Gustavo Dudamel could have made his final concert as music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic a celebration devoted entirely to his own legacy. Instead, the Venezuelan conductor turned his farewell into a homage to Latin America and a call for Los Angeles to help his devastated homeland.
Nearly 17,000 people filled the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday for A Concert for Venezuela, a benefit featuring the LA Phil, members of Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and performers from across Latin America and the United States.
"Venezuela will always be my home," Dudamel said when announcing the concert, which raised money for communities affected by the catastrophic earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.
The performance marked the culmination of Dudamel's 17 years leading the LA Phil, a tenure that helped transform him into one of the world's most recognizable conductors and expanded the orchestra's relationship with the multicultural city surrounding it.
Sunday's event was originally planned as Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl: A Musical Legacy. After the earthquakes, Dudamel and the orchestra converted the tribute into a fundraiser supporting humanitarian assistance and long-term reconstruction.
"Music has always been a force that unites us across borders," Dudamel said in a separate statement announcing the participating artists.
The program embodied the idea. Classical orchestration moved easily into Venezuelan folk music, Mexican rock, Colombian pop and American alternative music, reflecting the genre-defying approach Dudamel brought to the orchestra after arriving in Los Angeles in 2009.
Natalia Lafourcade performed a medley that included 'Hasta la Raíz,' while Meme del Real of Café Tacvba joined the orchestra for 'Eres.' Colombian singer Carlos Vives performed 'Quiero verte sonreír' and 'La Tierra del Olvido.'
Venezuelan artists Lasso, harpist Eduardo Betancourt, cuatro virtuoso Jorge Glem and musician Moisés Torrealba also participated, placing the sounds of Dudamel's homeland at the center of the Hollywood Bowl.
The lineup extended beyond Latin music. Beck performed 'Ride Lonesome,' while Coldplay frontman Chris Martin made a surprise appearance for orchestral versions of 'Fix You' and 'Viva la Vida.'
Beck offered one of the night's most direct assessments of Dudamel's influence on Los Angeles.
"He improved our city," the musician said, according to El País.
The concert also completed a series of Hollywood Bowl performances demonstrating how Dudamel expanded the LA Phil's repertoire beyond conventional classical programming. The weekend included collaborations with Foo Fighters, Los Tigres del Norte, Lila Downs and other artists representing the musical diversity of Los Angeles.
"It evokes what this city is, what we hear in our cars and what we bring from our families," Dudamel said in Spanish before one of the farewell performances, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Money generated by Sunday's benefit will be channeled through Dudamel's Earthquake Recovery to Support Venezuelan Communities fund, working with the United Nations Development Programme and CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The LA Phil contributed $50,000, while Dudamel, the orchestra's musicians and the invited performers donated their services. CAF separately launched a Venezuela Recovery and Reconstruction Fund with $1 million in seed capital and previously committed $300,000 for emergency assistance.
"In moments of profound need, our responsibility as an institution extends beyond the stage," LA Phil President and CEO Kim Noltemy said in the concert announcement.
A complete fundraising total had not been released as of Monday.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes have killed more than 6,000 people, according to the latest government figures reported by Reuters. Tens of thousands required medical treatment, while thousands of families lost their homes.
The UNDP estimates that the country suffered approximately $6.7 billion in direct physical damage, equivalent to roughly 6% of its gross domestic product.
Dudamel is leaving the LA Phil's top position, but he is not completely saying goodbye to Los Angeles. The orchestra has appointed him artistic and cultural laureate, and he is scheduled to return as a guest conductor. He will continue his career with the New York Philharmonic.
His final night at the Hollywood Bowl nevertheless provided a fitting conclusion to his leadership in Los Angeles. Dudamel arrived as a product of Venezuela's El Sistema music-education program and departed by placing that heritage, Latin American music and the Venezuelan people at the center of one of the city's most prominent stages.
His farewell was not simply about where he is going next. It was about where he came from.
