Mahler: Symphony No. 7 - Dudamel

Gustavo Dudamel

1. Langsam Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo 2. Nachtmusik. Allegro moderato 3. Scherzo. SchattenhafT 4. Nachtmusik. Andante amoroso 5. Rondo-Finale. Allegro ordinario Gustavo Dudamel resumes his survey of the Mahler symphonies with this recording of the rare, mysterious 7th The 7th is a symphony of everything, says Dudamel, from chaos to glory, sarcasm to tenderness, from a funeral march to a seductive tango. It is a cosmic symphony of perfect construction and galactic emotional scope. It was his triumph at the 2003 Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Bamberg that catapulted Gustavo Dudamel to international stardom, and the music of Mahler has remained central not only to his repertoire, but to his entire musical philosophy Over the last decade, Dudamel has grown along with his brothers and sisters from the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. No longer a band of Sistema Wunderkinder, the Venezuelan orchestra together with its charismatic conductor, has conquered the great festivals and concert halls of the world, energizing audiences and traditional symphonic repertoire through their musical commitment, inexorable sense of rhythm and passion. -amazon.com

... his galvanising control and spring-loaded beat brought an illusion of logic to the tumult of material, and his heart-on-sleeve exaggeration of the often-violent juxtapositions of mood drew from the music a cartoon-like directness . . . his awareness of contrast was so emphatic ... [3rd movement]: Dudamel's grasp of its process of dissolution was masterly . . . Mahler's reckless exuberance and Dudamel's driven glamour were here linked in mutual admiration. --ClassicalSource The Bolívars brought brawn and ferocity, but also a jazzy spirit (almost akin to a New Orleans funeral), to the opening. Night music for Dudamel and his Venezuelans was the call of the night, seductive and seductively scary. Mahler wanted the middle movement, an eccentric Scherzo, to sound spectral. Dudamel took it moment by moment, one weird passage following another as in a spooky amusement park fun ride. In the loud and propulsive Finale, Dudamel seemed to have one thing in mind, to be an obliging sweeper away of all that went before. --LA Times

Price: $18.98