The Simón Bolívar Orchestra is acclaimed all over the world. What is your impression of him?
The orchestra plays with tremendous momentum. But in the last few years, the Repertoire has become very conventional: Mahler, Beethoven, Wagner. The experience of difference, therefore, is not fundamentally of a visit from any professional concert.

conductor Gustavo Dudamel has not distanced himself today from Nicolás Maduro and Hugo Chávez.
Dudamel is in his political comments always careful. He calls in Interviews, politicians and political parties never by name. He always remains until today. Says that he hoped that things would change for the better. That he may see Venezuela as a free country. That Kind Of Stuff.

How close he was to Chávez, Maduro?
José Antonio Abreu, the inventor of the gigantic music program “El Sistema”, and Hugo Chavez were very close. Chávez has invested vast sums in “El Sistema”, which made the Simón Bolívar Orchestra, large and pretending to improve with classical music, the lives of Venezuela’s children. Chávez took advantage of “El Sistema” as a Soft-Power program In the country and abroad. He himself had no idea of classical music, listened to prefer South American Folklore. With Maduro, Dudamel and the other “El Sistema”sizes only closely connected. Madura has distanced itself Dudamel, but “El Sistema” is still closely tied to the President.

Dudamel and His family were hardly challenged when they toured Europe. You quote on your Homepage, the star conductor Simon Rattle with the statement, “El Sistema” was “the most important thing in the music world”. Whence this delusion?
You have to understand. Dudamel has intoxicated energy, delivers an exuberant Show. Even a Simon Rattle is overwhelmed. On the other hand, the audience know nothing or too little about “El Sistema”, the political Propaganda, in which Dudamel and his orchestra were involved. So like if one believes the assertion of the regime, “El Sistema” is a non-political, purely musical-social program. This is of course total nonsense. But the classical music world has, of course, generally have little problems with despots and dictators, as long as your music is something good. And behind Dudamel is a whole industry.

what do you mean?
In the General idea of the average classical music listener is considered to be old, rich, conservative. Dudamel is vital, for the precious promise of a young, vibrant, wild, progressive classical music, the enthusiastic Young and opens the door for a better life. Classical listener, classical music organizer, classical music journalists – they all love it. Therefore, Dudamel and his young orchestra around the world were courted. Also, I started my research on “El Sistema”, first in admiration. I realized only gradually, as dubious was the whole story. The original question was how “El Sistema”, the Transformation from socialist Venezuela into socialist Venezuelan managed, such as José Antonio Hugo Chávez Andi Abreu duck. How he convinced Chávez of them, he was not an elitist Aesthetics, but to “social inclusion”. That was exactly what he wanted to hear Chávez. Then he visited Abreu with virtually unlimited resources.

“El Sistema”, it should operate not only Propaganda from the orchestra pit, but the playful children values such as solidarity give them hope. Hundreds of thousands of children attended schools of his music.
With questionable results. “El Sistema” has led to social Transformation, none of the social problems of Venezuela solved or mitigated. It also did not work before the current crisis. Recent studies show that the average number of participants in the programs even more privileged than the average population.

El Sistema Will survive “” the current crisis of Venezuela?
Yes. It is closely intertwined with the state and its cultural policy, as it could completely disappear. But the importance it had, not more likely to get “El Sistema”. The music schools in the country it is today most Needed. You can’t replace worn-out strings, and no new tools to buy. Top musicians are or are already abroad. And Venezuela has run out of money to send its orchestra to the world how even in the last few years. Therefore, the question whether it is even politically tenable, Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra in the West to invite unnecessary. A question about what the world of Classical music, unfortunately, never thoroughly thought about it.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 01.03.2019, 13:51 PM