Bernstein conducts Haydn with his face [YouTube]

[IcedNote]

Perhaps you all have seen this 281 times. Well, here's #282!

So cool.

-G

[Chalkperson]

Carlos Kleiber did this better...

[IcedNote]

Carlos Kleiber did this better...

Post a YouTube or it didn't happen!

-G

[jbuck919]

Those folks who came to see Bernstein conduct should have gotten a partial refund.

[stenka razin]

Perhaps you all have seen this 281 times. Well, here's #282!

So cool.

-G

Garrett, now you see why Lenny was one of the greatest of all conductors. As a music lover who has seen the great one conduct in person on many occcasions, this video is priceless. Notice how the orchestra plays Haydn with such great relish and beauty, that Maestro B. has only to look at them and they played their hearts out for him. Thumbs up for the find of the year, my friend. Bravo, Lenny!


Regards,
Mel

[7flat5]

Those folks who came to see Bernstein conduct should have gotten a partial refund.

Those folks who came to hear Bernstein conduct seem to have gotten a very good deal, though.

[living_stradivarius]

Lenny joins the ranks of Jimi Hendrix who played guitar with his face!

[Heck148]

I've seen this before on Classic Arts Showcase. really excellent...

it just shows that fine conductors don't need to pound out the time like some sort of "kapellmeister".

[living_stradivarius]

Lenny prefers treble clef:

[jbuck919]

Lenny prefers treble clef:

Even gesticulating Bernstein deserves fun.

[nut-job]

Garrett, now you see why Lenny was one of the greatest of all conductors. As a music lover who has seen the great one conduct in person on many occcasions, this video is priceless. Notice how the orchestra plays Haydn with such great relish and beauty, that Maestro B. has only to look at them and they played their hearts out for him. Thumbs up for the find of the year, my friend. Bravo, Lenny!

I'd say that if it proves anything, it proves that this music can be performed without a conductor (as was customary at the time).

[living_stradivarius]

This video desperately needs annotations.

[Lance]

This was a truly fascinating video. More and more with the passage of time, I recognize the genius of Leonard Bernstein and his contributions to music though I certainly always recognized his genius ... It just gets stronger and stronger. He should have lived a much longer life even if just for the arts.

[stenka razin]

Here is the backstory. This is an encore of the finale to Haydn's Symphony No. 88 with the Vienna Philharmonic. That explains everything to me. Bernstein is an 'eyebrow' raising maestro, as he lets his hair down and just enjoys the great music.


What a perfect performance and it is so lovingly played by a great orchestra that obviously adores Lenny.


Regards,
Mel

[nut-job]

Here is the backstory. This is an encore of the finale to Haydn's Symphony No. 88 with the Vienna Philharmonic. That explains everything to me. Bernstein is an 'eyebrow' raising maestro, as he lets his hair down and just enjoys the great music.


What a perfect performance and it is so lovingly played by a great orchestra that obviously adores Lenny.


Regards,
Mel

From the video it doesn't seem to me that Lenny's facial expression are giving any guidance to the performers. I expect you'd see something similar if you watched any one of us listening to one of our favorite recordings. The performance strikes me as properly played, but unremarkable.

[John F]

Having conducted the finale in the conventional way, he lets the orchestra play it on its own, without conducting - a friendly compliment to the players. But his facial expressions do signal fortes and accents now and then.

[stenka razin]

Having conducted the finale in the conventional way, he lets the orchestra play it on its own, without conducting - a friendly compliment to the players. But his facial expressions do signal fortes and accents now and then.

Thank you, John. Great observations, my friend.

[Chalkperson]

The performance strikes me as properly played, but unremarkable.

That sums up my view on Bernstein completely...

[living_stradivarius]

The performance strikes me as properly played, but unremarkable.

That sums up my view on Bernstein completely...

Haters gonna hate

[Heck148]

From the video it doesn't seem to me that Lenny's facial expression are giving any guidance to the performers.

Watch the video closely - Bernstein is most certainly conducting, but his signals are very subtle, and well-hidden, unless you are looking for them...his entire being is pulsing with the music.
Bernstein was doing a "Reiner" thing -
"The best conducting technique is that which achieves the maximum musical result with the minimum effort. The only general rule is to infuse all gestures with precision, clarity, and vitality." - Fritz Reiner
Reiner was noted for it - in fact he sometimes did it for "show" - his famous "vatch der elbow" for the opening of "Don Juan" being a prime example.

Bernstein was a Reiner student, and I've seen some of his other students use the same technique first-hand - very minimal, subtle gestures, but achieving maximum attention and response from the orchestra - Goldovsky and Hendl [both Reiner students] would do the same or similar - they'd stop beating time completely - fold up their hands- conduct with nods, shrugs of the shoulder, twitches of the elbow, sidelong glances, a raising of the eyebrow...the orchestra caught them for sure, they knew what to look for. Believe me, these guys were in complete control of the proceedings.
Goldovsky said it best - the conductor needn't pedantically pound out each beat of the measure ["kapellmeister stuff"] - he must get things started, supervise the shifting of gears, starts and stops - his job is to make the orchestra play as a big chamber group, listening to each other...he must find hidden details, treasures ["the explorer"], within the score, those things that need exposure - and those things which are not so improtant, and should be kept soft and in the background...

I friend of mine studied at Westminster College with Jos Flummerfeldt [IIRC], a famous choral conductor. he would do simliar things to his students - make them conduct with no hands, blimdfolded, seated - with their backs to the chorus, hands tied. The students had to figure out how to relay the signals to the chorus with these massive limitations placed upon them...head, shoulders, face, any body English at all swas acceptable if it relayed a clear musical message...

Don't kid your self re Bernstein and VPO on the Haydn - the orchestra certainly knows the piece, but Lenny had his hand on the tiller, subtle as it may seem...quite a remarkable performance, all in all.

[Chalkperson]

The performance strikes me as properly played, but unremarkable.

That sums up my view on Bernstein completely...

Haters gonna hate

I can only think of one Leonard Bernstein CD that I admire, that's the Orchestrated version of a Beethoven String Quartet, the rest of his output I can live without, not hating, simply not enjoying...very overrated Conductor IMHO...

[nut-job]

The performance strikes me as properly played, but unremarkable.

That sums up my view on Bernstein completely...

Haters gonna hate

Bernstein performances can be interesting when he goes over the top, like his DG recordings of the Tchaikovsky 6th or Sibelius 2nd, or some of the Mahler recordings. When he is doing something straight, what's the point? I have his set of Mozart symphonies with the VPO. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing unique about it either.