Peter Bart: Gustavo Dudamel’s Defection Indicative Of A Reignited East Coast-West Coast Rivalry
deadline.comThe classic New York vs. Los Angeles tension is playing out on several fronts at the moment, much to the discomfort of those of us who align with both sides.
The defection of Gustavo Dudamel from L.A. to conduct the New York Philharmonic reflects more than a switch in energy and show business muscle; the Venezuela-born conductor, many feel, also embodies inclusion at an inspirational level.
But then we have the NBA: The decision this week of New York’s two biggest basketball stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, to dump New York and Brooklyn to head West (to Dallas and Phoenix) not only shifted the balance of power in the league, but exposed decades-old fissures between the coasts as Brooklyn turned down offers from Los Angeles’ two teams, the Clippers and the Lakers.
All of this is, of course, reminiscent of the the West Coast-East Coast hip-hop rivalry of the 1990s. Hollywood’s decision-making pyramid also felt a westward jolt with David Zaslav’s resettlement to Beverly Hills and Burbank.
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