Gustavo Dudamel Begins New York Philharmonic Tenure After LA Acclaim

Gustavo Dudamel has taken over as music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, beginning a five-year tenure after 17 seasons leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The 45-year-old is the 27th person to head the New York orchestra, whose past leaders include Gustav Mahler, Willem Mengelberg, Bruno Walter, Leonard Bernstein and Pierre Boulez.

His first visit to New York came at 14, when he travelled with Venezuela's National Children's Symphony Orchestra for a concert at the United Nations and jumped on the giant keyboard at FAO Schwarz. "It's a lot about that bubbling energy, this city," he said this week at his office in David Geffen Hall.

Dudamel's opening schedule has been busy. A concert at Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 10, hosted by actor Liev Schreiber, featured Lizzo, St. Vincent, Joaquina and Aaron Tveit, with an after-party in the Rainbow Room. The next day he performed at the World Trade Center arts centre for the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. "Music belongs so profoundly to moments like this," he said. "Music cannot undo what happened. But when words can no longer reach where we need them to go, sometimes music can."

Subscription concerts began this week with Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony, the work he conducted for his Philharmonic debut in 2007. In October the orchestra embarks on a two-week, 10-show European tour, then returns in November to Carnegie Hall for concert performances of Puccini's "Tosca."

Among his early changes, Dudamel has moved the second violins to his right, opposite the first violins, and shifted the double basses to his left, a formation he used in Los Angeles. He has also brought the orchestra closer to the front of the stage and grouped the players' seats more tightly. "It feels like giant chamber music," violinist Alina Ming Kobialka said.

Sherry Sylar, associate principal oboe since 1984, said Dudamel addresses the orchestra as "My dears" when offering criticism. "There's this chemistry and passion that he brings to the table, which is infectious," she said.

Ticket revenue for the season is up 8% on the same point last year, with seats sold in September up 20%. Subscription package revenue stands at $12.4 million, up from $11.3 million. Dudamel, who also keeps a home in Madrid, is undecided on whether to take an apartment on the Upper West Side or in Chelsea, and has become a fan of restaurants including Cosme, Milos, Mercado Little Spain and Casa Ora.