Персона
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel is convinced that music can change the world. He is currently the director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Paris National Opera and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. Dudamel is widely known as one of the outstanding conductors of his generation. He is socially active and runs cultural education programs for underprivileged people. Dudamel is one of the few classical musicians who has become a real pop culture phenomenon. His filmography includes the Bernstein’s West Side Story latest film adaptation and John Williams’ music for Star Wars recording. He became the prototype for the main character of the TV series “Mozart in the Jungle” and has worked with such popular artists as Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé. He has a personal star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And his name is again on the Moscow Philharmonic poster! It’s hard to believe. He has not been to Russia for over ten years.
Maestro Dudamel’s career is closely linked to the Venezuelan program El Sistema, founded in the 1970s. Before his conducting talent was discovered, Dudamel had participated as a violinist.
On the eve of the Moscow concert, Gustavo Dudamel (GD) answered Julia Chechikova’s (JC) questions.
JC You haven’t visited Moscow in eleven years. The last time you traveled here with the national youth orchestra of Venezuela. What were your memories from this visit? Do you remember the Moscow Philharmonia Hall?
GD Moscow is a place so full of beauty and history, music, culture, delicious food, and an incredible creative energy. Of course, the Philharmonic Hall both looks and sounds magnificent, and is one of those iconic places where it’s always a pleasure to return. You cannot imagine how much returning to Moscow after so many years in THIS context means to me – it already fills me with anticipation.
JC May the Moscow audience expect that you will bless the capital of Russia with your presence more often after this concert in January 2022?
GD I certainly hope so – one of my great dreams is to bring my new Paris Opera to the Bolshoi one day.
JC For you, are there “gold standards” in performing classical Russian music? Which conductors do you associate with these standards?
GD Oh, where to start! I think Evgeny Mravinsky, Mstislav Rostropovich, Kirill Kondrashin, Rudolf Barshai, and of course Mariss Jansons are all so inspired in their interpretations. But I have always loved Russian music, always – it was taught to me from an early age.
JC Which of your teachers or mentors was responsible for your interest in the works of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich?
GD Tchaikovsky was one of the favorite composers of my maestro José Antonio Abreu, and so I always think of him before everyone else – and the “Pathétique” was perhaps one of the most played symphonies in our repertoire in Venezuela. Every orchestra knew that symphony, note by note, and by memory. We played a lot of Russian music, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Scriabin, and I continue to do so today. Next season in Los Angeles we are making a Rachmaninoff festival and I’ll conduct the “Nutcracker” for the holidays which we recorded a few years ago also in LA. It’s very much in our DNA and it must certainly be Russia’s great cultural export.
JC What is your assessment of the ban of the “Nutcracker” in Berlin due to its “archaic cultural stereotypes and racism”? Does it mean we are about to witness a “witch hunt”, an eradication of the legacy created by classical European composers?
GD I’m not aware of this ban and all that matters to me is that I still believe conducting music can teach us important lessons –about our past, but as well about the present and our future. It is the skill of “listening” that music teaches us and helps us to refine, and that skill is the most important when evaluating what is around us in this age of social media, deliberately misleading news, and the like. I like listening quietly, intensely, to find truth, and that applies also to how we play, perform and interact with life and music equally.
I always have loved Russian music, always – it was taught to me from an early age
JC On December 9 “West Side Story”, directed by Steven Spielberg, entered the movie theaters in Russia. You participated in this project. Tell us what were the specifics of adapting the music of this Broadway hit into cinema?
GD It was an absolutely extraordinary experience to work with the great Steven Spielberg, and the many other incredibly talented people who helped bring this movie to life. I think we managed to adapt Bernstein’s score to match Steven’s vision, without losing any of the timelessness and deeply powerful emotions that are in the music. For me, this music has always been a part of my repertoire and we performed West Side Story both in Los Angeles and in Caracas on many occasions – and with my beloved Venezuelan orchestra, we took that work to Salzburg and performed a staged version with the inimitable Cecilia Bartoli. That was so much fun!
JC For Spielberg it’s the greatest theatrical score and the music symbol of the US. What does “West Side Story” mean for you?
GD I think it’s one of the most beautiful and tragic stories ever told, about love and loss, but also about how we allow ourselves to be divided in society. This film also offers a beautiful portrait of Latin culture as well, which is important to me. Los Angeles is 50% Latino, so having Steven handle the subject matter in the film so masterfully was important.
JC Obviously, El Sistema proved to be highly successful, helping many talented musicians reach their true potential as you’ve experienced yourself. Should more countries open their educational programs for young musicians?
GD I believe there is nothing more important than creating access to beauty for young people, and I hope that someday all countries can find a way to offer this to their citizens. The Dudamel Foundation, which I co-chair alongside my wife, María Valverde, has this as its mission: to expand access to music and the arts for young people by providing tools and opportunities to shape their creative futures. I believe these young people will become the leaders of tomorrow, and will help to build a better world at the highest level. As my Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu always said “you can’t give poor people a poor culture – you need to give the best, to show them the true potential of what they can be.”
JC In your opinion, why did many opera theaters around the world – in the US, in Europe as well as in Russia – start facing, in essence, the same problem? The older audience ages and slowly decreases, and there is no influx of younger audience to pass the torch, so to speak. What methods of solving this issue exist in the US? Which of them, if any, would you consider the most effective?
GD I think arts institutions need to represent the soul of the community around them, and must speak not only to what is timeless, but also to what is urgent and relevant to people today. If we can do that, then I believe younger audiences will be drawn to our art form.
JC In one of your interviews you mentioned that you associated your assignment as the music director of The Paris Opera with stability. Please, tell me in more details on what did you mean by “stability”?
GD The Paris Opera is such a historic institution, I don’t think it would be right for me – or anyone! – to just try to come in and change things. I have tremendous respect for the traditions of the past, and while there are many new and exciting things that I’m looking forward to doing with my colleagues there, I want to make sure that we are always also honoring what has been done before us.
JC Among your European colleagues (slightly older than you) there are the ones who believe that a modern-day successful musician doesn’t need to spend the better portion of the season constantly travelling around the different continents. Those people prefer the more forgiving schedule, mostly being in touch with the same team during the season. What do you think about this? Is it fair to say that a musician’s objective in the modern society changes and he or she no longer has to aim at covering as many countries as possible with concert tours?
GD This is an interesting and important question. I’m now focusing all of my work in Paris and Los Angeles, with only one or two guest weeks at other orchestras. There are three reasons for that – firstly, one of practicality. I love being in one place and not being jet-lagged all the time! Secondly, it’s important for the environment. It’s our generation who faces this threat of global warming and must be proactive, and that means travelling less, consequently. Finally, it’s better for the institutions if I invest more time in the day-to-day rather than heading out and conducting another guest week somewhere else. It deepens our relationship.
JC You are described as a non-authoritative person, even though this particular trait is associated with many representatives of your profession. How would you describe your way of managing the orchestra and conducting it?
GD To me the orchestra is a microcosm of society, with many people playing different parts towards one common creative goal. I believe my goal is to help everyone get there together – but it is always a group effort, working together in harmony.
