The concert given by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela under
its conductor Gustavo Dudamel at the Beethovenfest 2007 in Bonn was a
highlight of the musical year. Over 200 young musicians between the ages of
10 and 24, many from underprivileged backgrounds, performed with nearly
untamable energy under the baton of a young maestro destined to conduct the
most fabled orchestras in the world.
Born in 1981, Gustavo Dudamel is a product of Venezuela's "Sistema de
Orquestas," which was founded by J. A. Abreu to allow children of all
social milieus to learn an instrument and play in an ensemble. After
winning a competition in 2004, Dudamel quickly went on to conduct several
major orchestras. Critics try to capture Dudamel's effect on musicians and
audiences with words such as "electricity," "vibrancy" and "magic," and Sir
Simon Rattle has called him "the most astonishingly gifted conductor I have
ever come across."
In the riveting 90-minute documentary "The Promise of Music" directed by
Enrique Sánchez Lansch (award-winning "Rhythm Is It"), we follow Dudamel as
he prepares his orchestra in Caracas for its concert in Bonn, and we
accompany the young musicians on their trip to Europe. The film also
features comments by such distinguished musicians as Claudio Abbado, Daniel
Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
The concert program (2 x 45') includes Beethoven's Eroica Symphony,
Bernstein's Symphonic Dances, and pieces by Latin-American composers
Revueltas, Márquez and Ginastera. At the end of the concert, when the
youngsters rip loose in the encores and turn the Beethovenfest into a Latin
fiesta, no one will be able to resist tapping the rhythms with their foot
and joining in the unbridled and infectious cheer of this singular
ensemble!
