Gustavo Dudamel's debut disc isn't so much an album as a manifesto. It celebrates his collaboration with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, the flagship ensemble of a country that prides itself on its youth orchestras and has proved that involvement in music-making can prevent many teenagers from turning to street crime. "Beethoven is a symbol for us in Venezuela," Dudamel states. "For all of humanity of course, but for young people especially." The disc itself, however, provokes a mixed response. There's no doubting the quality and precision of the playing, and only those who modishly object to large forces in Beethoven will remain unimpressed. There are times, however, when one questions Dudamel's interpretative abilities. His performance of the Seventh is wonderful in its elation, sweep and commitment. His Fifth, by contrast, seems over-deliberate, takes an age to get going, and only attains the requisite fire in the final movement.