Woochifer
10-23-2009, 05:09 PM
Great Performances on PBS this week premiered the debut performance of 28-year old Gustavo Dudamel in his first conducting gig as the new Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Showings should be repeating over the weekend and over the next couple of weeks on PBS stations. The program has some nice HD video work and sound quality, along with great views of Disney Hall (which is also known for great acoustics).
Needless to say, this is probably the year's biggest event in the classical music world (at least among American orchestras). Gudamel has been elevated to rock star status over the last couple of years, and he now takes over the third-ranked American orchestra (Chicago is the top ranked American orchestra and Cleveland ranks just ahead of the LA Phil, according a Grammophone critics poll from last year).
The LA Phil has a long history of finding young conducting talent. In the early-60s, they appointed 26-year old Zubin Mehta as Music Director, a tenure that lasted until 1978 when he took over the NY Phil. In the early-90s, the LA Phil appointed 32-year old Esa-Pekka Salonen as Music Director, and he helped build the LA Phil into a world class orchestra that became renowned for its adventurous programming.
The LA Phil is also often cited as the go-to orchestra for new and modern compositions, having played more world premieres and modern works than any other orchestra over the last decade. Appropriately, Dudamel begins his tenure with the premiere of brand new composition "City Noir" by Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Adams. It's a wide ranging work (combining jazz and cinematic elements with traditional orchestral arrangements), , and it fits right in with what the LA Phil does best.
The program climaxes with a great performance of Mahler Symphony No. 1. This is one of Dudamel's signature pieces, and he conducts it very confidently.
Overall, the program's highly recommended for anyone who wants to catch some great sounds and a glimpse into classical music's most current phenom.
Needless to say, this is probably the year's biggest event in the classical music world (at least among American orchestras). Gudamel has been elevated to rock star status over the last couple of years, and he now takes over the third-ranked American orchestra (Chicago is the top ranked American orchestra and Cleveland ranks just ahead of the LA Phil, according a Grammophone critics poll from last year).
The LA Phil has a long history of finding young conducting talent. In the early-60s, they appointed 26-year old Zubin Mehta as Music Director, a tenure that lasted until 1978 when he took over the NY Phil. In the early-90s, the LA Phil appointed 32-year old Esa-Pekka Salonen as Music Director, and he helped build the LA Phil into a world class orchestra that became renowned for its adventurous programming.
The LA Phil is also often cited as the go-to orchestra for new and modern compositions, having played more world premieres and modern works than any other orchestra over the last decade. Appropriately, Dudamel begins his tenure with the premiere of brand new composition "City Noir" by Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Adams. It's a wide ranging work (combining jazz and cinematic elements with traditional orchestral arrangements), , and it fits right in with what the LA Phil does best.
The program climaxes with a great performance of Mahler Symphony No. 1. This is one of Dudamel's signature pieces, and he conducts it very confidently.
Overall, the program's highly recommended for anyone who wants to catch some great sounds and a glimpse into classical music's most current phenom.