Everyone who knows me is familiar with my addiction to classical music. I can’t function properly without it. Even in the morning, I need some music to make my brain start functioning - and sometimes, even if I am in the foulest of moods, the right music would cheer me up and cure me of tiredness, crankiness, and all other mental and spiritual afflictions.

And once in a while, there is a performance of a work I am familiar with that blows my mind. This happened with Alberto Ginastera’s ESTANCIA ( Op. 8 ) - I have the “fairly ok” version conducted by David Robertson, and the one I thought was the best, Josep Pons interpretation with the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. And these two are nice, effective perfomarnces!

Pons rendition was my favourite, until I listened to Gustavo Dudamel and Simon Bolivar National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela - it felt like switching from a black-and-white TV to a HD plasma screen. So, what sounded familiar and ok (in black and white) just gained another new dimension. That’s what I felt with that performance (featured on the FIESTA CD, by Deutsche Grammophon). It was such a lively, impressive perfomance! I loved it so much, that I am dedicating this post to Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, with this quick watercolor portrait of this incredibly talented young conductor.