Mahler: Symphony No. 5
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Composer: Gustav MahlerConductor: Gustavo Dudamel
Orchestra: Simón Bolívar Youth Orch. of Venezuela
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2007-10-09
Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Soundtracks:
- trauermarsch. In Gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie Ein Kondukt
- Sturmisch Bewegt. Mit Grosster Vehemenz
- Scherzo. Kraftig, Nicht Zu Schnell
- Adagietto. Sehr Langsam
- Rondo-Finale. Allegro - Allegro Giocoso. Frisch
Music reviews of Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Music Review: A Recording Memento - Look Elsewhere for Better Performances
Rating: 2 Stars
Once again Amazon readers are guilty of voting yea or nay not on the quality of the music, but because of an inability to seperate themselves from the subject matter. I'm rating the performance against dozens of others on CD - not as a keepsake. If you like Dudamel and want a recording that's fine - just don't expect this to be the equal of the best recordings.
Gustavo Dudamel is very good, but in the Mahler 5th he's not quite ready to compete toe-to-toe with seasoned conductors leading better orchestras than this Youth Orchestra. It should not be forgotten that many of his competitors in this field were once upon a time themselves extremely gifted young musicians - had several of them appeared in today's Age of Instantaneous Star-making no doubt a few of them would also receive equal kudos.
This performance is okay, and better than Dudamel's sketchy attempt at Beethoven. If you're intent on purchasing this a memento it reveals a less than perfect acoustic venue, but there's more than enough clarity to show off the young musicians and their young conductor. As a performance some of Mahler's brass writing fails to ignite, while the trickier passages are frequently not pointed enough to link and hold together the complex structure of the myriad sections. The orchestra has a fair amount of color, though I frequently wished for some more distinquished playing. Counterpoint in particular falls short of the level of play of the finest ensembles. Dudamel's technical skills at successfully maintaining a slow movement - a very difficult art, usually achieved only after years of conducting - are still not yet perfected.
When Domingo first essayed conducting at the Met the pit musicians used to joke among themselves that it was amateur night. I thought he was better than that, but I willingly deferred to my betters. (I think Domingo's singing of Don Jose in Carmen was some of the most distinquished tenor singing of my generation by the way.) However, I feel pretty confident in asserting that the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, while certainly good, are not the equal of major orchestras at the top of their game, and especially when the best orchestras put as much heart and soul in their performances as these junior players do. Just as no pro football fan would expect a college football team, however good, to go head to head with the New England Patriots and come out victorious, let alone go up against Montana and Rice and the 49ers under Bill Walsh at the top of their game (those were the days!), so we shouldn't expect the Simon Bolivar group under Dudamel to surpass Furtwangler and the Berlin in Beethoven, or show greater and more insightful understanding of Mahler than conductors like Bruno Walter or Otto Klemperer, and orchestras like the Royal Concertgebouw or the Vienna Philharmonic.
Two stars for a good try. But please, don't fall for all the shilling. If you want a memento, fine. However, if you're only going to buy one Mahler 5th go elsewhere when you spend your hard-earned money. Sadly, many music-lovers readily accept the words of 'experts' and assume that if they say something is great and the public loves it, well then it has to be good. I suggest you compare and make up your own mind. Too often the public opts for press hubbub, colorful copy, and are swept away over. Fifty plus years experience watching audiences continually show strong preferences for Shotakovitch over Hadyn does not sway me from finding Haydn a vastly greater and more complex composer of symphonies.
Caveat emptor.
Description of Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Gustavo Dudamel presents his highly anticipated second album on Deutsche Grammophon. Again with the forces of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, the disc features another symphonic masterpiece - Mahler's captivating Symphony No. 5. Gustavo Dudamel's debut album of Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7 caused a celebration in the music world and received ravishing reviews: "This is model music-making . . . every phrase is played with an exciting, deeply internalized sense of ownership that adult orchestras would do well to emulate." -The Philadelphia InquirerWith its energetic outbursts, expressive cantilenas and constant changes of mood, Mahler's Symphony no. 5 is the ideal repertoire for showcasing the forces of the SBYOV and its conductor. Dudamel and the orchestra caused a sensation on their 2006 tour of Italy when Abbado, who was announced to conduct the symphony, handed the baton over to Dudamel at the last minute. Even in Abbado's home country, Gustavo and his orchestra pulled off a Mahler 5 that brought the euphoric audience to their feet. "Critics have called the Venezuelan phenomenon Gustavo Dudamel one of the most talented young conductors in the world - and they are absolutely right." -The New Yorker
Dudamel was recently named Esa-Pekka Salonen's successor as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Music Director beginning in the 2009-2010 season.
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