Dudamel in a barrio

 

No, that’s not Las Vegas. It was in the Caracas barrio of La Vega where, over the weekend, Gustavo Dudamel led a free concert. While Angelenos complained about having to stand in line or speed dial the day before in hope of getting a free ticket to Dudamel’s Hollywood Bowl's “Bievenido Gustavo” Oct. 3 concert, Venezuelans merely needed to show up on the street.

To celebrate the 442nd anniversary of Caracas, Dudamel led the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra on Sunday afternoon in Rossini’s “William Tell” Overture and other short classical and Venezuelan favorites.  And according to an architecture blogger in Caracas, who joined the thousands of people crammed in the streets and watching out their houses, the concert would have been impressive anywhere, “but the unlikely setting in the center of a barrio made in magical.”  The Venezuela news source, Noticias 24, has more photos.

One of 22 parishes of Caracas, La Vega, which resembles in places a shanty town has nearly 150,000 residents and is noted for its crime. But the barrio also supports many cultural youth programs, and the concert was sponsored by Caracas' mayor to bring attention to the more positive side of life there.

We in Los Angeles have a mayor as well. We, sadly, have our barrios. But happily, we will soon have Dudamel. Any chance that those turned away at the Bowl on Saturday and those without means to go to Walt Disney Concert Hall might not get a concert of their own?

-- Mark Swed

Related coverage: 

What happened with the Dudamel ticket giveaway?

Dudamel ticket hopefuls find exhilaration, disappointment at Bowl

Exclusive: Details of Dudamel's free L.A. debut concert

Photo: Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra in La Vega, Venezuela, Sunday.  Credit: Jorge Silva y Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

Comments

[Humberto Capiro]

I trust Gustavo Dudamel 300% and will support him in every way possible!! Lets hope that the dream tha many of us have of bringing classical music to under served communites in Los Angeles will come trues as well as the dream of having latino and other composers not heard often in Los Angeles (not just with Gustavo conducting) featured at Disney Hal!! I will be watching eagerly the progress of The Youth Orquestra of Los Angeles to make sure the promise of an "El Sistema Los Angeles" will happen.

Humberto Capiro

[Carlos in DC]

Great news, and I'm not surprised. The Hugo Chavez government has invested heavily in culture and education for the poor and working class Venezuelans, something never done before. Perhaps that's why the rich hates him so much.

About your definition of barrio, "We, sadly, have our barrios" perhaps you don't know that barrio is Spanish for neighborhood. There are rich and poor barrios, so I don't see what is sad about the barrios, every city has them. I guess you follow the silly concept of some white Americans who think of everything from the south is bad.

[Ale]

Carlos, Have your ever been to La Vega? I know that "barrio" well - that is, in fact, what we call a poor neighborhood in Venezuela, a rich one would be "urbanizacion" or perhaps "vecindario". La Vega is indeed a sad, sad place of insecurity and poverty. I saw a man shot in the face in broad daylight there. I went to the schools and saw first hand how lacking in resources they were. I applaud Dudamel giving the people of La Vega a cultural break from their harsh reality, but don't try to sell this as the success of the megalomaniac leader that is Chavez, because under him the people of La Vega continue to live in extreme poverty and now have the dubious honor of living in the murder capital of the world.

[Savio Lau]

So touching. Life-affirming.