Gustavo Dudamel: Dudamel conducts Mahler's symphony no. 1

[georgemen2009]

I guess after all we need to rethink whta really means for us the other people.

[gaylealstrom]

I think Dudamel and the youth orchestra being so good says a lot for what subsidization can do.

[MrPorVenezuela]

The "Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil" (Joung Symphonic Orchestra") exists long before Chavez. He and his corrupt government has lowered the existing high level of that orchestra. Dudamel's knowledge was not built by Chavez's regime, but by prior democratic teachers, including Rodolfo Saglimbeni and José Antonio Abreu (IMHO the real creator of this orchestras). Want to evaluate the dictator's result in music ? Must wait a few more years. (Sorry for my English)

[padredemishijos12]

@MrPorVenezuela Hey genius how come no one ever heard of Venezuela before Chavez..........Oh ya a bunch of remade women who were made into Miss Universe. Music did exist before President Chavez, but it was the Bolivarian Revolution that liberated the Venezuelan society which produced the extraordinary musicians. The musician's families received social benefits such as free healthcare and education an in effect a political voice and politica power which the Venezuelan oligarchy lost.

[MrPorVenezuela]

The "Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil" (Joung Symphonic Orchestra") exists long before Chavez. He and his corrupt government has lowered the existing high level of that orchestra. Dudamel's knowledge was not built by Chave's regime, but by prior democratic teachers, including Rodolfo Saglimbeni and José Antonio Abreu (IMHO the real creator of this orchestras). Want to evaluate the dictator's result in music ? Must wait a few more years. (Sorry for my English)

[Klitkonyn]

I saw him last night in the Barbican, epic.

[berniewa2008]

Da haben Sie einen der langweiligsten und kitschigsten Teile dieser Symphonie ausgewählt.

[DrDereczynski]

While watching the performance on the telly in Sweden Iwas amazed at the level of the orchestra playing of the L:A symph. It makes most elite European ensemble sound like student outfits,

[vittoriostoraro]

Meh... Too much too soon with this kid. If he was from Europe you never would have heard of him.

[padredemishijos12]

@vittoriostoraro He is very lucky to have been born in Venezuela where all of his music education was paid for by the (Chavez) government. Currently there are 400,000 Venezuelan kids studying classical music comming from poor families, ALL FREE. Dudamel is very lucky to not have been born in Europe, and even luckier not to be born in the USA.

[padredemishijos12]

@padredemishijos12 PS. Who can afford music lessons at 50 euros per hour over a period of 15 years? Each musician in the BPO has at least 150,000 euros of music education invested in each musician IF NOT MORE. Even though the best professional orchestras are in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, the best youth orchestras in the world are by far in Venezuela, as withnessed by the tour of the Teresa Carreno Youth Orchestra tour of Europe last year. THEY ARE REALLY GOOD.

Happy New Year

PAZ

[mlinton02]

This simply isn't very good IMO. Dudamel doesn't seem to have much of a feeling for what this music is really about. I wonder if he's ever waltzed. Actually this is pretty ugly playing, and it's his fault. The orchestra is playing the way he's conducting. He's young. Yes, I agree, it's a childish rendering, in fact the more I listen the worse it gets. Yeikes. I agree with the other posts, and KMK1314, I bet your school is playing this better.

[imsleepyanddead]

@mlinton02 I know I cannot argue with you on how dudamel and the orchestra interprets this piece (all subjective in my experience), but the 2nd movement is based upon a sketch of hansel and gretel, not so much a parody of a strauss waltz. symphony's based much around a pastorale atmosphere, at least, that's what i see, and less of a ballroom.

you might want to listen to san francisco symphony doing this symphony, i enjoy their version a lot, it's much more musically straightforward(i think?)

[rwbmusic]

Interesting agogic interpretation.

[md8746]

Guy's...seriously?

If you don't know what it is to conduct....please, should up!

[Fafner1976]

As usual mannered with continuous, exagerated gear changes which don't let the music breathe naturally. Heard a Resurrection live from him and the history was the same...

[mario54671]

@Fafner1976 I agree. People are making Dudamel much more than he really is, to the point where he's gonna be a disappointment. I heard this entire Mahler symphony by him...it wasn't good. His rhythm is like jello, and the orchestra sounds rather dull when he conducts them...luckily in November, Esa-Pekka Salonen, the former Music Director (now Conductor Laureate) will be back...I found him to be much better..

[JergenBerger]

You have to be joking if you think ANY orchestra under Dudamel's direction is 'dull', particularly when compared to Salonen, no offense meant to Salonen. As for your and other comments about the rhythm, one must be familiar with and understand the Austro-German tradition of waltzes--Viennese, Schubertian ländler, etc or no, it wouldn't make much sense--like playing Ellington without swing.

[mario54671]

@JergenBerger I just find Salonen's performances much exciting. But it's not really that, his rhythm is just very bad, it's like jello. It's just a bunch of sounds, and it's very unclear. BUT, I'm only judging him from one performance. He's been doing a little too much flying around all over the world to perform (when he SHOULD'VE been here since this is his first year here), it could just be that he's not giving his all because he's exhausted with so many performances he's doing.

[mario54671]

@JergenBerger But I will say, I did listen to Dudamel's Beethoven 7th Symphony recording on the radio, and it was surprisingly much better than his Mahler. It was an earlier recording, a time where maybe he wasn't so busy?

Thanks for being civil.

[JergenBerger]

@mario54671 Dudamel has said himself that he loves Beethoven because he appeals to young people (like himself) and perhaps. Not that Beethoven's emotion was any less grown-up than Mahler's, but I see your point in that maybe Dudamel just "gets it" more with Beethoven than Mahler due to his age. That's why I'm so scared of Brahms 4!

[JergenBerger]

@mario54671 And, it's possible he was a little worn out, but the reason he is so high in demand around the world is not because of his flamboyant conducting style but because again and again orchestras will tell you that he always gives a refreshing 110%.

[JergenBerger]

Dudamel understands PRECISELY what Mahler was writing. And, if Daniel Barenboim and Sir Simon Rattle subscribe to him, I wouldn't be so convinced that "people are making Dudamel much more than he really is." That having been said, your opinion is valuable, and I appreciate that you're interested in this kind of music.

[Gyurme25]

Is he flying or boxing...???

[KMK1314]

my school is playing this...I think i like our version better. lol =] (no offense)

[mondoinc]

oh lol