How could any sane conductor make his recording debut leading Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh symphonies? More to the point, how could any sane record label let an almost unknown 24-year-old Venezuelan conductor make his recording debut leading Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh symphonies? No matter who he is, he'll inevitably be compared to everyone who's ever recorded the works from Arthur Nikisch to Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, and hundreds of others. Who could stand up to that kind of ...
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How could any sane conductor make his recording debut leading Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh symphonies? More to the point, how could any sane record label let an almost unknown 24-year-old Venezuelan conductor make his recording debut leading Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh symphonies? No matter who he is, he'll inevitably be compared to everyone who's ever recorded the works from Arthur Nikisch to Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, and hundreds of others. Who could stand up to that kind of competition?Gustavo Dudamel, that's who. The man Claudio Abbado described as "one of the most gifted conductors I have had the pleasure to hear in recent years," creates performances of central works of the standard orchestral repertoire that can stand comparison with the very best ever recorded. With his Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Dudamel leads performances of blinding clarity, blazing intensity, and blistering energy. All the details are firmly in place -- listen to...
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It is refreshing to learn of a charismatic young conductor who inspires both his musicians and his listeners. It is important that new and young audiences have the opportunity to fall in love with classical music.
Although I love Beethoven's symphonies, I have tended to spend my listening and reviewing time of late with less familiar repertoire. I am trying to hear music less than familiar to me and to share my understanding of it. But there is seldom any need to hesitate in hearing Beethoven. Thus, when a friend urged me to hear Gustavo Dudamel's recording with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Beethoven's 5th and 7th symphonies and offered to lend me the CD, I was more than glad to take him up on the offer. The opportunity to hear the youth orchestra was an important part of the appeal of this recording.
From the reviews here and elsewhere, many listeners have become genuinely enthusiastic about this CD. It is appropriate and desirable for people, especially classical music newcomers, to become excited by Maestro Dudamel and by these performances.
The problem, such as it is, lies in the welter of recordings of these two symphonies. Competition is fierce. Inevitably, in listening to these performances, I had in the mind's eye my recollections of other experiences with these works. I found the performances on this CD exciting and good, but they didn't teach me anything new about Beethoven. This is not to fault the recordings. They are fine efforts in an overcrowded field.
With the conductor and the orchestra's magnetic presence, these recordings make excellent introductions to two classic symphonies. I hope they will reach a wide audience and will encourage listeners to hear more Beethoven and more music by other composers. I hope Maestro Dudamel too will go on to success and to great accomplishment.