“A place of infinite possibilities”
Although Gustavo Dudamel was only 22 years old and little known outside his native Venezuela when Walt Disney Concert Hall opened, the venue might have been custom designed for the immediacy of the young conductor’s music-making. Dudamel made his debut in the Hall in January 2007 with a program that included Bartók’s demanding Concerto for Orchestra, which was recorded live and released by Deutsche Grammophon. Later that year he was appointed Music Director for the LA Phil, succeeding Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2009. Dudamel’s inaugural gala in Walt Disney Concert Hall, featuring the world premiere of John Adams’ City Noir and Mahler’s First Symphony, was televised and broadcast internationally and subsequently released on DVD.
Frequent audio and video releases have continued to document Dudamel’s passionate relationship with the LA Phil and Walt Disney Concert Hall. His wonderfully imaginative programming exploits every aspect of the Hall, as exemplified by the Mozart / Da Ponte Trilogy, in which three of the world’s greatest architects incorporated the Hall itself into visionary opera sets. Dudamel has also brought the young musicians of YOLA, his signature education program, into the Hall, making it an aspirational destination for a new generation of musicians and music lovers.