United States Bernstein, Beethoven: Key’mon Murrah (countertenor), Hera Hyesang Park (soprano), Rihab Chaieb (mezzo-soprano), Anthony León (tenor), Dashon Burton (bass), Los Angeles Master Chorale (artistic director: Grant Gershon), Los Angeles Philharmonic / Gustavo Dudamel (conductor). Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, 12.9.2024. (LV)
Bernstein – Chichester Psalms
Beethoven – Symphony No.9, ‘Choral’
On 12 September, thirty minutes after the end of the presidential debate, Gustavo Dudamel led the Los Angeles Philharmonic through Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl. The musical celebration of unity with the divisive political discourse unfolding elsewhere created a backdrop for the evening’s performance. The full impact of this thoughtful programming was somewhat diminished by the challenges inherent in outdoor performances at the venerable amphitheater, and Dudamel focused on temporal vertical elements more than on arcing cosmic statements, but his positive approach cemented a connection between performers and listeners that transcended any physical distance.
Countertenor Key’mon Murrah’s heartbreaking solo in the Bernstein and Dashon Burton’s uplifting recitative in the Beethoven were especially potent, drawing the entire crowd into intimate musical experiences that seemed to shrink the Bowl’s vast spaces. The orchestra and chorus were highly-polished if anodyne, and among the soloists who, unusually, did not appear on the stage until after the second movement, the men were more powerful than the women. While my artist wife found beauty and meaning in every note, a friend visiting from Salzburg’s Mozarteum was equally delighted with the unique Hollywood Bowl experience – complete with picnic baskets and giant tubs of popcorn.
As always at the Bowl, the concert relied heavily on two large video screens flanking the stage. But after all these years, the limited camera angles and occasional misalignment with the musical focus once again suggested missed opportunities to enhance the audience’s engagement with the performance. In an era where visual presentation is increasingly important, particularly in classical music, this aspect of the concert felt underdeveloped – it is the Hollywood Bowl after all.
One cannot discuss Dudamel and Beethoven’s Ninth without acknowledging the political context that surrounds him, and how his complicated relationship with Venezuela’s regime invites reflection on the role of artists in challenging political landscapes. This ‘Furtwängler Moment’, as I have termed it, wherein great artists and the public grapple with their influence (or lack thereof) in the face of political turmoil, felt particularly poignant against the backdrop of the night’s concurrent political debate.
As the final triumphant notes of Beethoven’s Ninth faded into the Los Angeles night, I was left with a sense of missed connections. A program built around themes of unity and shared humanity had been performed on a night of political division in a setting that democratizes the classical music experience. The result was a concert that, while ambitious in concept, struggled to fully realize its potential impact.
Laurence Vittes
Featured Image: Gustavo Dudamel conducting Beethoven’s Ninth at the Hollywood Bowl © Timothy Norris/LA Phil