What has Dudamel actually done?
OrchestrasThe hyerventialted coverage of Gustavo Dudamel’s transition in the New York Times has obscured more than it clarified.
His ten best recordings? Only West Side Story made real headlines.
His past jobs? Count on one finger: Gothenburg Symphny Orchestra.
His achievements in Los Angeles? Very extensive. Most significant, he transformed a wrong-coast orchestra into a destination for the world’s best musicians. None of his predecessors came close.
But there’s more.
Dudamel has a feelgood factor that helps musicians feel cherished and upifted.
He makes audiences feel part of the conversation and delivers at least four memorable concerts per season.
He created a youth orchestra – YOLA – that embraces some of the city’s most deprived communities.
He has first call on America’s two most marketable composers – John Williams and John Adams.
He was the first conductor to form an alliance with box-office star Yuja Wang.
He moves easily in Hollywood, helped by Spielberg and Williams.
He has stuck to the same agent throughout his career.
He has made himself transnational, putting Venezuela behind him and adopting Spanish citizenship.
He is learning French in Paris without ever having mastered English to media fluency.
He is something of a systems genius, knowing how to make organisations work for his greater benefit.
Whether that makes him the next Bernstein is rather more debatable.
Here’s a little trick from the early days:
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