In the last few years, Los Angeles has taken a risk in hiring brilliant (but young) conductors who gained recognition due to their potential and their interpretations of the Mahler symphonies (see Salonen). This new conductor has a craze to call his own, "Dudamania" (chronicled by the LA Times ). The announcement of Gustavo Dudamel's appointment as the next music director of the LA Phil has created a phenomenon here and abroad, with comparisons to the great Leonard Bernstein, and sold out shows across the globe. more ›