The Radetzky March follows, with the orchestra beginning even before Dudamel has reached the podium.
This veritably orgiastic occasion is followed by a documentary of Dudamel conducting, and frequently stopping to comment on, Mahler’s First Symphony. Speaking in English, he’s funny, enthusiastic and invariably dynamic. This Live From Salzburg DVD is even more enjoyable than The Promise of Music, and that’s praise indeed.
This orchestra is inevitably now firmly established in all classical-music enthusiasts’ hearts. It represents everything they had hoped for, that this music doesn’t have one foot in the grave at all, but is instead being reinvigorated from unexpected quarters, and most importantly by the young from those quarters. The Venezuelan experiment may be unique at the moment but, as Dudamel comments, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be emulated all over the world.
The third item from this orchestra is a CD of Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh symphonies. This has all the qualities the DVDs lead you to expect. Even so, it has to be admitted that seeing them in action on DVD does add a valuable, even a crucial, dimension. Both DVDs reviewed here have Chinese subtitles, by the way.
Lastly, WellGoUSA in Taiwan has now issued its three DVDs entitled All the Russias: A Musical Journey (featuring Russian music and its relation to Russian nature, religion and history, presided over by Valery Gergiev) in a boxed set retailing at NT$800. It’s five films, running at a total of 300 minutes. All three individual items were extravagantly praised in this column, and this collected edition consequently represents outstanding value.
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