Gustavo Dudamel presents his highly anticipated second album on Deutsche Grammophon. Again with the forces of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, the disc features another symphonic masterpiece - Mahler's captivating Symphony No. 5. Gustavo Dudamel's debut album of Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7 caused a celebration in the music world and received ravishing reviews: "This is model music-making . . . every phrase is played with an exciting, deeply internalized sense of ownership that adult orchestras would do well to emulate." -The Philadelphia Inquirer

With its energetic outbursts, expressive cantilenas and constant changes of mood, Mahler's Symphony no. 5 is the ideal repertoire for showcasing the forces of the SBYOV and its conductor. Dudamel and the orchestra caused a sensation on their 2006 tour of Italy when Abbado, who was announced to conduct the symphony, handed the baton over to Dudamel at the last minute. Even in Abbado's home country, Gustavo and his orchestra pulled off a Mahler 5 that brought the euphoric audience to their feet. "Critics have called the Venezuelan phenomenon Gustavo Dudamel one of the most talented young conductors in the world - and they are absolutely right." -The New Yorker

Dudamel was recently named Esa-Pekka Salonen's successor as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Music Director beginning in the 2009-2010 season.