Gustavo Dudamel made it clear that he has settled in as the New York Philharmonic’s new Music Director Designate and is set to make an indelible impression on this world-renowned institution. His approach to the season’s opening performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1 showcased his unique talent for infusing both time-honored classics and modern-day landmarks with equal amounts of curiosity, discovery and vigor. 

This was a memorable concert in every way, not the least of which was the presence of the three-time Grammy winning composer, Corigliano, to join Dudamel onstage to receive a well-deserved standing ovation.

Beethoven’s famous No. 5 is without question one of the greatest musical compositions in history. Its opening theme is certainly classical music’s most recognizable. Dudamel threw aside conventions in order to approach this time-honored piece with fresh eyes. 

Beethoven No. 5 was composed at a time of political uncertainty not unlike what we are experiencing in this country today. Napoleon’s armies were marching through the streets of his beloved Vienna like an occupying force. The political turmoil without was a reflection of the inner turmoil Beethoven was suffering in his own life. The famous composer was becoming increasingly deaf, a literal death sentence for a musician. Yet, as in many adversities, a great thing was realized. Such was the case with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

I was present at Orchestra Hall for the World Premiere of John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under its Music Director Daniel Barenboim on March 15, 1990. His composition was quickly recognized as one of the masterworks of the 20th century. The piece won three GRAMMY Awards and was also given the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for music composition. 

The piece has a long history with Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic. The work was first performed by the Orchestra at the height of the AIDS epidemic is 1992. It was last performed by them in 2019 as part of the orchestra’s Music of Conscience festival. Panels from the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated AIDS Memorial Quilt were present at both performances.

John Corigliano is no stranger to the New York Philharmonic. He grew up around the ensemble where his father was concertmaster from 1943 to 1966. As a young aspiring composer, Corgliano worked with Leonard Bernstein on the Philharmonic’s telecasts of their groundbreaking Young People’s Concerts. 

As a composer in his own right, Corigliano has worked with the Philharmonic for nearly half a century. His commissions from the orchestra include his 1977 Clarinet Concerto and his One Sweet Morning in 2011.

His Oscar-winning score to the film The Red Violin was performed by the orchestra live-to-picture with Joshua Bell as Violin soloist.

The similarities between the Beethoven and the Corigliano are as pronounced as are their contrasts. Beethoven’s Fifth ends on a triumphant note, ostensibly with the forces of reason and liberation winning out of the irrationality of fascism. Corigliano’s piece erupts in a tidal wave of percussive energy before subsiding into a quiet meditation that fades into the ethos, perhaps in commemoration of the many lives that were claimed by the scourge of AIDS. 

There was a long silence the conclusion of the concert. Dudamel held the orchestra and the audience under the music’s spell for a meditative moment before allowing it to erupt into wild applause. 

This evening’s concert was only a taste of what is to come from the orchestra’s new leader and his bold vision for bringing exciting and challenging programs to its subscribers. Next week the New York Philharmonic hosts the much-anticipated debut of the dazzling conductor Marta Gardolinska with Leila Josefowicz playing Szymanowski’s rapturous Second Violin Concerto Saturday, Sept. 27 and Tuesday, Sept. 30.  For more on these and other concerts, visit nyphil.org.

Dwight Casimere is Arts and Entertainment Writer for The Times Weekly, Media.