Dudamel's Disney Hall Send-off Became More Than A Mere Party

When Gustavo Dudamel instructs nan Los Angeles Philharmonic to guidelines astatine a curtain call, nan players stand. He motions, sit; they sit.

Sunday afternoon, they wouldn’t stand. Again and again, they stubbornly refused. With an encouraging smile, Dudamel took nan concertmaster’s arm, mildly lifting him to his feet, but he sat backmost down erstwhile nary 1 successful nan orchestra followed. Dudamel ne'er looks nonplussed. He looked dumbfounded.

This was Dudamel’s moment, his past performance astatine Walt Disney Concert Hall arsenic L.A. Phil’s euphony and creator director. Those who were opinionated comprised nan capacity audience, their cheers deafening. The orchestra lustily applauded for illustration everyone else.

It turns retired that Dudamel is some adept astatine saying goodbye and conscionable arsenic bully astatine not meaning it. Eras don’t extremity for him truthful overmuch arsenic go modulation points. There was reportedly Champagne flowing successful nan dressing room aft Sunday’s matinee, but nan L.A. Phil needs to bargain its bubbly successful bulk. Dudamel’s statement continues done nan summer, and nan orchestra will still spot plentifulness of him. In August he takes nan L.A. Phil connected circuit to nan Proms successful London and nan Edinburgh International Festival successful beforehand of 4 large nights astatine nan Hollywood Bowl.

Gustavo Dudamel receives a opinionated ovation Sunday successful his last performance successful Disney Hall arsenic L.A. Phil euphony director.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Dudamel past returns to Disney successful December to behaviour nan L.A. Phil, though pinch 3 lofty caller titles to his name: Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang euphony and creator head of nan New York Philharmonic, L.A. Phil Diane and M. David Paul creator and taste laureate and Michael Eisner founding head and conductor laureate of Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA). He’s going to request caller business cards nan size of an iPhone Pro Max to fresh each that in.

But nan effort to get his orchestra connected its feet was not an idle gesture. Dudamel’s Disney “finale,” nevertheless momentous, lacked astir each nan trappings of pomp. In a Thursday nighttime marathon, he paid tribute to nan orchestra members, giving 17 players solos successful various concerto movements. The 1 spot of unavoidable pomp was Dudamel conducting nan premiere of John Williams’ “Bravo Gustavo,” commissioned by nan L.A. Phil and featuring 4 solo trumpets — Thomas Hooten, Christopher Still, Jeffrey Strong and James Witt — successful a joyous, triumphant ceremony of what has go a adjacent relationship by nan maestro of cinematic joyous triumph.

The programme itself was a potpourri of surprise, fixed what immoderate of nan players came up with. The agelong database of 11 mostly rarities featured 13 soloists. It began pinch a madcap activity from a bassoon concerto by Rossini (with Whitney Crockett arsenic deadpan soloist). Among different curiosities were Matthew Howard and Joseph Pereira cheerfully pulverizing Philip Glass’ Fantasy Concerto for Two Timpanists and Orchestra, arsenic good arsenic Boris Allakhverdyan suavely ghosting jazz fable Artie Shaw successful his Clarinet Concerto. There were excessively galore to database and it’s excessively bad because this became a one-of-a-kind showcase of orchestral versatility, which ended pinch nan premiere of different caller Dudamelian orchestral tribute, Gabriela Ortiz’s “Mujer Arena.”

Patrons clap for Gustavo Dudamel arsenic he conducts his last performance Sunday successful Disney Hall.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The last subscription play concerts featured 2 large-scale useful for nan orchestra and an indispensable Los Angeles Master Chorale. John Adams’ “Harmonium” operates connected questioning, shifting moods of introspection, humility and awe. In Venezuela composer Antonio Estévez’s “Cantata Criolla,” a opus title betwixt a macho Venezuelan troubadour and nan devil leads to nan belief ecstasy of exorcism.

When Dudamel signed his statement to beryllium euphony head of nan L.A. Phil, he said his first privilege was to behaviour “Cantata Criolla.” He did truthful successful his first play to thief inaugurate a caller show he called “America and nan Americans.” That show thought formally and informally has been a thread passim Dudamel’s 17 L.A. Phil seasons, astatine Disney and nan Hollywood Bowl and YOLA, arsenic good arsenic connected tours to Europe, Asia and Latin America.

There was besides surely symbolism successful opening this Disney juncture pinch a activity by Adams. Dudamel’s first Disney performance arsenic euphony head opened pinch nan premiere of Adams’ “City Noir,” nan composer having conscionable been appointed nan orchestra’s imaginative advisor and a composer to whom Dudamel has go profoundly committed complete nan years. His first performance astatine Lincoln Center arsenic euphony head of nan New York Philharmonic successful September will unfastened pinch Adams’ “On nan Transmigration of Souls,” successful commemoration of nan 25th day of 9/11.

Written successful 1980, Adam’s people “Harmonium” is ethereal and dense successful nan choral settings of unsettling poems by John Donne (“Negative Love”) and Emily Dickinson (“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “Wild Nights”). Adams does not extremity for meaning, his early minimalist style causing nan words to travel complete you whether successful somber reflection aliases nan wildness of chaotic nights that do, indeed, extremity for death.

Dudamel first conducted it astatine nan Hollywood Bowl, wherever it washed complete nan amphitheater for illustration a mist. In nan immediacy of Disney, it sunk successful arsenic wondrous reflection connected Donne’s line: “Though I velocity not, I cannot miss.”

Estévez’ “Cantata Criolla” is simply a Venezuelan classical from 1954 but small known extracurricular nan country, contempt having been championed by Aaron Copland arsenic portion of his Pan-American philharmonic advocacy. The lushly poetic matter by Alberto Arvelo Torrealba happens to person been written by nan grandfather of 1 of Dudamel’s closest collaborators, movie and theatre head Alberto Alvero, who directed nan L.A. Phil “Die Walküre” last month.

Dudamel’s 2010 capacity of Cantata Criolla” was a theatrical arena devised by Arvelo that included staging and a movie and an introductory reference of a matter by screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, “América,” publication by actors Helen Hunt, Edgar Ramirez and Erich Wildpret.

Members of YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) execute during Gustavo Dudamel’s last performance Sunday successful Disney Hall arsenic L.A. Phil euphony director.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

This clip location was nary film, nary lighting and not overmuch theater, Dudamel relying connected nan sheer strength of nan music. Rather than incantation, “América” was fixed melodramatic veracity, enacted by an irresistible sextet of YOLA musicians, who besides hap to beryllium budding thespians. Their ages ranged from 10 to 20. Arriaga’s poem is simply a agelong bid of names, phrases, lines from politicians and writers that encapsulate America. When a young kid intones pinch arresting passion Lincoln’s “A location divided against itself cannot stand,” aliases Allen Ginsberg’s “I saw nan champion minds of my procreation destroyed by madness,” we are made alert that nan champion minds of our procreation will not fto america extremity them, period.

Gustavo Dudamel exits nan Walt Disney Hall shape Sunday.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Without a break, Dudamel began Estévez’s analyzable cantata, which he conducted from memory, pinch a searing fury that did not fto up for 35 minutes. The 2 vivid soloists were tenor Anthony León arsenic nan cocky troubadour and baritone Eleomar Cuello arsenic nan cocky devil. Hopeful adrenaline triumphed complete evil but only pinch thief from above. The marvelous Master Chorale marvelously group nan moody segment for triumph.

The “Dude” who conducted “Cantata Criolla” 16 years agone was a youthful advocate, hardly older than nan oldest now successful YOLA. The Dudamel who led this “Cantata Criolla” is now a messenger, and Sunday’s performance was not a statement but a mission.

It was recorded and will beryllium released only connected vinyl arsenic a limited-edition two-LP group and disposable adjacent period only astatine nan L.A. Phil shop aliases ordered online.