Stokowski Rehearsal - Barber 'Adagio for Strings'
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- in 1968, Leopold Stokowski and the American Symphony Orchestra, which he had founded six years earlier, gave the opening concert of the Madison Square Gardens new building in New York City. Cameras were on hand to film one of the rehearsals and we see Stokowski exhorting his players to give him more tone ("piu, piu") in the celebrated Barber 'Adagio for Strings.' He was alone among the great conductors of the past who insisted on "free bowing" in the string sections, so that the players' up and down bows should all be different to each other. This method produced the famous "Stokowski String Sound" and achieved a seamless legato, particularly in slow music. It should also be noted that Stokowski was 85 years old at the time this film was made and he was still conducting almost as vigorously ten years later at the age of 95!
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It's not often you hear this piece so alive, warm... everybody performs it the same way. Truly incredible interpretation! I think this is how Samuel Barber would have wanted it performed. Slow pieces are never meant to be too slow.
Stokowski clearly was expert in instructing the orchestra in the 'technical' specifics of how to move forward to his ideal of sound and performance of the work. I beg to differ with your speculation of how Barber would have reacted to the basic pulse Stokie chose in this video (really more Andante than Adagio). Re: "slow pieces are never meant to be too slow", that never entered Celi's, Klemperer's or even Bernstein's mind after a certain age, just to name three. Depends on the work, the quarter note marking in addition to the tempo description and the willfulness (some might say waywardness) of the interpreter etc. In my opinion, some movements within symphonies, for example, gain by being played closer to Adagio tempo than indicated (the Andante from Mahler's 6th). Conversely, and to make your point, the Adagietto of his 5th always seems more persuasive when played at 'proper' tempo, not the slouching towards Largo/funereal pulse some conductor's indulge in (it is a 'love' poem to Alma after all, no?)
" give the other conductors what they ask but give me what i ask" ........beautiful!
So "cool"... this kind of self-respect is the goal of my way 😉
Yes, his sentence is really good! You can' t counter anything
Give me what I ask....Please.. He, then gives you BEAUTY
LEOPOLD!
Leopold, Leopold
"Not very good." So funny
What are you a idiot?this man was legend more than that
"But you do better tomorrow." Love it!
😂😂😂la música clásica no es para todos . Sigue escuchando tu peso pluma 😅
I read a lot of comment like extraordinary,wonderful,amezing,wow,GENIUS,really i don't understand that.I see 100 strings players where nobody care about the conductor,everybody play for his self,everybody play only FORTISSIMO without any expression,and especially his hands go alone and nobody follow him.But please i'm not sarcastic or polemical,i would like to understand.
steycats what?
steycats
You are absolutely right, just now I wrote a comment bit similar to your’s.
Nobody follow him?! Ahahaha
I COMPLETELY hear what you're saying.
Why does he conduct the opening bar in three it is written in four
dude didn't you listen? GIVE HIM WHAT HE WANTS!!!
he is the Conductor, it is what he wants ... it is called 'Interpretation' is it not? LOL
It looked like four beats to me. The second beat was quite subtle though.
The opening bar has two pickup notes on beats three and four.
Leopold.. Leopold.... Leopold.. L' L' Leopold!...
😂😂😂😂😂😂
"Not very good, you'll do better tomorrow!" Straight savage.
Lol
MastaDamascus
I love that. It motivates the musicians. It may seem like a dick move but Leopold wanted to bring out the best of everyone.
It's quite a nice thing to say if you think about it
Kind of parental.
This should be mandatory viewing for any young aspiring conductors.
I’m here because of bunny but he is AMAZING
Lmao... Me too
"Not very good, you will do better tomorrow. Now Schubert." LOL
Now I understand what a conductor does I thought he just wavied a stick .
Every conductor should watch this video. This is the way to run a rehearsal! He does not waste rehearsal time by rambling - he gets right to the point. The 'free bowing' I think was a big recipe to the famous Stokowski sound. Why no one else does this baffles me.
It wouldn't have hurt to signify that the cellos or violins gave him what he wanted after several tries.
Eliezer Pennywhistler You're right, but he was a product of his time, (born 1882!). There was a time when rehearsals were less polite. Toscanini (one generation older) was said to have been downright cruel. Claudio Abbado saw him rehearse in his youth, and said it was partly why he greatly admired Furtwangler's way instead.
Yes he is abrupt,demanding,and a batonless orchestra leader.But, at 80 years plus he knows what he wants from the players,so give this old wizard A BREAK you armchair hot dogs!
Howard fowler Not only does he know what he wants. He GETS what he wants!!! ❤️ this man. Love the Stokowski sound!
This is a real gem. Stokowski's ear and his powers of concentration would shame a conductor half his age. And what a glorious sound the players make. Thank you for making this available.
The greatest conductor of all time. What a privilege to be able to see him rehearse! He must be doing amazing things with the Heavenly Choirs!
*waves hands*
"Not very good; you do better tomorrow."
Stokowski was a chad amongst chads.
"No noise, please!"
"Sorry."
As a person who has had the honor to play this piece I understand the conductor as to why he is so demanding. I love this piece💖❤️
i love this piece too, better than most, but please explain free bowing to me as he asks for it but doesn't evervsound out of tune or forced, just more enhanced,
This conductor was pure genius - he understood music so well... You can literally hear and feel the palpable difference he made in the way the orchestra played even in this rehearsal. . . Ahhhhhh... How I wish the world had more like him today!
There are my dude, there are...
The sound Stokowski wanted is wonderful. Thanks for posting this gem.
10 seconds in, this piece is already touching the heart. It is obvious and yet cannot be explained. A miracle?
A gift? Either way something we cannot quite explain
LEOPOLD!!!!!! :v (bugs bunny)
Le... le.. Leopold! :v
basstacna AAAAAAAH
people complain he's mean haha you should try working in a kitchen
I'm with you there, as I work in a kitchen
Lol
This piece was not intended to be performed like a dead cat, meaning lifeless. It needs certain amount of flow and the conductor understands it, but the orchestra is just playing like it was the conductor's funeral...
😅😂😂😂😂🤣🤣
Oh no 😂😂😂😂😂
We do not see geniuses like Stokowski anymore. Bernstein, Furtwangler, Reiner, Szell, Munch, Walter, von Karajan, Koussevitzky.......they were difficult to please, but they set the standard for a lifetime.
He got one of the biggest strings sounds out of an orchestra. I see why now. You were a little mouse to him! Lol! Love it!
Gergiev carries on that tradition.
I second the gergiev recommendation. His version of Mahler 5 from proms and Firebird with Vienn phil are unmatched.
"Not quite my tempo"
L-L-Leopold!!!
Leopold ~ pure genius....5:50-6:32 he knows exactly how is supposed to sound and he goes to get it.... Leopold ~ pure genius...
I live in Philadelphia. Stokowski built up the Philadelphia Orchestra and started the "Philadelphia sound," continued by Ormandy, Muti, Sawallisch and others. "Priceless," as they say. And at an advanced age Stokowski's talent still manifested itself.
muti,ennnn, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
L! L! LEOPOLD!!!
he uses Italian musical terms as "espressivo" and "crescendo" just as they are written in the sheet music this would be enough to call it a big one
8:10 Not very good, you do better tomorrow :)
Gijs Schubert 😂😂😂 love it
Gijs Schubert
😂😂😂😂 they will never do it better
@@derik2nicolai584 if you don’t like, get out
I think those who say that the tempo is too fast only say so because they're too used to many of the lumbering recordings. Charles Munch with the Boston Symphony, too, did this briskly.
Stokowski’s adagio for strings is 2 minutes shorter than the Bernstein LA Philharmonic. Quite an interesting comparison. Both great.
I respect Stokowski's originality. The free-bowing means that the orchestra is more all over the place, less together. But the sound is profoundly original. Stokowski was more about being unique, about creating his own sounds rather than doing the standard.
free bowing for a professional orchestra should not make playing 'all over the place', especially 'less together'. This similar to chain breathing in a cappella choral music. In music there is no such thing as 'standard', not at the level where Stokowsi was.
His version is much more 'sunlit' than Bernstein's..it seems to me...
For y'all criticizing how "fast" or "badly performed" this piece is, enroll a music academy first and learn to play some instrument, then become a renowned conductor as well as a music director for several famous orchestras, and THEN you can come up here and write your little sorry comment of how you want this piece to be performed differently.
I went to music academy. I play piano. I worked for a renowned conductor for many years. This isn't "molto adagio" by any stretch of the imagination. It's not a pleasant interpretation.
It would be good exercise for opinionated neophytes and critics to listen to the very first performance (and recording) of this piece, with Arturo Toscanini, conducting the NBCSO, and Samuel Barber present. It was November 5, 1938 in New York. It lasted about seven minutes, and the recording is available for all to check. It will be then become clear that along all these years, the tempo has clearly and surprisingly slowed down, as in the version by Thomas Schippers and the NYPO in 1965, with Samuel Barber present. That version lasted nine minutes. And how about Leonard Bernstein with either the LAPO or NY Phil with a record of ten minutes.
Get off your high horse.
A masterful demonstration. “You play like misers” a beautiful little piece of instruction.
Hearing the final performance is ok. But this really shows the difference the conductor brings.
The orchestra is not very good and Stokowski was here using the tempi from the original string quartet. Barber knew what he wanted and Stokowski was aiming for this.
LEOPOLD!
as a band kid i felt all of this so much, "SHH! No noise please!", "MORE", "that's LATE"
It is amazing how rare such works are.
I never understood the difference a Conductor makes until I watched this. Incredible. 👏
If I was siting in on that rehearsal, I'd be bawling my eyes out. Adagio for Strings has that effect on me.
LEEEOOOPOLD!!!!
Interesting to contrast this with a Celibidache rehearsal. Stokowski simply tells them what to do. Blunt, perhaps, but right to the point. Celibidache spends much time spinning out his intentions, the ‘story,’ if you will, of what he’s after, which takes much more time (he was famous for demanding double the usual rehearsal time, partly, I’m sure, because of this way of working).
But i heard, Celibidache was famous with many of hios musicians, because he got them ( simply ) more money. Always a good way to bevome popular with musicians :-)
I like the Stokovsky way. Very clear announcements.
Listen to Beecham on conducting. He makes the point (true) that every member of the orchestra knows the piece better than the conductor- no need to educate them. Go over the triicky spots. Place the whole piece, correct what didnt go well, thank them and do the concert. The results will be the same as the storyteller/ educator in a fraction of the time. For a beautiful enlightening check out Bruno Walter rehearsing Brahms 2nd on yt
Many thanks for uploading this wonderful document!
Che bellezza, dimenticata dal mondo odierno, imbarbarito e involgarito! Chissà se si risentirà mai un'orchestra suonare così...
Thank you adam28xx for this marvelous video. You have history here.
Not Very good- You'll Do better tomorrow. ( what every musician wants to hear)
LLL- Leopold!
dont care for his tempo.....but the PIECE itself is such a masterpiece....it doesnt matter....smiles.....
Amazing to watch him working with the orchestra. And that sound! And his plea to the musicians is so modest from such a great man, "Give me what I ask, please." (at 0:57)
Yep ... obviously being a Conductor has the same problems as being an Architect ... trying to get a whole lot of people to do what you want to a particular standard/end result
He´s the conductor and that´s all ... if you dont understand that, then you must left the music.
If you do not know to accept an order then you can not be a musician. A director asks what he wants to hear not on a whim; But because he thinks that is how it should sound ... or in any case as he feels it. If you do not know how to comply with an order from a director, my friend, leave the music.
...you cannot get this kind of sound without free bowing...he knew that!!
@ David Gray ... Hans Keller made that same point in a Radio 3 tribute to Stokowski on his 90th Birthday. Here below is the link if you didn't yet hear it. John Georgiadis was also a great Stokowski admirer and loved the freedom that individual bowing gave to the string sections. It was the main reason for the 'Stokowski Sound'! -
ruclips.net/video/KxADxrUNiZQ/видео.html
Sooo true👍🏻
More bow ! Great Conductors don't settle for half.
Ngl, I’d be afraid to be up front 😂
he yells at them like they're little kids, which I totally appreciate lol
I like the comment about being miserly with one's bow. Reminds me of a similar comment from my cello teacher to the effect that if you buy a bow of a particular length, you might as well use it all.
Leopooold Le-le- Leopold!!!!! 🐰🥕
Just now realized he's actually saying "you play like misers!"
A bygone...alas..era😢
LEOPOLD!!!!
I dont usually think about Stoki and he doesn't get much respect these days for a variety of reasons. HE wanted free bowing, while Karajan had his players filmed "playing " to a recording so the bows would be perfectly in sync. There is a fantastic Brahms 1st Live with Stoki and the LSO. Maybe best Version Ive ever heard. Great accuracy , very intense. Rehearsals are revealing. He is tame here. Ive heard him be a sarcastic asshole.
Jef Olson
Wow did he say that? Very strange with free bowing,
@@derik2nicolai584 Yes, this was is regular practice with the orchestras he led.
Leopold!!! 😵😵😵
This is FEELING the music.
Magnificent!
I can feel the emotion of the music.
Yes, I studied under Maestro
What a great conductor!
AUTHORITY!!
Leopold!!
It's obvious why the orchestra is befuddled at the beginning--Stokowski's big crescendo all the way up to at least mezzo-forte is really loud compared to any interpretation I can remember of this piece. It's interesting--seems to create immediate and very present tension.
...as does the tempo he is insisting to be Adagio - Lordy, this would be a hectic Andante by any reasonable musician. His requests with regard to articulation and 'feeling'/ emphatic expression are, however, perceptive and necessary for a cogent interpretation, no?
Carl Stalling/Scott Bradley/Leopold Stokowski are difficult composers/conductors but make music beautiful.
You have no idea how tough. In 1970, I was a 2nd year student at Westminster Choir College, and we sang Beethoven's 9th under him. He wanted us to "strike" to protest the developments in Cambodia, but we had a brilliant young tenor who had just been accepted into the Army Chorus, and it would have disqualified him to be involved in a protest. Instead Stokowski himself delivered a blistering speech before beginning the symphony, dedicating it to what should be, not what was at the time.
Masterful. For an old master of classical interpretation.
omg legend im 25 and bugs bunny made me learn who he was
¡L-L-Leopold! 🐇🥕
Perfect. But definitely not a "Looney Tune" (apologies to Mr. Barber and the slow movement of his string quartet).
Criticize Stokowski? I wouldn’t dare!! Nothing like the Stokowski sound....NOTHING!!!
I would and I will. He mutilated this piece. Barber would be horrified with how fast he too it.
@@avadakedavra9500 it was just too fast. The rest was great
Sycophancy is gross.
He truly was a musical genius though
Orchestra Performers: Leopold!
A man like such should rule the world
adam28xx, thank you for your Stokowski posts! He was my idol, growing up! Decades ago I visited the library of Congress, and my only objective was to view and handle the Stokowski Mussorgsky orchestrations. Your insights and these rehearsal videos have newer my awe for the maestro!!!
Many thanks for your kind comments. Yes, he was a great conductor and when he was at his best, few others could touch him. RUclips is an excellent archive of past performances of many great musicians and I'm happy to have contributed quite a few uploads featuring the great Stokowski!
Wow you really notice the difference of the strings’ part of this piece in the first minute and a half. Incredible!
I always found the way this piece is normally played tedious, especially those violins near the end ... it's like screeching cats. Stokowski gives it the dynamic tempo it needs, though I think it could even be more dynamic ... and from his interactions with the orchestra I get the sense that he would like that as well but the orchestra is just too metronomic.
4:05 oh my..."senza sord."...I always thought like it sounded to me like they were playing with mutes, in this piece...I couldn't find the instruction in the score, so I thought my ears were deceiving me, but I was still never able to shake off that feeling...
I mean...from what the score said, or at least what I thought it said, the whole piece is supposed to be played without mutes...but it sounded like there were mutes at some points, to me...
fascinating to have this authentic performance of Stokowski and Barbers' Adagio (a long musical contact from Barber's Curtis days and LS at the Philadelphia Orchestra.)With this priceless document and your document of the rehearsal of the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody with J.Lowenthal we can begin to understand a bit of his ability to have such varied and intense string playing.Thank you! His arrangement of Scriabine's Opus 2 piano prelude and the 4th Tschaikowsky Symphony with this unique orschestra should be heard ,too! Thank you very much,adam28xx.
@1:10 my hairs stood up
A beautiful piece of music, and a conductor who, while maybe a bit harsh, knew how to wrong every bit of emotion from it.
Stokowski is saying “sordino,” which is Italian for “mute,” so he is merely reminding the string players that their instruments should have their mutes fixed on.
É inexplicável oque sinto com a musica, a instrumental, a clássica, o jazz, a boa musica...me paralisa
I faked my way through middle school and high school band. I would just remember and play it back. If this guy came in and asked me to start on 4 of a random bar, I’m gone. I can start from the top 😳🤷🏻♀️😂
LL L LEOPOLD 😧
🥕🐰
A great maestro !
Thanks KURDinEXILE
Thanks marcxopoco
Thanks nicole warren
A joy to watch. Much resemblance to the original Toscanini version. Most today are unbearably slow and sentimental.
+poulha slow and sentimental? did you see the score? "molto adagio", it says, even the title is "adagio". music, especially this, should breathe, like a human.
+poulha slow and sentimental? did you see the score? "molto adagio", it says, even the title is "adagio". music, especially this, should breathe, like a human.
Leopold!
LEOPOLD!
i remember the cartoon! Leopold!
Leopold!!!!!
L-L-L-Leopold!
Looks like Bugs Bunny!!
Mucha concentración de los músicos y atentos atentos.
Neville Mariner also used 'free bowing' with the Academy of St Martin's
Good to know, thanks for the info!
Leopold!
Leopoldt!!!