Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar

The title of this article contains the characters ó and í. Where they are unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Orquesta Sinfonica Simon Bolivar.

The Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar (Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra) is a Venezuelan orchestra. It is the apex of the nation's system of youth orchestras under the auspices of Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, known colloquially as El Sistema.[1] As at 2011 it is no longer officially a youth orchestra because the average age of the players has risen too high.[2] As a youth orchestra it has been replaced by its younger sibling, the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra.[3]

The economist José Antonio Abreu established the orchestra on 12 February 1975. Based in Caracas, the orchestra moved home in 2007 from the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex to a new Inter-American Center for Social Action Through Music nearby.[4]

Gustavo Dudamel has been the orchestra's artistic director since 1999.

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Reception in the UK

In August 2007, the orchestra made its debut at the BBC Proms, to critical acclaim and an enthusiastic reception from the audience.[5] The concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and deferred live on BBC Four TV.

A BBC TV documentary programme in the Imagine arts series, first shown on 18 November 2008, examined the history and ethos of the orchestra and its role in tackling the social problems of Venezuela and its success in transforming the lives of some of the nation's poorest children, including interviews with Dudamel, key members of the orchestra, and current and former students. Hosted by Alan Yentob, the film took a detailed look at the unique music education system of Venezuela, of which the orchestra is an integral part, and described a recent attempt to imitate its success in Raploch, a deprived district of the city of Stirling, Scotland.[6]

Discography

The orchestra and Dudamel have made three recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, one of Beethoven; one of Mahler; and a collection of Latin American music.

The orchestra previously released other recordings, including several ballet pieces, in the early 1990s on the Dorian Recordings label.[7]

References

  1. ^ Charlotte Higgins (24 November 2006). "Land of hope and glory". The Guardian. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1955176,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
  2. ^ Guy Dammann (6 August 2011), Prom 29: Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra - review, The Guardian
  3. ^ Ed Vulliamy (3 October 2010), Simon Rattle: Abreu deserves the Nobel peace prize, The Observer
  4. ^ Ed Vulliamy (29 July 2007). "Orchestral manoeuvres". The Guardian. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2133790,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
  5. ^ Stephen Pritchard (26 August 2007). "Caracas about them". The Observer. http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/livereviews/story/0,,2156299,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-01. 
  6. ^ "How an Orchestra saved Venezuela's Children". BBC. 18 November 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/imagine/episode/venezuela_classical_music.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-18. 
  7. ^ "Emusic listings". http://www.emusic.com/artist/Sim%C3%B3n-Bol%C3%ADvar-Symphony-Orchestra-of-Venezuela-MP3-Download/11869373.html. Retrieved 2007-10-06. 

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