Mozart in the Jungle - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Mozart in the Jungle is a comedy-drama web television series produced by Picrow for Amazon Studios. It was created by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Alex Timbers, and directed by Paul Weitz. The show was given a production order in March 2014.

The story was inspired by Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, oboist Blair Tindall's 2005 memoir of her professional career in New York, playing various high-profile gigs with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic and the orchestras of numerous Broadway shows. The series stars Gael García Bernal as Rodrigo, a character based on conductor Gustavo Dudamel, as well as Lola Kirke, Malcolm McDowell, Saffron Burrows, Hannah Dunne, Peter Vack, and Bernadette Peters.

The first season premiered in full on December 23, 2014. The show's renewal for a second season was announced by Amazon on February 18, 2015. All episodes of the second season were made available online on December 30, 2015. On February 9, 2016 a third season was announced. On August 7, 2016, the official Mozart in the Jungle Twitter account announced that season three would premiere on December 9, 2016. All episodes of the third season were made available online on December 9, 2016. On January 30, 2017, Amazon announced that the series had been renewed for a fourth season.

Saffron burrows on mozart in the jungle and the golden globes series nomination

Main cast

Lola Kirke as Hailey Rutledge, an oboist with a yearning ambition to play with the New York Symphony. She develops a strong bond with Rodrigo as the series progresses.

Gael García Bernal as Rodrigo De Souza, the new eccentric conductor of the New York Symphony.

Bernadette Peters as Gloria Windsor, the president of the New York Symphony (season 2-present; recurring, season 1)

Malcolm McDowell as Thomas Pembridge, the conductor emeritus of the New York Symphony

Saffron Burrows as Cynthia Taylor, a philandering cellist with the New York Symphony

Hannah Dunne as Elizabeth "Lizzie" Campbell, Hailey's roommate and best friend

Peter Vack as Alex Merriweather, Hailey's dancer boyfriend (seasons 1-2)

Recurring cast

Debra Monk as Betty Cragdale, the long-time oboist for the New York Symphony who instantly despises Hailey

Mark Blum as Union Bob, a piccolo player for the symphony and known for bringing up the union rules

Jennifer Kim as Sharon, Rodrigo's assistant

Joel Bernstein as Warren Boyd, the concertmaster for the symphony

Nora Arnezeder as Anna Maria, Rodrigo's estranged violinist wife

John Miller as Dee Dee, the drug-dealing percussionist of the New York Symphony

Rubio Qian as Triangle Tanya, the triangle player of the New York Symphony.

Brennan Brown as Edward Biben, an orchestra board member

Gretchen Mol as Nina, the New York Symphony's lawyer who falls for Cynthia

Makenzie Leigh as Addison, Alex's dancing partner and roommate

Margaret Ladd as Claire, Thomas' ex-wife who dies after hearing his completed symphony.

Jason Schwartzman as Bradford Sharpe, a classical music enthusiast and host of his own podcast, "B-Sharpe"

John Hodgman as Marlin Guggenheim, a purported billionaire infatuated with Hailey

Wallace Shawn as Winslow Eliot, a neurotic concert pianist.

Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Manuel, Rodrigo's childhood friend

Dermot Mulroney as Andrew Walsh, a cello soloist who fraternizes with Hailey.

Monica Bellucci as Alessandra, a reclusive Italian soprano living in Venice, Italy, also known as "La fiamma".

Ana María Martínez provides Alessandra's singing voice.

Sandro Isaack as Pavel, the orchestra's stagehand who becomes friendly with Gloria

Philip Jackson Smith as Mike, a friend of Hailey's whom she recruits to work for the orchestra

Production

The many oboe solos played by the protagonist and other characters throughout the series are performed by Lelie Resnick, principal oboist of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, while the character of Rodrigo is loosely based on Gustavo Dudamel, the Venezuelan music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dudamel coached García Bernal before the latter conducted, in the character of Rodrigo, for a real performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, scenes of which were used for the second season opener. Dudamel has a cameo in that episode, acting as a stagehand trying to convince Rodrigo to move to Los Angeles. Other musicians that have cameos in the series are violinist Joshua Bell, pianists Emanuel Ax and Lang Lang, composers Anton Coppola and Nico Muhly, Broadway star Brian d'Arcy James and conductors Alan Gilbert and Bernard Uzan. Also seen in a cameo is Blair Tindall, oboist and writer of the book on which the series is based.

Reception

The first season of the series has received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 'fresh' 95% rating based on 20 critic reviews, with the critical consensus "Though confined to the isolated world of classical music, Mozart in the Jungle's Gael Garcia Bernal makes this charming little show sing." Metacritic gave the series a 73 out of 100, indicating 'generally favorable reviews.' Cory Barker, writing for TV.com, praised the series. "What works so well is that Mozart isn't afraid to throw you into a world you're likely unfamiliar with, but it doesn't swim so far into the deep end that you immediately drown in jargon and distanced dramatic stakes." Robert Lloyd, writing for The Los Angeles Times, also lauded the first season. He stated that "Characters who were mouthpieces for attitudes start to seem like people, more complicated than a thumbnail description can accommodate. You grow interested in what will become of them without expecting or rooting for any particular outcome." Kory Grow of Rolling Stone also praised the series, writing that "[t]hanks to quirky scripts and a smart ensemble cast... it comes off whimsical without ringing off-pitch."

Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the first season a positive review. "Bernal is both likable and magnetic, and makes the eclectic maestro surge on the screen. He alone is worth streaming the series, but, thankfully, there's a lot more going on here." Brian Lowry, writing for Variety, also lauded the series. "While Mozart is surely a niche confection, the show generally shines by proving long on charm even when it's short on laughs." In a more mixed review, Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a "B-". He praised the series in general while stating that it paled in comparison to Transparent. "The latest talent-rich, lo-fi binge from Amazon Studios falls far short of the high notes hit by the upstart TV player's sublime comedy-drama Transparent, but it's pleasing enough to hold you."

References

Mozart in the Jungle Wikipedia

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