scene is also part and parcel of his appreciation of the music of many an era. These days Randolph is retired but still reviews CDs and DVDs and has written articles on such diverse personalities as Yvonne Kenny, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Alexander Briger, the late Sir John Tavener, Sir James Galway, Dawn Upshaw and countless probes into the music of Gustav Mahler, Elizabeth Shwarzkopf and her husband Walter Legge, Glenn Gould, Leonard Bernstein and many many more he regrets to admit he has lost track of! Before emigrating to Australia, Randolph spent a number of years as a Flight Dispatcher in Canada. Since arriving in Australia, Randolph has written for The Weekend Australian (especially in their travel pages), The Sydney Morning Herald, Opera Opera and Fine Music magazine as well as some jazz magazines. If you require an extensive coverage of your music to a public that, at last count, reaches the best part of 818,000 please contact David Kary on editor.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com or email me directly on ibmar@bigpond.com. This also includes advertising any forthcoming shows by promoting featured artists. Cheers and thank you.