Violins were tuning, woodwinds were warming up, and trumpets were blowing pieces of Mahler. Then the musicians of the New York Philharmonic started whistling and cheering.
Gustavo Dudamel, one of the world’s biggest conducting stars, took the stage this month for his first rehearsal since being appointed as the next music director of the Philharmonic Orchestra. The program was Mahler’s magnificent Ninth Symphony.
“I’ll have a chance to hug everyone in the next few days,” he told the musicians, smiling and pumping his fists. “I am very honored to be part of the family.”
Coincidentally, the orchestra’s new hall, the recently refurbished David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, was fully booked that day, so Dudamel’s first rehearsal took place in his old Carnegie Hall. Dudamel said he felt a connection with Mahler, who conducted the Carnegie Philharmonic Orchestra when he was music director of the Carnegie Philharmonic Orchestra from 1909 to 1911.
“This was Mahler’s orchestra,” he said, referring to Mahler’s connection to New York when he wrote the song. “Even though they are not the same musicians, they have the Mahler tradition.”
Dudamel won’t take the podium in New York until 2026, but this month’s five-day rehearsal and Mahler performance with the Philharmonic Orchestra marked an unofficial start. For him, they were a turning point in many ways. A week later, he announced his resignation as music director of the Paris Opera. But New York felt like a new beginning, and as he got to know the orchestra and the city, he chanted the watchword of his tenure. “I’m going to have a great time.”
A champagne toast and rite of passage were held. In his dressing room, Dudamel examined the Mahler sheet music once owned by his predecessor, the noted Mahler player Leonard Bernstein. Hours of intense rehearsal ensued, during which Dudamel encouraged the performers to embrace Mahler’s operatic impulses and their diverse styles.
“It’s not bipolar, it’s tripolar,” he said of one passage. “This is Freud. A new character, a new realm of humanity.”
There were some surprises when Dudamel and the orchestra returned to Geffen Hall for final rehearsals and performances.
After a ghostly growl surfaced during a public rehearsal, he turned to the audience. “Maybe Mahler,” he said.
During his stay, Dudamel was hailed as a rock star and musicians lined up for selfies and hugs.
“You are part of my family,” principal violist Cynthia Phelps told him at the reception. “welcome.”
Dudamel thanked the musicians and said he never imagined the day would come when he would lead a world-class orchestra.
“It’s been a lifetime reward for me to get here and connect with all of you,” he said. “We will continue to nurture this love, this connection.”
At the opening concert, Dudamel was nervous. As usual, he conducted from memory a symphony, one of the most comprehensive and profound works in his repertoire. At the end of the song, Dudamel stopped bowing solo and instead made a gesture emphasizing the contributions of the orchestra members.
Backstage, an aide handed Dudamel a glass of Scotch.
“Oh my God,” he said. “What a trip.”
