It was a perfect summer night for Mozart at the Hollywood Bowl under the full moon. Amazon invited HFPA members to the Bowl for the live shooting of the first episode of the second season of its series Mozart in the Jungle, which explores the lives of musicians in a fictitious symphonic orchestra. The program for the night was a perfect match: it was an All Mozart Night with the LA Phil conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Rodrigo De Souza (Gael Garcia Bernal), the flamboyant music director of the series’ fictitious New York Symphony, led the overture of The Marriage of Figaro. The LA Phil looked like it was enjoying Rodrigo’s conducting. Audiences also greeted Rodrigo with excitement.
The New York Symphony is patterned after the LA Phil, and Rodrigo is clearly a fictional version of Gustavo Dudamel, who is the music director of the LA Phil. For this shoot, real maestro Dudamel taught fictional maestro Gael how to conduct. They both seemed to be enjoying the experience with childlike glee.
After the All Mozart concert we met Mr. Dudamel and Gael backstage. We talked about music and the relationship between Mr. Dudamel and Gael. They looked like brothers and were in a very cheerful mood. It was a totally fun night. Long live Mozart!
H.J. Park