Product Details

• Actors: Simón Bolivar Orquesta Sinfónica, Gustavo Dudamel, Felix Mendoza, Jhoanna Sierralta, Katherine Rivas
• Directors: Enrique Sánchez Lansch
• Writers: Enrique Sánchez Lansch
• Producers: Bernhard Fleischer, Christian Berger, Christoph Lanz, Rolf Rische
• Format: AC-3, Classical, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1), Spanish (PCM Stereo)
• Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, German, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
• DVD Release Date: October 28, 2008
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001BWQVUO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,293 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Promise of Music" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

The Promise of Music is a full-length feature film about the story of Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. The film documents Dudamel preparing his orchestra in Caracas for their upcoming concert at the Beethovenfest in Bonn, 2007. Following different young musicians in their day-to-day lives, the film shows how classical music has the capability of changing both the individual and their environment. Director Enrique Sanchez Lansch previously created the award-winning documentary Rhythm Is It! about Sir Simon Rattle's education project with the Berliner Philharmoniker, and now he turns his attention to classical music's hottest young star. A unique and deeply moving look behind the scenes of one of the most talked about phenomena in the musical world of today! Dudamel tours the US with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in November and returns with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in April, 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Promise for Hope, November 16, 2008

By 

Leopoldo Cottin (Pompano Beach, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Promise of Music (DVD)

I will be forever thankful to Mr Sanchez and Gustavo Dudamel for this beautiful picture of my country and its people. This DVD shows what Venezuelans are capable of if only they are allowed to develop their potential. Besides this, the Bonn Concert is just fabulous. The Eroica performance can be rated with those of the great orchestras of the world. I had listened to some previous recordings of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra and Mr Dudamel and thought they were OK, but this one changed my mind completely. From now on I will get any future recordings from these young and amazing people.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, December 23, 2008

By 

Dr. J. J. Kregarman (Denver, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Promise of Music (DVD)

The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela is indeed "astonishing" as is the large scale classical music program of this country which helps produce these young musicians. The documentary (91 MIN) is truly inspiring and their two encores at their Bonn Beethoven Festival concert are great fun both visually and musically. All the above are worth six stars. And the performance of the Eroica is dramatic and certainly not bad given the large size of the orchestra and its youth. If I were at the concert I too would be standing applauding at its conclusion, but it is doubtful that it will demand repeated listening on DVD. The competition is too great.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great documentary!, September 3, 2009

By 

Oscar Gabaldon - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Promise of Music (DVD)

Great documentary! I do recommend it to anyone interested in music. It shows how the Venezuelan system of child and youth orchestras promotes classical music among children, motivating and keeping them out of the streets. The system has yielded many professional musicians, playing in different top-level orchestras around the world. This is the case of Gustavo Dudamel, who is now musical director and conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles. Fun to watch and touching.

Excelente documental! Lo recomiendo a cualquiera que esté interesado en la música. Muestra cómo el sistema de orquestas infantiles y juveniles de Venezuela promueve la música clásica entre niños y jóvenes, motivándolos y manteniéndolos fuera de las calles. El sistema ha producido muchos músicos profesionales, algunos de los cuales tocan en orquestas de alto nivel alrededor del mundo. Es el caso de Gustavo Dudamel, quien es ahora el director musical de la Orquesta Filarmónica de los Angeles. Divertido y conmovedor.