I was here at Gustavo's 2007 debut
with the New York Philharmonic, and I just can't tell everybody how
happy I am for this day.
I've dreamt about it too, and today it's a reality.
The Dudamel era begins.
So you've led 26 concerts as Gary said.
So clearly you have something special with these guys, our orchestra.
What is it?
First of all, it's a
it's a huge honor.
And I'm really happy
and looking forward for this journey, this beautiful journey,
artistical human journey that we are going to have.
And of course, I remember I came here
still with black hair,
You know, I was a young promise.
You know, at that time I was 25 years old, I think 25, 26.
And I came to conduct Prokofiev fifth Symphony.
Immediately it was a connection. It was a completely
you know, it was an artistical,
deep soul connection.
When it’s generosity
in the approach of working together,
of creating something that makes everything very special.
And I think the New York Philharmonic has this amazing spirit
with that amazing artistic level, the spirit of generosity
to making special music, you know, and especially interpretation.
I remember we gave you a tour.
It was a hard hat tour of the of the hall.
I think Henri was here, too, it was completely stripped to concrete.
And we went with the New York Philharmonic string quartet
And I remember you were very impressed by what was happening.
But what I remember more,
and maybe you could talk a little bit about this, was that
you spoke to the quartet about the difference,
the visceral impact of the orchestra now being surround it by the audience
because you had had so much experience of that in L.A.
Well, yes, that changed completely the dynamic of playing because, you know,
We have to remember that music is about energy. When you feel the people,
you know, surrounding you.
I think having this new hall is unbelievable.
This is the new era, not the Dudamel thing.
Do you consider yourself a risk taker?
I knew he'd like that.
Well, you know me really well Deborah.
And since the very beginning.
Since the very beginning... I think every step that we take is a risk.
You know, it has that delicious
feeling of a risk
But, yes, yes, I love to take risk.
You know, right now in my age, you know,
yes, I'm 42 year old man.
I was, of course, when I was 24, 23, 24, 25.
It was crazy.
I was a wild animal, you know.
Oh, I wouldn't say that.
Not not, not only not only because my hair,
that was huge, you know, And but because, you know,
as a young person, the twenties is the time to accelerate everything.
And I was accelerating a lot, you know, But it was
I have to say, when I
look back, it was good.
It was necessary.
It was the way for me to learn, you know, to balance myself.
But the thing is that,
yes, you get to a point of
to that reflection of what to do and how to do,
why you do things, which way you take.
You know, with the time with experience, you change a lot.
But I keep
that wild,
wild animal Gustavo that is always there
and only with less hair.
No, you know, but
I take risks. Yes.
You've had really formative mentors in your life
that have so deeply contributed
to the man and to the artist that you are.
How have they shaped you?
Wow. Of course, Maestro Abreu,
If I consider a maestro,
It’s Maestro José Antonio Abreu
He was the one since I was nine years old.
That saw
something special in my musical life.
I don't know.
And he made me, you know, walk
and learn in this beautiful path of being a conductor
with Maestro Abreu
I had the chance to... he was a father.
It goes beyond only
I remember our conversations were
were very rich.
You know, when we were talking about an interpretation or about a piece
then it came philosophy, it came poetry.
He was like, he was a genius.
He had a knowledge of things that I feel privileged
I had the chance to be close to that
With time, I got the opportunity to work with these wonderful and generous people.
Daniel Barenboim, of course, is a musical father
Claudio Abbado
The beautiful thing
is that they were my maestros, but they were also my friends.
So people are going to ask you now,
will you start a YOLA?
Sort of like the blueprint question.
Will you start in El Sistema? What are your thoughts?
Because I know how core education is to you.
No, absolutely.
And of course, this is part of my DNA.
You know, to work with young people,
to work with the communities, to bring the orchestra to the community.
This is something very important to really go.
They are also so many wonderful initiatives, you know,
for young people,
for music as a tool of social transformation here happening in New York.
So I think the New York Philharmonic as the center
of the artistic and musical life of this city
has to play a role, a very important role in education,
I remember, it’s a beautiful phrase of Miguel de Unamuno
this amazing Spanish
writer, philosopher, poet
who says
“La identidad que darle
a pueblo, a la gente
es la cultura.”
“La libertad de la cultura.”
“The freedom of the people is in their culture”.
I think that is the real dimension of music. The real dimension of music
is that level, that metaphysical level of connection that
that is spiritual.
I think, for sure
Look, when you give an instrument
to a child
it's something you are giving to
this child beauty.
You're giving the chance to this
young boy, young girl to
to create their own world,
having the opportunity of contemplate,
of interacting with others that are doing
are creating beauty, because that is
that is harmony, that is rhythm.
That is melody. It is all about this dimension of beauty.
I think when we think in that way,
there is not limits in the way of thinking in music
as a very powerful social tool,
a very powerful artistic tool for social transformation.
And I'm telling you this not because I learned this
in a book, or in a... I'm a result of a program,
you know, which it was not a regular, regular conservatory.
You know, my education is coming from playing in the orchestra
since the very beginning and having the opportunities to interact
with other children and learn together so that action for me
that I understand because I was inside of that is very powerful.
It's very transformative.
I decided to be a musician because I was having fun
and enjoying the time
with my friends making music,
and it's what I feel, you know,
I see, you know, that I conduct this orchestra
when I was nine or eight years old
in a recording at home.
You know, I have to say, you know, I conducted the New York Philharmonic
already at home for
for my family, for a good audience, for my puppets.
A lot.
A lot, a lot.
And seriously, I stop the recording.
I rehearse. I said, this is not good.
I changed everything.
But to be honest, it's a dream come true.
You know, because
it's not only that
I will be in the place where
Leonard Bernstein was
Gustav Mahler was, where Toscanini Mengelberg,
Mitropoulos, Boulez, Maazel,
All of these.
Well, I, I forgive me if I don't name some of all of these people, but
at the end is about
the orchestra, you know,
and I think what I see is not only what it was before,
if not the possibilities of what
it can be, you know, in the future.
And this is the thing, having that
wonderful background,
what to do and what to be.
So, yeah, it is a dream come true, but it has been very natural
in a way.