LA Phil LIVE — Dudamel Conducts Beethoven

Comments (0) By Olivia Flores Alvarez Thursday, Jan 6 2011

Music fans who haven’t been able to see a live performance of Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel conducting an orchestra can experience the next best thing at today’s big-screen broadcast of LA Phil LIVE — Dudamel Conducts Beethoven.

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The Venezuelan-born Dudamel became the youngest maestro of a major orchestra in the world when, at the tender age of 29, he took over the helm at the Philharmonic. His good looks (think a young Antonio Banderas with a mop of wild, curly hair), charisma and dynamic conducting style have made him, according to 60 Minutesreporter Bob Simon, “classical music’s reigning rock star.” Dudamel waves his arms, dives under the podium, sways his body and tosses his ringlets as if punctuating every note, and he’s generally considered as much fun to watch as the orchestra is to listen to.

Dudamel Conducts Beethoven is the first of three live broadcasts with the Philharmonic (Dudamel Conducts Tchaikovsky comes up in March, and Dudamel Conducts Brahms 4in June). The program includes Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1, Jeremiah, John Adams’s Slonimsky’s Earbox and, of course, the highlight of the program, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. The broadcast features exclusive interviews with the Philharmonic’s musicians, guest soloists and Dudamel, behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage and a post-concert Q&A with the maestro himself. 4 p.m. Various theaters. For information, visit www.fathomevents.com. $16 to $20.
Sun., Jan. 9, 4 p.m., 2011