Coverage of Gustavo Dudamel’s inaugural concert as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic was featured on the front pages of the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. In Friday’s (10/9) Los Angeles Times , Mark Swed writes, “Oct. 8, 2009, is not the date of a revolution in music. The day marks not even the dawn of a new era. What the Gustavo Dudamel gala Thursday night at Walt Disney Concert Hall did mean for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, however, was an embrace of a new generation and cultural point of view, which is no small thing. Dudamel’s first concert in the hall as the orchestra’s new music director was, of course, hoopla heaven. … But for all the publicity about the new 28-year-old Venezuelan music director and the freshness he brings to a supposedly staid classical music, the most extraordinary aspect of the program itself was just how much it represented business as usual for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. … No musical lollipops were on offer Thursday. No Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming or other A-list soloist was employed to glamorize the stage. To begin the program, Dudamel walked up to the podium, acknowledged the tremendous applause with a happy smile and then fearlessly launched into the world premiere of John Adams’ 35-minute ‘City Noir.’ … Dudamel led everything with confidence and urgency. I can’t imagine another orchestra that could sell such a piece so effectively on the first performance.” Also on the program was Mahler’s First Symphony.
Posted October 9, 2009
