Gustavo Dudamel and the Leading European Newspaper Alliance join forces to bring classical music to new audiences

Readers of DIE WELT from Germany, El País from Spain, La Repubblica from Italy, Le Figaro from France, Le Soir from Belgium, as well as Tages-Anzeiger and Tribune de Genève from Switzerland will be offered a free download of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and discounted access to his complete symphonies starting from February 2017. Gustavo Dudamel, Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, and the Leading European Newspaper Alliance (LENA), have reached an agreement to distribute classical music via the publishers’ digital platforms.

The agreement stems from both sides’ interest to expand the traditional audiences for classical music. LENA’s readers will have discounted access to Beethoven’s complete symphonies, one of the zeniths of Western music, from a recent recording by Dudamel with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, with whom he will be starting a European tour in 2017.

The Youth Orchestra is run under the auspices of the renowned El Sistema in Venezuela, which helps thousands of children via musical teaching. Dudamel has set up a similar initiative in Los Angeles with the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), which encourages social development through music for students from underserved neighbourhoods. Similar projects have already been put in place in other areas of the United States, Sweden and Scotland.

About LENA:

Among other goals, LENA works toward the consolidation of Europe-wide public opinion, as its members share a series of common values regarding the importance of quality journalism within the structure of open, democratic societies, with a message of economic progress and social justice.

About Gustavo Dudamel:

Gustavo Dudamel also appears as guest conductor with some of the world’s most famous musical institutions and will be the youngest-ever conductor to lead the Vienna Philharmonic’s legendary New Year’s Day Concert next January, an event that is watched by more than 50 million people in 90 countries every year.