Do you think they are actually singing? Cause, if I'd be a conductor who went through One Hour and a Half of Mahler, I would scream as loud as I could, and then fall on to the ground (still conducting) and at last getting a heart attack, and find myself in a hospital! :D But you are right. Bernstein's enthusiasm wasn't just "good" :D
Nobody really thought that Boulez could do the great German masterpieces like Solti could and Chicago was still a great Germanic orchestra with terrific brass.
Boulez believed that external excitement detracted from internal excitement. He wouldn't be my choice for this piece (even if he were still alive), but he gets a good sound from the ensemble.
Yes, but...Listen to the whole recording of Bernstein with the Vienna Philharmonics;-) Then you may understand Trevor´s opinion...Bernstein was a real Mahler enthusiast and (in my opinion) got somewhere into Mahler´s Soul no other conductor was able to. Sorry for my english; not a native speaker;-) @@ignatiussokal626
@@joshscores3360 It isn`t the word of God. Joh.4: 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
I submit his conducting of the Enigma Variations as a prime example. THough in the case of Mahler No. 2, it's more than justifiable to milk the moment!
While much is said about whether such "emoting" is legit, in one particular concert I was singing (as a longtime chorister), our conductor (whom I won't name but was great to work with and excellent, musically speaking) ended a particularly beautiful piece AND performance without any sort of "ta-da" gesture. It left the audience evidently confused, so they didn't start applauding for some time, and then only feebly; and the expressions on the conductor's face (towards us) registered a combination of disappointment and resignation at the lack of enthusiasm. At the time I was quite sure that, though not musically necessary, if he'd done even a little more of a "ta-da" movement or two at the end, there'd have been a solid response from the audience. (For some reason I'm forgetting the exact piece, but it wasn't like a Haydn symphony or anything that ends with an obvious bang. His body language was more like he was planning on going somewhere for lunch shortly at that moment!) While purists can and do focus on the (usually invisible) score and that particular performance, many in a typical audience need more of a visual focal point to help "realize" the overall impact of a piece as it is performed; usually, that's the conductor, since the musicians are generally focused on only their parts. (I've seen soloists help out well; e.g., a bass who did the "Carmina Burana" solos with a former chorus of ours made everything as visually entertaining and appropriate as it was aurally.) And all that says nothing about the fact that most of the performers are focused on the conductor, and we can and do often derive more than mere "direction" from their movement: inspiration, focus, and other-such qualities can be brought out in musicians who aren't just going through the motions, so to speak.
I've seen this video several times but it moves me every time. It's a spamming of pleasure buttons. However let's not to forget to listen to the entire symphony as well - that is a "proper" and maybe ultimately more satisfying way of enjoying this climax.
Maybe this music is just TOO MUCH so be able to be expressed in conductor's human body language. The conductor ought to burst like a stellar explosion ;-)
Also Richard Strauss, himself a conductor of considerable ability. I do wonder whether conductors' concert antics are warranted. Surely all the cajoling, encouraging, emoting around the music should be done in rehearsal? The concert should be the fruits of that rehearsal, not yet another rehearsal. I remember a comment by Harold Schonberg about a concert given by (his nemesis) Leonard Bernstein, in which he had wished the musical performance itself had been half as good as the one Bernstein mimicked on the platform.
The way a conductor behaves during a concert has a lot of impact on the piece, even if it's subliminal. The more expression a conductor puts into a piece the better the piece will be, he has to conduct a piece, convey the emotion of a piece to the players so they can express that feeling to the audience. Such a level of emotion can't be rehearsed and then be expected in a performance, if the conductor would just stay there the performance would be half as good. This would be like saying the physical movement a player makes during a concert isn't necessary (the way a pianist moves around during an intense passage for example), it's an extra element of conveying the emotion of the piece. So the conductors behaviors are totally justified in terms of the performance quality
@Cold German Beer Drink your beer and shut up you frustrated moron . Reiner would have been unable to conduct such moments . Even if he was a fantastic musician . But he knew his emotionnal limits .
This is one of the greatest things about being a conductor. You have to show emotion, no matter how slow or fast a piece is. All of these conductors were amazing! :)
Rattle was funny! Abbado i think has one of the best recordings of this symphony from start to finish
4 года назад+2
Abbado was very good at bringing out the obv 'over the top" aspects of Mahler (his foot still remaining in Romanticism)...but also was an expert at teasing out the sublime aspects of Mahler: the constant echoes of Classicism, his ambiguity regarding tonality, his almost prophetic vision of the 20th century. He was a fantastic conductor of Mahlers canon...very much La Bella Figura interpretions of all that embodies the Austro-Hungarian culture
Abbado also had the Lucerne Festival Orchestra -- each musician was hand-picked by Abbado from the best orchestras in Europe -- and Orfeon Donostiarra, one of the finest choirs ever assembled. He was working with an unlimited budget and unlimited rehearsal time. Not meaning to detract in the least from his superb interpretive ability, but he was really playing with more than a 52-card deck.
@@dizzyology7514 I can only imagine the number of resources and time it took to put together such a performance. Not to mention that he had done the other Mahler symphonies, (with the exception of 8 I believe).
@@TheMaestro2005 Yep, Mahler isn't for the faint-hearted. My all-time favorite, however, remains Mahler 1 with Tennstedt conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
@@dizzyology7514 I'll have to look into that recording, I first hear Mahler as a teen. Started with the first two symphonies. Then 6,5,3,9,7,4,8... I don't know why i remember the order
Bernstein has the coolest interpretation of that one little chunk though. At the resolution he lets it move just slightly slower than the rest. The guy after him seems like he does it that way too.
@@erikwaterson361 There's a VERY fine line between milking it properly and dragging it out, the latter of which would be a trainwreck disaster. To me, the two greatest sins in music are 1. dragging it, and 2. playing it overwrought/overly expressive, it's like using too many adjectives. I liked Abbaddo, he played it the straightest /quickest, and it was very clear, but also expressive. The hardest thing to do is get the balance right between the technical playing and the expressiveness, rubato/ritardando, but I would err on being technically correct, because again, when it's overwrought or played too slowly/dragged, it can be a disaster. None of them here were though, so that's great.
I firmly believe that conductors should give themselves over to the music, heart and soul, for the entirety of the piece, whether that means imitating their emotions and the beauty of the piece with wide sweeping movements or remaining collected and giving all of their focus to the efficient conducting of the piece. I don't think the best conductors are the ones who emote a lot, or very little; they know their best style of conducting for themselves, the way that they best set the music upon the ensemble.
it's different when you live music. That's exactly what's happening. And when you're living the music, it's not humanely possible to keep it to yourself.
The last thing orchestra musicians want to see, is a conductor who is lost in ecstasy. They need someone who is precise and always in control. Ultimately, it's how they manage to convey what they want to do with the orchestra. Some conductors manage with very little gestures (Reiner, Szell, Klemperer), some with precision (Maazel, Boulez), some with "orgasmic faces" (Bernstein...). Whatever works...
I entirely agree. The conductor's gestures are the means through which s/he communicates a vision of the music to the musicians. What it looks like to onlookers like us can be fun to watch (I did enjoy this compilation) -- but it's unrelated to the quality of the music. If I had created this mash-up, I would have included Carlos Kleiber, standing motionless for 15 seconds of total silence. He didn't like Mahler, never conducted his symphonies, and would have said the audience would be best served by hearing nothing at all. :-)
@@dizzyology7514 We, the audience, generally do not get to see how the music is being emoted on the conductor's face, only the sound from the orchestra.
Honourable mention goes to Ozawa. His enthusiasm isn't as pronounced as Lenny or Rattle, but it's there. If you study his face closely, there is a sliver of enthusiasm, but its partially masked by the expression of him basking in the pure magnificence of the symphony's climax. Mahler swag.
Lenny still takes the prize for enthusiasm, and his original recordings of this work are the ones that all other performances are compared to. Timberlake may have brought sexy back; but Bernstein brought Mahler back.
Many comments mention (mostly negative comments) Boulez's apparent lack of emotion when conducting. I have to say that for me, it is quite the opposite feeling; I am astonished by his ability to stay calm and focused in one of (for me) the greatest moment in the symphonic literature. I think he deserves a lot of respect because he never forgets his role as a conductor which is to express what is written in the score in the best possible way (maybe because he is a composer himself); he is always focused on the score and never lets himself overwhelmed by such beauty.
Yassine Taoudi The only problem is, that probably some folks won' t ever be able to appreciate the work of a conductor who doesn' t savagely tear his clothes apart, as a gesture that symbolizes... overwhelming... "enthusiasm", was it? I guess for said people just listening to the damn piece of music would be too mundane. They' re incompatible with anything that' s good in this world. So trust me, it' s useless trying to make them use some common sense, it would be too much of an effort for them.
@@TomSistermans He wasn't a well-known dick. You project his writing which were controversial (and great) but as a person, he was beloved by every musician who has worked with.
@@Someonece He hated the caricatural over-the-top performances of Romantism and didn't like Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Puccini. Is that a sin? But he enjoyed Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Wagner (the ultimate romantic composer) and Mahler.
@@Someonece You have to understand Mahler unlike most composers writing in the romantic style incorporates a lot of elements that we would now call deconstructivist, as Mahler often almost make a mockery of the romantic medium itself. Boulez performed quite a lot of Mahler particularly in contrast to other romantic composers and being a modern composer himself, I do not think it is difficult to see why.
Bernstein's body language and excitement at 1:16 reminds me of how overjoyed and ecstatic I felt when I learned that I wouldn't have to return to my high school and finish my senior year because of Covid-19. That was one of the most heavenly moments of my life, and this beautiful music matches it.
I just discovered this compilation. My own best Resurrection finale was with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in the mid 1920's.. It had the fastest standing ovation I've ever observed with everyone standing after just 4 seconds. Stokowski never used a baton, and you could amost feel fire coming through hs bony fingers (look at the Walt Disney Fantasia to see this effect).
For me Bernstein...the reincarnation of Mahler! His age, his knowledge and the power behind the power! Bernstein is one of the great interpreters of Mahler.
I’m with Vasquez on this one. I feel like anyone on this list before Bernstein, as great as they may be, have no CLUE what they’re conducting. I’ve listened to the full symphony more than 20 times, and the ending probably over a hundred times. My enthusiasm only grows over time; I never get worn out from hearing it.
The finest performance of this work that has been done (sorry no video) was Bernstein's celebrated 1000th performance with the New York Philharmonic. Read the reviews of the DGG recording, especially from those in attendance, at Amazon. This video of his Vienna performance pales by comparison. No one will ever be better than that NYC performance. It truly is one for the ages. Decades later, people still tear up even at the mention of it.
+robertbangkok I agreed with you until I heard Bernstein with the London Symphony Orchestra; which was just taken off RUclips by the "owners" of the performance. I still mourn.
Tom Sistermans he didn’t exactly HATE Mahler, but he probably administered too many x-rays in an effort to save him.... and he wasn’t repentant... mostly because Mahler’s ghost helped Pierre “fixe” an onstage explosion or two, which accounts for Boulez’s complete sangfroid, like plus sangfroid que Siegfried idling at a stoplight, which is pretty sangfroid indeed.
haha fun. fororgive me but who is Vazquez? Lenny's enthusiasm is every bit as much as Rattle's. How did Boulez get results from Orchestras with his bland stylings? Some of his recordings are just plain fantastic listning.
Because Mahler's music is Heavenly all conductors automatically show enthusiasm when conducting his awesome compositions. I put Mahler on top of my list of GOAT composers ever!!!!!
Are there any videos of Robert Shaw directing this? Or did he ever direct this? He must have as some point in his life. :-) However I ultimately think we shouldn't compare between conductors since everyone of them is different and does things and handle's things in his/her own unique way.
I've sung it several times. Happens to me every time, in no small part because each time felt like such a unique and rare opportunity, as I'm not a professional chorister. (But then, just listening to it affects me similarly, so....)
@@benjaminfalcone2074 My most recent opportunity was with Litha Symphony in NYC. Found out about it on a Monday, signed up for it via email, went to a rehearsal Thursday, performed it that weekend! Smallish but mighty chorus, mostly professionals and teachers enjoying their summer off, I gathered. Ditto the orchestra. Not a perfect performance (brass had a few challenges), but oh my we blew the roof off that "little" church!!!
Creio que a intenção de quem postou o vídeo não era emular qualquer "espírito de competitividade", mas demonstrar o modo característico e pessoal de cada regente em dado momento e em dada execução. O mais entusiasmado nem sempre é aquele que oferece a melhor performance.
Do we ourselves know how well Mahler himself conducted? Is there any video footage of him with this same passage? Sadly, no. Only anecdotes. But this enthusiasm demonstrated here came from somewhere else.
Do more videos please, but include Bernard Haitink, Gergiev, Esa Pekka Salonen, Karajan, Carlos Kleiber, Muti, Levine, Chailly, Celibidache, Marin Alsop, Andres Orozco,....The sincere ones! Thanks so much!
And Boulez was probably the most powerful because he didn't have to emote in order to give an upbeat. What is the point of mouthing the words of the chorus?
When else to be dramatic if not at this very moment? Maybe the final minutes of the eighth. I love watching the "more enthusiastic" conductors, but ultimately, I listen to this piece with my eyes closed anyways, so what matters to me is the audible outcome. And, in this regard, I'm incredibly grateful for Bernstein, who introduced me to a completely new dimension of music in my first listen of this piece.
Boulez is just like "I've done this piece 75 times...let's get this resurrection over with already"
Lmao
If he didn't get up already, nothing will do it.
I saw Boulez conduct this once. It was the only time I left a performance of Mahler II unmoved. Did he think Mahler's name was Al?
"Bro, I'm going to need you to resurrect now, my parking is running out"
Boulez's meaning of existence is to reject tonal music. He conducts them only to put food on the table. He is the bane and blight of romantic muisic.
Bernstein: just "good enthusiasm"? He's in ecstasy. I love how many of the conductors are actually singing together with the chorus.
Do you think they are actually singing? Cause, if I'd be a conductor who went through One Hour and a Half of Mahler, I would scream as loud as I could, and then fall on to the ground (still conducting) and at last getting a heart attack, and find myself in a hospital! :D
But you are right. Bernstein's enthusiasm wasn't just "good" :D
@@waldstein6443 that one guy did look tired
Bernstein is the master of conducting that and he has inner and outer oomph there. 10 of 10 oomph.
Singing with the chorus is actually a great port of the job when you play such works! It helps them a lot.
@@spensert4933 when it came to Mahler, nobody matched Bernstein's intensity.
Maestro Boulez looks as though he is thinking "What on earth am I doing here? This is NOT atonal!"
Yet Boulez loved Mahler, and his interpretations can be very emotional. His face doesn't need to be.
Nobody really thought that Boulez could do the great German masterpieces like Solti could and Chicago was still a great Germanic orchestra with terrific brass.
Hes just working...musicians appreciate that
Boulez believed that external excitement detracted from internal excitement. He wouldn't be my choice for this piece (even if he were still alive), but he gets a good sound from the ensemble.
@@remifasolla5324 Check out Boulez and Bruckners 8th ..He just gets it without the external emotion.Its always the performance not the theatrics.
For me definitely BERNSTEIN wins the enthusiasm contest ;-)
Vasquez has officially won this one !!!!!! ;-)
Yes, but...Listen to the whole recording of Bernstein with the Vienna Philharmonics;-) Then you may understand Trevor´s opinion...Bernstein was a real Mahler enthusiast and (in my opinion) got somewhere into Mahler´s Soul no other conductor was able to. Sorry for my english; not a native speaker;-) @@ignatiussokal626
@@twocolours8216 listening to a piece that goes around 1hrs 30 min= mmmmh
@@tovarishlumberjack2356 You won't regret it...
@Matt only?
this is one of those things that I didn't know I needed in my life, but the internet knew I needed in my life.
Would like to see Karajan conduct this...
"negative enthusiasm"
lmao
I think it would be more like "a reflection of the moment in a later interview"
certainly no redundant analogue grimassing...
HAHAHAHAHAHA... That's exactly what I was going to write... You won!!!
@LNhart Yeah~!
I love Vasquez' blatant Bernstein worship. He does literally the exact same series of movements Bernstein did in that legendary video xD
I love watching Bernstein conduct anything.... He lives and breathes music...
But it's all choreographed with very little spontaneity.
His enthusiasm is contagious.
@@Biber0315 It's not he just conduct with his whole boy.
not only conducting, but feeling the music, and getting the orchestra to do the same.
R.I.P., Maestro Abbado.
Berny must be glad that you're joining him in heaven.
I loved the conducting of Abbado, always faith with his musicians, giving all of himself.
One cannot conduct oneself to heaven. Joh.14:"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
@@vrfvfdcdvgtre2369 It's a Christian symphony for goodness sake
@@joshscores3360 It isn`t the word of God. Joh.4: 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
@@vrfvfdcdvgtre2369 It's a symphony about Jesus
I put Lenny's enthusiasm above Rattle's in this one for sure. AND he's the only one who adequately followed the "molto rit" at that moment! imho
That's because EVERYTHING Lenny did was Molto rit ;)
I submit his conducting of the Enigma Variations as a prime example. THough in the case of Mahler No. 2, it's more than justifiable to milk the moment!
Dustin Grady Chung did a molto rit as well
Dustin Grady yes... BERNSTEIN!
Bernstein also gets the most response from the orchestra too, all the others dont quite.
Jansons was the best Mahler conductor I've seen live. PSO responded to him with greatness. 'Child enthusiasm' is to the heart of Mahler. Well said.
I love Boulez because he can make 'extreme enthusiastic' music without any exaggerated gestures.
While much is said about whether such "emoting" is legit, in one particular concert I was singing (as a longtime chorister), our conductor (whom I won't name but was great to work with and excellent, musically speaking) ended a particularly beautiful piece AND performance without any sort of "ta-da" gesture.
It left the audience evidently confused, so they didn't start applauding for some time, and then only feebly; and the expressions on the conductor's face (towards us) registered a combination of disappointment and resignation at the lack of enthusiasm.
At the time I was quite sure that, though not musically necessary, if he'd done even a little more of a "ta-da" movement or two at the end, there'd have been a solid response from the audience. (For some reason I'm forgetting the exact piece, but it wasn't like a Haydn symphony or anything that ends with an obvious bang. His body language was more like he was planning on going somewhere for lunch shortly at that moment!)
While purists can and do focus on the (usually invisible) score and that particular performance, many in a typical audience need more of a visual focal point to help "realize" the overall impact of a piece as it is performed; usually, that's the conductor, since the musicians are generally focused on only their parts. (I've seen soloists help out well; e.g., a bass who did the "Carmina Burana" solos with a former chorus of ours made everything as visually entertaining and appropriate as it was aurally.)
And all that says nothing about the fact that most of the performers are focused on the conductor, and we can and do often derive more than mere "direction" from their movement: inspiration, focus, and other-such qualities can be brought out in musicians who aren't just going through the motions, so to speak.
I've seen this video several times but it moves me every time. It's a spamming of pleasure buttons. However let's not to forget to listen to the entire symphony as well - that is a "proper" and maybe ultimately more satisfying way of enjoying this climax.
I TOTALLY AGREE.
Vasquez wins by far, he looked like voldemort casting a spell :D
i thought he was gonna tranfigure
Thrilling. Fabulous. Exalted. Happy. Thank you to Gustav Mahler, and to all the conductors and to every member of each of the orchestras.
Maybe this music is just TOO MUCH so be able to be expressed in conductor's human body language. The conductor ought to burst like a stellar explosion ;-)
Oh, no. We'll be cleaning bits of Simon Rattle out of the clarinets for weeks!
Also Richard Strauss, himself a conductor of considerable ability. I do wonder whether conductors' concert antics are warranted. Surely all the cajoling, encouraging, emoting around the music should be done in rehearsal? The concert should be the fruits of that rehearsal, not yet another rehearsal.
I remember a comment by Harold Schonberg about a concert given by (his nemesis) Leonard Bernstein, in which he had wished the musical performance itself had been half as good as the one Bernstein mimicked on the platform.
The way a conductor behaves during a concert has a lot of impact on the piece, even if it's subliminal. The more expression a conductor puts into a piece the better the piece will be, he has to conduct a piece, convey the emotion of a piece to the players so they can express that feeling to the audience. Such a level of emotion can't be rehearsed and then be expected in a performance, if the conductor would just stay there the performance would be half as good.
This would be like saying the physical movement a player makes during a concert isn't necessary (the way a pianist moves around during an intense passage for example), it's an extra element of conveying the emotion of the piece. So the conductors behaviors are totally justified in terms of the performance quality
@Cold German Beer
Drink your beer and shut up you frustrated moron . Reiner would have been unable to conduct such moments .
Even if he was a fantastic musician .
But he knew his emotionnal limits .
Thank you Mr. Lassek . What shows your brilliant video compilation , is the result of generosity . If you put more in it , you receive more of it .
Vasquez for me! You can see him pour his entire life, heart, and soul right into that moment and it’s breathtaking
I would like to see Dudamel's version
in the video I've found (2011 Proms) the producer shows the double bass section in that exact moment, so it's not possible
Nah - all you need is Vasquez version
Carlos M Thanks camera man 😒
Dudamel is "enthusiasm pour la galerie".
Anne McAninch Dudamel was simply too hot, too extreme, too Mahlerish for the internet at this time.
Ozawa c'est la précision la passion calme...cette impossibilité ....unique...et Bernstein c'est la passion réussie qui ne finit jamais!!!
I can literally watch Bernstein conduct anything without music
I don’t know why I’m always crying when I saw Bernstein’s movement...
We are saddened to find out maestro osawa has passed away
This is one of the greatest things about being a conductor. You have to show emotion, no matter how slow or fast a piece is. All of these conductors were amazing! :)
Well, since they don't actually make the music, they have to find a way to get it out of the musicians.
Rattle was funny! Abbado i think has one of the best recordings of this symphony from start to finish
Abbado was very good at bringing out the obv 'over the top" aspects of Mahler (his foot still remaining in Romanticism)...but also was an expert at teasing out the sublime aspects of Mahler: the constant echoes of Classicism, his ambiguity regarding tonality, his almost prophetic vision of the 20th century. He was a fantastic conductor of Mahlers canon...very much La Bella Figura interpretions of all that embodies the Austro-Hungarian culture
Abbado also had the Lucerne Festival Orchestra -- each musician was hand-picked by Abbado from the best orchestras in Europe -- and Orfeon Donostiarra, one of the finest choirs ever assembled. He was working with an unlimited budget and unlimited rehearsal time. Not meaning to detract in the least from his superb interpretive ability, but he was really playing with more than a 52-card deck.
@@dizzyology7514 I can only imagine the number of resources and time it took to put together such a performance. Not to mention that he had done the other Mahler symphonies, (with the exception of 8 I believe).
@@TheMaestro2005 Yep, Mahler isn't for the faint-hearted. My all-time favorite, however, remains Mahler 1 with Tennstedt conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
@@dizzyology7514 I'll have to look into that recording, I first hear Mahler as a teen. Started with the first two symphonies. Then 6,5,3,9,7,4,8... I don't know why i remember the order
Bernstein has the coolest interpretation of that one little chunk though. At the resolution he lets it move just slightly slower than the rest. The guy after him seems like he does it that way too.
It's written as a molto ritardando. A lot of conductors, rather unfortunately, don't really milk it properly. It's a matter of interpretation, though.
@@erikwaterson361 There's a VERY fine line between milking it properly and dragging it out, the latter of which would be a trainwreck disaster. To me, the two greatest sins in music are 1. dragging it, and 2. playing it overwrought/overly expressive, it's like using too many adjectives. I liked Abbaddo, he played it the straightest /quickest, and it was very clear, but also expressive. The hardest thing to do is get the balance right between the technical playing and the expressiveness, rubato/ritardando, but I would err on being technically correct, because again, when it's overwrought or played too slowly/dragged, it can be a disaster. None of them here were though, so that's great.
It is so satisfying to watch them conducting and see them realizing the dream of their lives. It really inspires me to become a better person.
The last movimento of 2nd mahler's Sinfony ALWAYS brings me yo tears. I think Bernstein Is my Spirit animal.
Every time. Even watching this video
Chung's technique is certainly my favorite
I mean, it might be basic, but he's very calmly telling the orchestra and choir, "Hey, I'm feeling God in this house tonight."
He's one of my favorite conductor to watch
I played the Beethoven Violin Concerto with him conducting. He did a very good job.
I firmly believe that conductors should give themselves over to the music, heart and soul, for the entirety of the piece, whether that means imitating their emotions and the beauty of the piece with wide sweeping movements or remaining collected and giving all of their focus to the efficient conducting of the piece. I don't think the best conductors are the ones who emote a lot, or very little; they know their best style of conducting for themselves, the way that they best set the music upon the ensemble.
it's different when you live music. That's exactly what's happening. And when you're living the music, it's not humanely possible to keep it to yourself.
The last thing orchestra musicians want to see, is a conductor who is lost in ecstasy. They need someone who is precise and always in control.
Ultimately, it's how they manage to convey what they want to do with the orchestra. Some conductors manage with very little gestures (Reiner, Szell, Klemperer), some with precision (Maazel, Boulez), some with "orgasmic faces" (Bernstein...). Whatever works...
I entirely agree. The conductor's gestures are the means through which s/he communicates a vision of the music to the musicians. What it looks like to onlookers like us can be fun to watch (I did enjoy this compilation) -- but it's unrelated to the quality of the music.
If I had created this mash-up, I would have included Carlos Kleiber, standing motionless for 15 seconds of total silence. He didn't like Mahler, never conducted his symphonies, and would have said the audience would be best served by hearing nothing at all. :-)
@@dizzyology7514 We, the audience, generally do not get to see how the music is being emoted on the conductor's face, only the sound from the orchestra.
What is called for is PRECISION. Keeping hundreds of musicians together.
The French horn section is a splendid indicator. If they are standing with bells up, its a good day.
Mahler 2 is by far the most exhilarating piece I’ve ever played, their enthusiasm is an understatement
Honourable mention goes to Ozawa. His enthusiasm isn't as pronounced as Lenny or Rattle, but it's there. If you study his face closely, there is a sliver of enthusiasm, but its partially masked by the expression of him basking in the pure magnificence of the symphony's climax. Mahler swag.
Lenny still takes the prize for enthusiasm, and his original recordings of this work are the ones that all other performances are compared to. Timberlake may have brought sexy back; but Bernstein brought Mahler back.
Fantastic, the finale of Mahler’s 2 is grandios. The various conductors arena to understand that gradiosness differently. A very entertaining clip!
All honesty, this is the best video i've seen on RUclips
Many comments mention (mostly negative comments) Boulez's apparent lack of emotion when conducting. I have to say that for me, it is quite the opposite feeling; I am astonished by his ability to stay calm and focused in one of (for me) the greatest moment in the symphonic literature. I think he deserves a lot of respect because he never forgets his role as a conductor which is to express what is written in the score in the best possible way (maybe because he is a composer himself); he is always focused on the score and never lets himself overwhelmed by such beauty.
Yassine Taoudi
The only problem is, that probably some folks won' t ever be able to appreciate the work of a conductor who doesn' t savagely tear his clothes apart, as a gesture that symbolizes... overwhelming... "enthusiasm", was it?
I guess for said people just listening to the damn piece of music would be too mundane.
They' re incompatible with anything that' s good in this world.
So trust me, it' s useless trying to make them use some common sense, it would be too much of an effort for them.
I think he was just not enthusiastic because Boulez was... A well known dick.
@@TomSistermans He wasn't a well-known dick. You project his writing which were controversial (and great) but as a person, he was beloved by every musician who has worked with.
@@Someonece He hated the caricatural over-the-top performances of Romantism and didn't like Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Puccini. Is that a sin? But he enjoyed Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Wagner (the ultimate romantic composer) and Mahler.
@@Someonece You have to understand Mahler unlike most composers writing in the romantic style incorporates a lot of elements that we would now call deconstructivist, as Mahler often almost make a mockery of the romantic medium itself. Boulez performed quite a lot of Mahler particularly in contrast to other romantic composers and being a modern composer himself, I do not think it is difficult to see why.
I never knew I needed this video so much. Thank RUclips recommendations lol
ca. 0:28 must be one of the least clear downbeats I have ever seen, but I do appreciate how he made an explosion gesture for the tam-tam ;-)
"You're in an orchestra? Cool, what do you play?
"The Sledgehammer"
Bernstein is an accurate portrayal of how I will feel when lockdown is lifted
Thank you for that compilation . This is so enlightening ....
Fascinating! Love the ‘simple enthusiasm’.
Whoever make this, thank you.
Bernstein's body language and excitement at 1:16 reminds me of how overjoyed and ecstatic I felt when I learned that I wouldn't have to return to my high school and finish my senior year because of Covid-19. That was one of the most heavenly moments of my life, and this beautiful music matches it.
Chung and Abbado only to conduct by heart. OMG
Boulez: “Oh ffs, let’s just get this done 😒”
Bernstein: Literally having an eargasm
I just discovered this compilation. My own best Resurrection finale was with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in the mid 1920's.. It had the fastest standing ovation I've ever observed with everyone standing after just 4 seconds. Stokowski never used a baton, and you could amost feel fire coming through hs bony fingers (look at the Walt Disney Fantasia to see this effect).
Mravinsky is like ... eagle eyes, staring down his players with a huntsman's focused serenity
For me Bernstein...the reincarnation of Mahler! His age, his knowledge and the power behind the power! Bernstein is one of the great interpreters of Mahler.
If it wasn't for Bernstein, we wouldn't even know who Mahler was
@@m.k.1645Bruno Walter is spinning in his grave.
I’m with Vasquez on this one. I feel like anyone on this list before Bernstein, as great as they may be, have no CLUE what they’re conducting. I’ve listened to the full symphony more than 20 times, and the ending probably over a hundred times. My enthusiasm only grows over time; I never get worn out from hearing it.
Klaus Tennstedt did it divinely majestic! His cycle on EMI box! Guts you every single time!
the way those segments are brutally cut literally hurts my ears. nice idea though
I agree. After 3 or 4 of these I had to turn the sound way down.
This finale should be an epic DCI show.
One day...
Nice to both see and hear, thank you.
The finest performance of this work that has been done (sorry no video) was Bernstein's celebrated 1000th performance with the New York Philharmonic. Read the reviews of the DGG recording, especially from those in attendance, at Amazon. This video of his Vienna performance pales by comparison. No one will ever be better than that NYC performance. It truly is one for the ages. Decades later, people still tear up even at the mention of it.
+robertbangkok I agreed with you until I heard Bernstein with the London Symphony Orchestra; which was just taken off RUclips by the "owners" of the performance. I still mourn.
robertbangkok Abbado is better for sure. His orchestra had some of the best players in the world
it is some blasphemy to put this jew above based klemperer
So you think Klemperer was Christian, or what ?
Not to mention Mahler was Jewish too. 4 Chewbaca is clearly missing a cog or two in his brain.
Actually, no matter the enthusiasm level of the conductor, the orchestra and chorus plays and sings at about the same level... :-)
Good stuff! Dudamel should be in here too.
Too exhibitionistic.
***** Perhaps, but nothing says that I have to like it.
+alger3041 Well why don't you
+Vincent Garza I'm entitled to not like it, as you are entitled to like it. Let's just leave at that, shall we?
in the video I've found the producer shows the double bass section in that exact moment
Boulez may be the most enthousiast of them all
Ah Boulez hated Mahler, but he hated everything, even Messiaen, turned against his own teacher!
Tom Sistermans he didn’t exactly HATE Mahler, but he probably administered too many x-rays in an effort to save him.... and he wasn’t repentant... mostly because Mahler’s ghost helped Pierre “fixe” an onstage explosion or two, which accounts for Boulez’s complete sangfroid, like plus sangfroid que Siegfried idling at a stoplight, which is pretty sangfroid indeed.
Yeah he probably didn't hate any of them, he was just such a diva
Boulez was a cold ass . And his lovers too .
@@TomSistermans "Boulez hated Mahler"
Hahaha what a good laugh you ignorant
Me:when the pizza delivery guy knocks on my door😂😂😂😂
Wonderful and more wonderful every time. Thank you to ALL.
Abbado and bernstein the best
The annotations on this video are really perfect.
Great video, very nice! Great idea!
Rest in peace Janson
Amen and amen. Good luck, Simon.
It's always nice when the conductors can show you how to feel when the musicians fail at it themselves.
Bernstein had so much enthusiasm that I ha to show my parent because it was so great
haha fun. fororgive me but who is Vazquez? Lenny's enthusiasm is every bit as much as Rattle's. How did Boulez get results from Orchestras with his bland stylings? Some of his recordings are just plain fantastic listning.
Have justed come back on 2021.12.28
Still inspiring
What I can't be enthusiastic about is using this sequence of interrupted conclusions for a mere contest of differences.
Wtf that's what I'm saying! Talk about anticlimactic!
I think the good enthusiasm in this short part is for Bychkov ! A perfect balance between heart and intelligence...
Because Mahler's music is Heavenly all conductors automatically show enthusiasm when conducting his awesome compositions. I put Mahler on top of my list of GOAT composers ever!!!!!
There is no list- Mahler is THE GOAT!
The GOAT of symphonies.
Dat dude dropped da slammer hammer!
Other conductors: * *Throwing hands, crazy facial expressions, big gesturing* *
Boulez: "I didn't come here to hear a V-I cadence"
Extraordinario el maestro leonard b. Dirigiendo el final de la sinfonia resurreccion del gran gustav mahler
Great compilation! FIVE STARS to Leonard Bernstein (USA), Simon Rattle (UK) and Christian Vasquez (Venezuela)!
Are there any videos of Robert Shaw directing this? Or did he ever direct this? He must have as some point in his life. :-) However I ultimately think we shouldn't compare between conductors since everyone of them is different and does things and handle's things in his/her own unique way.
0:44 Maestro Abbado - The best version!
Bernstein looks like he‘s about to regenerate
Mahler enthusiasm brings me to tears
i would be in tears if i conducted this piece
I've sung it several times. Happens to me every time, in no small part because each time felt like such a unique and rare opportunity, as I'm not a professional chorister. (But then, just listening to it affects me similarly, so....)
I hope I get to perform a piece like this some day
@@benjaminfalcone2074 My most recent opportunity was with Litha Symphony in NYC. Found out about it on a Monday, signed up for it via email, went to a rehearsal Thursday, performed it that weekend! Smallish but mighty chorus, mostly professionals and teachers enjoying their summer off, I gathered. Ditto the orchestra. Not a perfect performance (brass had a few challenges), but oh my we blew the roof off that "little" church!!!
The power of the perfect authentic cadence.
Creio que a intenção de quem postou o vídeo não era emular qualquer "espírito de competitividade", mas demonstrar o modo característico e pessoal de cada regente em dado momento e em dada execução. O mais entusiasmado nem sempre é aquele que oferece a melhor performance.
this is the definitive video
This is genious ♥ As for me Bernstein is a clear winner, but Rattle's expression is incredible. Looks like he was casting some spell =D
that's because they basically copied that exact move for Voldemort in HP movies lol
@@frankborder My initial thought exactly! =D
Do Mahler Symphony #8 next.
I think that's the most enthusiasm I've ever seen from myung whun chung
Do we ourselves know how well Mahler himself conducted? Is there any video footage of him with this same passage? Sadly, no. Only anecdotes. But this enthusiasm demonstrated here came from somewhere else.
I just can't imagine how Mahler would have directed his own Symphony
Funny. Btw this is one of the best finale Ever!!
Bernstein: when you make a joke and the whole class laugh
They're all great
Do more videos please, but include Bernard Haitink, Gergiev, Esa Pekka Salonen, Karajan, Carlos Kleiber, Muti, Levine, Chailly, Celibidache, Marin Alsop, Andres Orozco,....The sincere ones! Thanks so much!
Julián Gómez Giraldo As far as I know Karajan did not record any Mahler videos
And Boulez was probably the most powerful because he didn't have to emote in order to give an upbeat. What is the point of mouthing the words of the chorus?
Yes! And probably the one Mahler himself would have prefered.
Rattle looks like he's gonna serve you a great tennis ball😂😂😂💀💀💀
Mahler 2 is powerful stuff!
Simon Rattle to serve on Centre Court Wimbledon!
This the beat drop of classical music
When else to be dramatic if not at this very moment? Maybe the final minutes of the eighth. I love watching the "more enthusiastic" conductors, but ultimately, I listen to this piece with my eyes closed anyways, so what matters to me is the audible outcome. And, in this regard, I'm incredibly grateful for Bernstein, who introduced me to a completely new dimension of music in my first listen of this piece.