Classical Music Is in Crisis. Gustavo Dudamel Is Here to Save It.

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Classical music in the United States has long been in trouble. And the orchestras that perform it have been battling for their survival. The possibility of reinventing classical music has seemed out of reach. Until...

SPEAKER_3 (1:24)

There he is.

Michael Barbaro (1:28)

Gustavo Dudamel...

SPEAKER_3 (1:30)

Maestro Gustavo Dudamel.

Michael Barbaro (1:32)

came onto the scene and took classical music by storm.

SPEAKER_5 (1:39)

The word on the street is that this guy's kind of a rocker in the world of conductors.

SPEAKER_6 (1:44)

The it man of the conducting world.

SPEAKER_7 (1:46)

The shaggy haired prodigy from Venezuela who has become classical music's newest rock star.

Michael Barbaro (1:52)

Now, Dudamel is bringing his revolution to New York as the new musical director of the city's premiere orchestra, a post he officially begins this week. Today, my colleague, classical music writer Joshua Barone, on the dawn of the Dudamel era, and exactly what's riding on his success. It's Sunday, September 6th.

Joshua Barone, welcome to The Sunday Daily.

Joshua Barone (2:30)

Thank you.

Michael Barbaro (2:31)

So, on the way to work this morning, I passed a poster on the subway with the face of a man that will be the subject of this episode, Dudamel.

And a few days ago, I opened my mailbox and I got a big brochure with Dudamel's unmistakable head of hair on it. This man is kind of everywhere right now in New York. But for listeners who do not live in our fair city, let me begin with a very basic question. Who is Dudamel?

Joshua Barone (3:04)

Even for people who don't live in New York, they might be familiar with him because we're talking about a man who might be the most famous conductor alive today. Gustavo Dudamel is one of those musicians who transcends classical music as a genre, as an industry, and really is a star in the realm of pop culture. Because this is someone who works a lot outside of the concert hall. He's been in a Trolls movie.

SPEAKER_9 (3:29)

Wherever the conductor led, we followed.

Joshua Barone (3:35)

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He does, he does, he does, yes.

SPEAKER_3 (3:40)

We now declare today Gustavo Dudamel Day in Hollywood.

Joshua Barone (3:45)

Even this old series on Amazon, Mozart in the Jungle, the conductor character was inspired by him. Gallagher Sabernal had this wig.

SPEAKER_1 (3:52)

Hear the hair.

Joshua Barone (3:53)

The slogan for this orchestra was Hear the Hair, which was very much inspired by Gustavo Dudamel.

SPEAKER_1 (3:58)

Why am I surrounded by these dramatic people all the time?

SPEAKER_7 (4:04)

Maestro, maestro, I am very sorry, but we must rehearse.

Joshua Barone (4:06)

This is someone who has been, whether people realize it or not, seated in the pop culture world. That was all before his biggest assignment yet, which is to be the next music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic.

SPEAKER_10 (4:18)

This season, for the first time in its history, the orchestra will be led by a Latino music director.

Joshua Barone (4:23)

This is the oldest orchestra in the country. It has a bit of a dusty reputation in recent years.

SPEAKER_10 (4:30)

In New York, that matters. This isn't just the start of a new tenure, it's the start of a new chapter for the Philharmonic.

Joshua Barone (4:36)

Gustavo Dudamel is bringing not only his reputation, but his whole ethos, which is a mixture of joy, celebrity, and honestly, a celebration of music and its potential to this orchestra to revitalize it. In the process, perhaps, if he's successful, this will be challenging, but if he's successful, it will prove that classical music really has a place in pop culture today.