ĦBravo, Gustavo!

London's Guardian newspaper reviewed the Edinburgh concert of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel (14 August 2008) with the by-line:

"The hottest property in classical music shows how Latin passion could ignite a dull UK scene".

Indeed, all of the concerts on the tour were huge successes, enjoyed standing ovations and, as per the Guardian:

"...it was the sort of concert where the 2,500-strong audience held those apparently endless, magical silences at the end of each piece before exploding into passionate applause. And at the close of the programme, the hall was on its feet."

The London concert was also sold out with more than 5,500 ticket holders in attendance at the BBC Proms, standing in through two encores of Stenhammar and a Latin version of "Tico Tico".

The Guardian went much further than offerring up a standard review and added five thought provoking points based upon the experience at the Edinburgh performance:

1) Rethink the hierarchies of the symphony orchestra.

What comes through strongly when orchestral musicians talk about Dudamel is that, while he is very clear about what he wants from them, he is a musicians' musician, rather than the traditional dictatorial maestro-monster. Venezuelan music education is essentially communitarian. All teaching is done in groups; the focus is on the collective and not the individual. This is one of the reasons he gets so much out of musicians - he is one of them.

2) Remember: it's supposed to be fun.

Dudamel's introduction to music was via his trombonist father's salsa band as much as through his orchestral playing. The unabashed, party-time pleasure Venezuelans take in salsa leaks into their attitude to classical music. Experiencing music should be about having a brilliant time - even though a journey with the masterpieces of classical music may take you to the darker places of the soul.

3) Play (and hear) every concert as if it is your last.

Dudamel said this week: "For us in Venezuela, everything is new. And every time we play something, it is also like the last time. This is how I grew up."

4) Throw out tradition.

Perhaps not quite. "I respect and have learned a lot from the European tradition," said Dudamel. But he, as a Latin American, is free from much of the baggage carried by classical music in Europe and North America, where even to be interested in classical music shunts you (often unfairly) into a certain class paradigm. "When young people see orchestras just sitting down and doing concerts each week, they see something routine. They can't understand what people enjoy about it," he said. There are too many orchestras in the country going through the motions with workaday concerts. This needs to change.

5) Don't be ashamed of classical music.

"In Venezuela going to a symphony concert is like going to a pop concert. Everyone feels very proud. It is our symbol. We have our flag, our national anthem - and now our orchestras. The citizens feel part of it," said Dudamel. The government must get behind our orchestras without cringing about their perceived elitism.

Read the complete story here.

14 August, 2008

Contact: Mark Newbanks or Victoria Just