Tough acts to follow at the Bowl

Guest conductors at recent lively concerts illustrate there will be life after Dudamel.

- MARK SWED MUSIC.CRITIC

RUSSIAN pianist Daniil Trifonov performs Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto last week at the Hollywood Bowl, which featured conductor Daniel Harding.

The obvious fact that Gustavo Dudamel is a hard act to follow is something that has been concerning for the Los Angeles Philharmonic the last 2 1/2 years. Du-damel has but one more season as music and artistic director before moving on to the New York Philharmonic, and the search for a new music director remains ongoing, the L.A. Phil clearly carefully taking the time to get it right.

In the meantime, interesting, predictable and unpredictable, stuff happens as it has lately at the Hollywood Bowl. Dudamel made the hard-act-to-follow business nearly an impossible act to follow during the first of what was supposed to be his two weeks at the Bowl this month. He had to cancel his second week, which was to have featured the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, thanks to new U.S. government travel restrictions for the Venezuelan orchestra.

The L.A. Phil filled in with two who were Dudamel fellows and are now enjoying prospering careers, Elim Chan and Gemma New. But there were further disappointments. Yuja Wang, who was scheduled to appear with Bolívars in Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto, canceled, and the world premiere of Arturo Marquez Concerto Trumpet No. 2, which the L.A. Phil commissioned, had to be postponed.