Robert D. Thomas/Class Act

COMMENTARY: Thoughts on Gustavo Dudamel

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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So much has been written about Gustavo Dudamel in the past couple of years (particularly since he was selected to replace Esa-Pekka Salonen as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) that adding to the onslaught seems almost like overkill. Nevertheless, after attending this afternoon’s media conference (which took place shortly after Dudamel’s first rehearsal with what is now his orchestra), I feel compelled to try and write about what we’re about to see and hear with this amazing man.

In my reviews of his concerts during the past couple of years, both with the Phil and with the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (of which is also the music director), the one constant in every performance has been the incredible level of energy and excitement that has radiated from Dudamel. I have been attending concerts for more than half a century and I’ve never experienced such exciting concerts as those with Dudamel on the podium.

However, what’s equally amazing is that what we see and feel on the podium comes through in every way with which I’ve dealt with the 28-year-old Venezuelan. In a one-on-one personal interview and the three media conferences in which I’ve participated — and, indeed, any time I’ve had even a short conversation with him — that amazing level of energy has always been present. So, too, is the exuberance, the wildly flamboyant gestures and infectiously animated face (he’s a photographer’s dream — the camera clicks today were virtually nonstop for the first 15 minutes of the conference). He spoke for about 35 minutes today and was totally “on” the entire time.

But it’s not just an act with Dudamel; what he says and does springs from deep within his soul. Whether speaking in English (still heavily accented but not as poor as he claims) or in Spanish, he answered every question today thoughtfully and with great passion. He was at his best when speaking about his experiences in Venezuela’s “El Sistema” (the incredible youth music system that the L.A. Philharmonic is trying to replicate locally) and about his vision of what may be accomplished in this regard in Los Angeles. “Culture is the soul of a country and we’re in danger of losing that soul,” he said. “Music can change lives — this is what happened to me.”

Part of what makes Dudamel unique is the seeming disparity between the fact that he’s 28 years old and yet is a “grizzled veteran” of music making. He was named music director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela at the age of 17 and since that time has conducted hundreds of concerts each year, first in Venezuela and then overseas both with his youth ensemble and orchestras around the world. “I conducted my first Mahler symphony when I was 17,” he said today, “and I led a nearly complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies when I was 18.” He calls himself an “old soul” and with good reason; he has probably conducted more concerts than the 42-year-old Alan Gilbert, who this fall assumed the music directorship of the New York Philharmonic.

Perhaps even more telling is how Dudamel appears to live almost totally in the present. When asked today what composers he felt he wasn’t ready to tackle, he listed only Wagner (“although in five or six years I hope to conduct a Wagner opera,” he allowed) and Bruckner’s fifth, sixth and eighth symphonies (he has conducted the Austrian composer’s fourth, seventh and ninth). When asked what he thought he would be doing in 10 years, he couldn’t come up with an answer except for fathering two or three children (no report on his wife’s response to that remark).

Beyond that, he radiates confidence. He knows this is a turning point in his life and in that of the Philharmonic. From Dudamel’s perspective, it’s also a pivotal time for Los Angeles, a chance to bring classical music to an entirely new audience, younger, more culturally diverse, eager for new adventures. That’s part of the symbolism of choosing to conduct his first concert at Hollywood Bowl with most of those attending getting in for free. Every move he makes, every word he utters seems to have been thought out and has great significance.

In some respects, this won’t be an easy season for the Phil or Dudamel, owing to the fact that conductor’s schedules are arranged years in advance. After Saturday’s Bowl concert, next Thursday’s gala and the first week of subscription concerts, Dudamel leaves for a month. He returns in November for four weeks (including the first concerts of the Phil’s West Coast/Left Coast festival. Then he’s gone until late April when he returns for three concerts before taking the orchestra on a U.S. tour. Within those eight weeks are an amazingly broad range of concerts, including two world premieres and a U.S. premiere. So, do your best to come up with a ticket to one or more of these concerts. I hope what we hear in the concert hall will translate successfully in the outdoor telecast Thursday and the various web casts planned.

Despite his experience, Dudamel is still growing in his music making and in his relationship with the Philharmonic. He deserves the space to make his mistakes, as will surely happen. Hopes are impossibly high. When someone asked if he was overwhelmed about the huge expectations being heaped on him here, he responded instantly and with a hearty laugh, “No! Absolutely not! I don’t feel pressure because I’m doing what I love to do.”
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(c) Copyright 2009, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

NOTE: No "Siegfried" review today

Owing to the fact that I had an all-day choir rehearsal, I didn’t attend this afternoon’s Los Angeles Opera performance of Wagner’s Siegfried, the third installment in the company’s presentation of Wagner’s Ring cycle. I’ll catch up with a later performance.

STORY AND LINK: A unique way to see Gustavo Dudamel's first Disney Hall concert

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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The countdown is underway for Gustavo Dudamel’s inaugural concerts as the 11th music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Tickets for his first Walt Disney Hall concert on October 8 have been sold out for months, but you can participate in a unique (for Los Angles, at any rate) manner by being part of 3,000 or so who will view the concert the Plaza of the Music Center in front of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Thanks to gifts from Helen and Peter Bing and Thomas Safran & Associates, several large plasma screens will set up around the plaza (along with some in the Pavilion’s Grand Hall) to simulcast the opening concert, which will feature Dudamel conducting the Philharmonic in the world premiere of John Adams City Noir and a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.

Having learned a lesson from the Phil’s problems with distributing free tickets to Saturday night’s concert at Hollywood Bowl (including the fact that some of these tickets have shown up for sale on the internet), the Music Center will use an online lottery system instead for the 2,800 free tickets. Log onto the Music Center’s Dudamel site HERE, fill out a form and submit it before 6 p.m. on October 5. Only one reservation will be allowed per email address and a maximum of two tickets per request will be accepted. Those who “win” the lottery will be notified by email on Oct. 6.

Although the tickets are free, the regular $9 Music Center parking fee will apply (take the Metro instead — the concert starts at 7 p.m.). You can bring your own blankets or pillows, but no chairs or strollers from the outside will be allowed. Hot dogs, burgers, tacos, snacks, beer and wine will be available for purchase from Patina Restaurant Group.

Outdoor simulcast have proven to be quite at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. What sort of quality you’ll get here is unknown, but this is a free chance to be part of history, so my advice is to take a crack at the lottery.
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(c) Copyright 2009, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

LINK: Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha dies at age 86

The New York Times has reported that the great Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha has died in Barcelona at age 86. According to Alan Kozinin, she made her U.S. debut in 1955 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. LINK

AROUND TOWN MUSIC: Busy season kicks off

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
This article was first published today in the above papers.
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Fasten your seatbelts! The classical music season blasts off with a month of major events on the schedule. The non-comprehensive list includes:

Los Angeles Opera’s first production of Siegfried, the third installment in Wagner’s mammoth cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which opens Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Three of the five performances are afternoon starts, not a bad thing for an opera that runs nearly five hours (the two evening performances, Oct. 7 and 17, begin at 5:30 p.m.). Music Director James Conlon will present a not-to-be-missed pre-performance lecture an hour before each performance.

Like peeling an onion, Siegried has multiple layers to uncover, too numerous to illuminate here. The highly symbolic sets and direction by Achim Freyer will once again enthrall or frustrate patrons, depending on your viewpoint (critical reviews have ranged all over the lot). Conlon and the L.A. Opera orchestra will undoubtedly continue to play a pivotal role in the quality of the performance.

British tenor John Treleavan joins the cast as the title character. When he appeared last year in Tristan und Isolde, I found his voice to be lyrical but somewhat understated in terms of heldentenor furor. Will that be enough for Wagner’s teenage “hero”? The answer will be critical to the production’s success. The rest of the cast — including Linda Watson as Brünnhilde, Vitalij Kowaljow as the Wanderer and Graham Clark as Mime — have been standouts in the first two Ring segments last season.

Information: 213/972-8001; www.losangelesopera.com
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There are elements of Wagner’s Ring in George Lucas’ Star Wars saga, so it’s somewhat serendipitous that the massive production of Star Wars in Concert opens Oct. 1 and 2 at the Honda Center in Anaheim and continues Oct. 7 and 8 at the Nokia Center at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

Narrated live by Anthony Daniels (the actor who portrayed the droid C-3PO in all six films), this production features a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen — one of the largest ever put on tour. An exhibit of rare Star Wars memorabilia from George Lucas’ archives will be open to those attending the performances.

Information: www.starwarsinconcert.com
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Gustavo Dudamel’s tenure as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 11th music director begins October 3 with ¡Bienvenido Gustavo! a multi-faceted concert at Hollywood Bowl that will conclude with a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The concert begins at 4 p.m. In addition to the Phil, Dudamel will lead the EXPO Center Youth Orchestra (the Phil’s first attempt at building a training orchestra) in an arrangement of the “Ode to Joy” finale of Beethoven’s 9th. There will also be appearances by Herbie Hancock, Andrae Crouch and others in what will be a long day and should be energetic.

Many of the tickets for this event were free but, as is typical of such well-meaning efforts, they went quickly. There are places on the Internet offering ducats for sale; as is always the case in these cases, tread carefully.

Information: 323/850-2000; www.hollywoodbowl.com
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If you aren’t heading to the Bowl, then consider a recital by the superb American baritone Thomas Hampson on Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pavilion, instead. In addition to some German lieder, Hampson will present selections from his American Songbook project that he has developed in conjunction with the Library of Congress. Dudamel (deservedly) has the hype; Hampson might turn out to be equally rewarding, although it’s too bad the recital isn’t being sung in Disney Hall.
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(c) Copyright 2009, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

(Updated) THOUGHTS AND LINKS: The Alan Gilbert era begins at the New York Philharmonic

Reviews on Alan Gilbert’s inaugural concert with the New York Philharmonic have been posted by Mark Swed in the Los Angeles Times (LINK), Anthony Tommasini in the New York Times (LINK) and Anne Midgette in the Washington Post (LINK) and Martin Bernheimer in London's Financial Times (LINK)

Each reviewer saw the concert somewhat differently and, based on what I saw on television, all four views had their share of validity. I was impressed with Gilbert’s choice of music for his opening concert, for the overall quality of music making and for the fact that Renée Fleming took the time to memorize the Messiaen poems she sang. I was also impressed with EXPO, the flourish that Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg wrote to inaugurate Gilbert’s tenure as NYPO music director.

What I didn’t get out of Gilbert was any sense of excitement about the program. Most of the time, he was ultra-serious with only an occasional wry smile to make one think that perhaps he was having a good time.

He was more animated when he eschewed a score to conduct Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, but the whole evening brought to mind a column written by Peter Dobrin, music critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer (LINK), decrying what he sees as a disturbing trend to care more about the visual experience of a concert as opposed to the aural. Frankly, I think this has been true for as long as I’ve been attending concerts but it’s more of an issue in today’s visually oriented society. Nonetheless, there was no level of excitement that came through to me on the telecast from last night’s program, a feeling that was echoed in at least two of the three reviews.

Time will tell.

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(c) Copyright 2009, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

(UPDATED) STORY AND LINKS: Will Dufour be principal flute at two orchestras?

Last week the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced that Mathieu Dufour had been appointed the orchestra's new principal flute after 10 years in a similar position at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (LINK).

Apparently the CSO isn't quite ready to give up on Dufour, according to Andrew Patner, a Chicago broadcaster (LINK) and John von Rhein, the Chicago Tribune's chief music critic (LINK).

This sort of split duties isn't particularly noteworthy, either for principals shifting orchestras or music directors. What's unusual is the public nature of the "spat." According to von Rhein's article, Sophie Jefferies, the Phi's media relations director, Dufour's contract has him playing 22 weeks with the Phil, which certainly makes the bifurcation feasible.

For Dufour, it's sort of the best of all possible worlds, heading flute sections in two of the world's great orchestras.

• For a Los Angeles Time article from 9-15, click HERE

STORY AND LINKS: Alan Gilbert, Gustavo Dudamel ready conducting debuts

By Robert D. Thomas Music Critic Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News

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Two major conducting debuts will take place over the next few weeks; the differences and similarities are worth noting.

Wednesday night Alan Gilbert begins his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic with a gala concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. The next night, he leads his first subscription concerts with a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.

Meanwhile, on October 3 Gustavo Dudamel will begin his tenure as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 11th music director with a free concert at Hollywood Bowl that culminates with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (tickets are already gone for this event). The following Thursday, Dudamel and the orchestra open their Walt Disney Concert Hall season with a gala concert, followed the next three nights by Dudamel’s first subscription concerts as the Phil’s “el jefe” — all four of those concerts will culminate with Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.

The Wednesday NYPO concert will be telecast nationwide as part of PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center series (it will air at 8 p.m. locally on KCET, so of course it’s not “live” in our area). The inaugural Dudamel Disney Hall concert will be taped by PBS for telecast on its Great Performances series on Oct. 21 and will subsequently released on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon.

Both indoor galas will open with world premieres. The 42-year-old Gilbert — a native New Yorker whose mother is a member of the orchestra’s violin section and whose father retired from the orchestra in 2001 — will lead off with EXPO, a new fanfare by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg, whom Gilbert appointed as the NYPO’s composer-in-residence. It’s the first time that the orchestra has opened a season with a world premiere since 1962 when, under the baton of Leonard Bernstein, it inaugurated what was then known as Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center with Connotations, a piece by Aaron Copland.

As is befitting a gala, superstar soprano Renée Fleming will be the soloist but not with her usual assortment of operatic show-off pieces. Instead, Fleming’s vehicle will be Poèmes pour Mi by French composer Olivier Messiaen, a set of nine love poems written by Messiaen in 1936 and dedicated to first wife, Claire Delbos (whom Messiaen nicknamed "Mi").

The concert, which concludes with Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, is the sort of opening-night programming one might have expected from Esa-Pekka Salonen, certainly not what New York has grown accustomed to under its last two music directors Kurt Masur and Lorin Maazel. Moreover, as Salonen did with his first concerts in Los Angeles, Gilbert is beginning the orchestra’s 2009-2010 with Mahler’s grandiloquent Symphony No. 3.

Speaking of Salonen, the 28-year-old Dudamel, a Venezuela native and a product of his country’s famed music education “El Sistema,” is picking up where his Finnish predecessor left off in terms of programming. Dudamel’s inaugural Disney Hall concert will lead off with John Adams’ City Noir, a new work inspired by Los Angeles and commissioned by the LAPO for Dudamel’s first season as LAPO music director. The subscription concerts open with Su, a U.S. premiere of a L.A. Phil commission by Korean composer Unsuk Chin, with Wu Wei as soloist on the sheng, a Chinese bamboo mouth organ. Should make quite a contrast with Mahler’s first.

• For Anthony Tommasini’s profile of Alan Gilbert in the New York Times, click HERE.
• For Alan M. Jalon’s profile of Gilbert in the Los Angeles Times, click HERE.

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(c) Copyright 2009, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

FREE CONCERT OF THE WEEK: Anita Protich and David Troy Francis

Soprano Anita Protich and pianist David Troy Francis will present a free recital this Sunday at 4 p.m. at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Now, it happens that I sing with Anita in the church's Kirk Choir (she's the soprano soloist/section leader) and know David's artistry quite well, so you can take this recommendation with a grain of salt or a pound of salt, as the late Molly Ivins was wont to write. Regardless, it should be a terrific afternoon.

David will play Rachmaninoff preludes and selections from his CD Be Still, My Soul-American Hymns Revisited Volume II and Anita will sing a collection of American songs. If you're a long-time church member, you'll love David's way with old-time hymns; if not, you'll still find them enchanting, as will be the case with Anita's singing.

The church is located at Colorado Blvd. and Madison Ave. (in between Lake Ave. and Los Robles Ave.) in the Playhouse District of downtown Pasadena (MAP)

STORY: Mathieu Dufour named L.A. Phil principal flute

On his out the door, Esa-Pekka Salonen gave one final gift to Gustavo Dudamel, Salonen’s successor as Los Angeles Philharmonic music director, when he appointed Mathieu Dufour as the orchestra’s new principal flute. Dufour has held a similar post for the past 10 years with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Here’s the Phil’s media release:

THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF MATHIEU DUFOUR AS PRINCIPAL FLUTE

The Los Angeles Philharmonic announces the appointment of Mathieu Dufour to the post of Principal Flute, selected by outgoing Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen prior to his departure. Dufour assumes his duties in mid-September 2009 for the start of the 2009/2010 season. His first concert will be the ¡Bienvenido Gustavo! inaugural celebration on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at the Hollywood Bowl, a Target® Free Community Concert welcoming Gustavo Dudamel as the LA Phil’s new Music Director. Dufour comes to Los Angeles from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he has served as Principal Flute since 1999.

Los Angeles Philharmonic President Deborah Borda commented, “Few performers today approach the remarkable artistry of Mathieu Dufour. As we embark on an exciting new era with Gustavo Dudamel, we are particularly delighted to welcome him to the Los Angeles Philharmonic family.”

“Working with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Phil during last season’s tour in Asia was an exhilarating experience,” stated Dufour. “I am extremely excited to become a part of this innovative organization, especially as the musicians begin a new journey with Gustavo Dudamel. I anticipate many amazing musical moments with this exceptional orchestra.”

Mathieu Dufour began his flute studies at the age of eight with Madeleine Chassang at the National Regional Conservatory in his hometown of Paris, France. At the age of fourteen, he was awarded the school's gold medal by unanimous vote. He subsequently studied with Maxence Larrieu at the National Conservatory of Music in Lyon, where he was unanimously awarded first prize in 1993. Additional awards include second prize at the Jean-Pierre Rampal International Flute Competition (1990); third prize at the International Flute Competition in Budapest (1991); and second prize at the International Flute Competition in Kobe, Japan (1997).

Before coming to Chicago, he was principal flute solo of the Paris National Opera Orchestra from 1996 to 1999. Prior to his appointment there, he served as principal flute solo of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse for three years.