Gustavo Dudamel was welcomed as the New York Philharmonic's new music and artistic director on Thursday with a lavish concert at Radio City Music Hall, a 90-minute inaugural show that broke from traditional classical music conventions with collaborations from Lizzo, St. Vincent, Joaquina and Aaron Tveit.
At 45, Dudamel officially became the first Latino to take over musical and artistic direction of the prestigious institution in its nearly two centuries of history.
Rather than the canonical symphonies usually associated with a major philharmonic, the evening was a contemporary and vibrant tribute to popular music, met with standing ovations throughout by a packed auditorium.
New York's skyline as backdrop
The city of New York was itself a major presence throughout the night. Behind more than a hundred musicians, a giant screen projected a black-and-white illustration of the New York skyline for the entire performance.
The program opened with the overture to George Gershwin's "Strike Up the Band" from 1927. The influence of Dudamel's 17 years leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic then became clear with his choice of actor Liev Schreiber as master of ceremonies.
Schreiber drew laughter from the crowd describing the Venezuelan conductor, joking that combining a teaspoon of Billy Joel, an ounce of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a cup of Tito Puente, a pinch of Barbra Streisand and absolutely no Leo Messi, then adding several thousand volts of electricity, an unreasonable amount of hair, and a command of English that remains gloriously untamed, and baking it all into one giant musical arepa and handing it a baton, would get you something close to Dudamel.
St. Vincent and Broadway take the stage
The first burst of color came from singer St. Vincent, who broke the evening's formality armed with a red electric guitar to perform her songs "Smoking Section" and "New York." She sang the explicit lyrics unfiltered, walked down into the audience seating and even sampled attendees' snacks before leaving the hall.
Broadway musical theater took over Radio City with Aaron Tveit, who transported the audience to New York's Upper West Side of the 1950s with a medley of songs from "West Side Story," including "Something's Coming" and "Maria."
A moment of Latino pride
Latin flavor came courtesy of Venezuelan singer-songwriter Joaquina, who wore a long red dress to perform "Pesimista" and "El Alquimista" in Spanish.
Visibly moved afterward, she addressed her fellow Venezuelan directly, thanking him for putting so much passion and heart into everything he does and telling him he was a great source of pride for them, one he shows to the whole world.
Although Dudamel did not take the microphone to address the crowd, he showed clear rapport with his guests throughout. In one of the night's most comedic moments, he handed his baton to Schreiber, who took the podium and mimed a chaotic, off-beat attempt at conducting the orchestra as the audience roared with laughter.
Lizzo closes the show
The night's final act belonged to Lizzo, who appeared in a bold white outfit with diamond jewelry and her signature flute to perform a medley of "Cuz I Love You" and "Truth Hurts" twice over.
The singer adapted her lyrics to include nods to the Philharmonic without toning down the explicit language of her verses, prompting an ecstatic standing ovation.
Box office boost
Dudamel's arrival is already showing up in ticket sales. Season revenue has grown 8% and subscriptions have surpassed a record $12 million, according to The New York Times.
The New York Philharmonic, founded in 1842, is one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the United States. Dudamel spent 17 years as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic before taking on the New York post.
What comes next
Following the Radio City concert, Dudamel is set to conduct 14 concerts across three venues in the coming weeks, including a tribute marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at the Perelman Performing Arts Center and his debut at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.
In October, he will lead the New York Philharmonic on an ambitious European tour taking the orchestra to ten cultural capitals, including Madrid and Barcelona.
