Music: Gustavo Dudamel @ Carnegie Hall
Question: is that a donkey’s head being projected on the rear wall of the Carnegie Hall stage? And am I mistaken or is Puck’s soliloquy (from “Midsummer Night’s Dream”) really being delivered on stage in Spanish?
These are just a few of the questions audience members may have been asking themselves at Wednesday night’s Los Angeles Philharmonic concert. But you would expect nothing less than over-the-top when the charismatic Gustavo Dudamel is at the podium.
Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a whipped-cream delight in any venue, was enhanced by the narration of Maria Valverde, a Spanish-born actress (and Dudamel’s wife) who played Puck and Titania. Not only did she deliver the lines in Spanish, but video art representing key scenes from the comedy was projected behind her and the orchestra (along with a clip from Max Reinhardt’s 1935 film of “Midsummer,” starring Dick Powell, Olivia De Havilland, and a 9-year-old actor named Mickey Rooney).
“Midsummer” was preceded by “Dzonot,” a 2024 piece composed by Gabriela Ortiz, Carnegie Hall’s current Mexican-born artist-in-residence. “Dzonot” is the Mayan word for a naturally occurring abyss, the guiding image of Ortiz’s evocative piece, which conceives of the orchestra as a kind of ecosystem, inspired by and in reverence of nature.
“Dozonot” featured superstar cellist Alicia Weilerstein, who was characteristically undaunted and passionate. I am sure somewhere in a far-off universe, Pablo Casals is listening and nodding appreciatively.
Such an evening clearly whets the appetite for more Dudamel appearances. Fortunately we won’t have to wait long as he will become the New York Philharmonic’s musical conductor in 2026. So do have your credit card at the ready. Saludo!
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