Bravo Gustavo

Is it not the business of the conductor to convey to the public in its dramatic form the central idea of a composition; and how can he convey that idea successfully if he does not enter heart and soul into the life of the music and the tale it unfolds?
~ John Philip Sousa


Gustavo Dudamel gives conducting advice to Sebastian Arvelo.
Photo credit: Frank Di Polo and Nohely Oliveros.
You might have heard about the exciting, young, delightfully-coiffed conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who is currently music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. My first exposure to Dudamel was seeing a video of a Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra performance of Huapango with "The Dude" conducting.

I included that version on this playlist. I still haven't heard a better version of Huapango. Even with the missed horn note. (Ah French horns! You know I love you.)

So the LA Phil has a fun free online Gustavo-based conducting game, which is sort of like Guitar Hero for conductors. I appreciated that Bravo Gustavo was very supportive about how bad I was at it. If you give it a try, let me know how you do.

(Do you think this little guy is too young for lessons from Dudamel?)