@@RainerHerschUA-cam I've been listening to classical music and attending concerts since the 1950s. I've also observed many rehearsals, where the real preparation is done in realizing the conductor's particular interpretive vision. There is a reason why the same ensemble playing the same music can sound so much different under different conductors. I think that a great performance results from a successful meeting of minds between the conductor and the orchestra. Over the years, I have heard many orchestral musicians comment about what a huge difference a good conductor can make in achieving that result. So, my geezerly view is that a good conductor is essential for an orchestra to play at its best.
Hey Ranier! I was a stagehand for The Ventura County Symphony. It was my experience that the orchestra was pretty much lost without Maestro Salazar conducting. They were so much better with direction. So Brother….keep up your good work.
I was once freelancing for the Halle, when Sir Charles Groves was conducting, (at the Free Trade Hall - old story!). He gestured for me to place the one cymbal crash in the last movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony a bar early. I had major heart palpitations, being pretty sure it was later, and had to make the split second decision to ignore him, which, being freelance, might have been the last time I worked with the orchestra! The stress stayed with me for the rest of the piece sitting still! The next day, whilst setting up for another programme, Sir Charles mounted the stairs to the back of the stage, came up to me and said, 'As Sir Thomas Beecham once said, I issued an invitation and was very pleased when it was declined'! Relief all round.
Yes, it seems like a total mystery, until you have experienced it. 'It's all written down', 'they are not even looking at the conductor' - you hear that so much.
@RainerHerschUA-cam As I recall, we practiced so much that the music was memorized and one kept an eye on our conductor/band leader and the other on the music. It's hard to believe that was all 60+ years ago. I miss it, to this day.
Of course, they don’t need a conductor. Every single one of those individual people playing in an orchestra knows their part inside out. They know the tempo. They know when to come in. They know when to play softer and went to play louder. They take 90% of their cues from the other orchestra members. They could very easily play through any piece without a conductor. Of course there are unnecessary.
@just_passing_through "Peace"??? Didn't you mean, "piece"??? Well, "music hath charms to soothe the savage beast." Such "pieces" should bring you "peace." -- "The Mourning Bride" c.1697 play by William Congreve.
As a tuba player I really appreciate the conductor helping me count the 5 minutes of tacit in Bolero before the boring part starts. Same 2 notes for another 10 minutes. I'd appreciate a bit of help counting up to that final crescendo too.
After a couple of rehearsals, as a trombonist, I would have written what cues I needed on my sheet music so all I would need to do is listen to the music without counting beats or measures.
Hmmm. I once performed a piece by Messaiën. By the time the concert came around, there were only two types of musicians: those who counted, and those who quit the ensemble. In some pieces with, for example, complex polyrhythms, you HAVE TO count, or it goes to hell very quickly indeed.
I had no idea that most people can't pay attention to the other parts being played around them or knowing how theirs fits in. In my years in band, concert band, jazz band, pep band, marching band, and a stint with a combined orchestra, I always listened to the other parts and knew how mine fit in. Especially those times when I had combined parts of different instruments that I had to play, listening was crucial. In fact, during my boring parts (yes I had some as well), the only way I didn't drift off to some other land in my brain was to listen to the other parts and know when to come in based on the other parts as well as my conductor. In fact, if I only relied on the conductor and never listened, I would never have come in at the right place and been in a heap of trouble.
Hey, violists have feelings, too. I think. Anyway, why do you always see violists standing outside of their houses? Because they don't know when to come in and can't find the key.
As a violaplayer I often asked myself what this guy in front was doing all the time. Thank you for explaining, altough you spoke to fast, I had to slow down the video 😀
Brilliant explanation simple concise and understandable , thanks Rainer that so helps me to enjoy classical music i live in Birmingham UK so i have easy access to the renowned CBSO every bit of information helps to understand the presentation and interpretation of the music ❤❤❤ Thanks
When I was a senior in High School, I was in District and Regional Bands. The director for the District Band was COL Arnold Gabriel of the US Air Force Band. During rehearsals he was a stickler for precise timing, snapping his fingers together at the moment of each down beat. During the performance, I looked up and he was dancing on the podium, waving his arms in a generally artistic but not particularly precise way. I suddenly realized that he did all of the work during the rehearsals, and was just putting on a show for the audience. In the same way, if you look at a large band on parade, such as the Tadhibana band during the upcoming Rose Parade in 2025, there is no way the drum major can be seen by even a majority of the band. He guides the start of turns and such to the front rank, and the other ranks follow. Otherwise he maintains a position in line of sight of the leader of the drum section, which sets the tempo and, in the cases of the Rose Parade, may indicate which piece is next by variations in the introductory drum role. Tachibana is particularly instructive because there are wide variations in speed, and in some cases they even have been known to go into a 3/4 waltz pattern. The secret, massive amounts of practice coupled with a very good drum section calling the shots.
Eu soube de uma orquestra sinfônica na União Soviética que tocaca sem maestro. Ela permaneceu assim por três anos. Não foi proibida de tocar , mas foi desencorajada e até o próprio Stalin interferiu. A orquestra acabou se dissolvendo. O maestro faz parte do espetáculo.
Great video. I would like to know how much orchestral arrangement is undertaken by the conductor or modification of the arrangement by the conductor. Difference between performance of the same piece varies by conductor and I certainly do prefer some conductors interpretation to others.🎉
Eu cantava num coral na escola, com mais ou menos 60 cantores. Um dia , num ensaio, o maestro deu a batuta para uma das alunas e pediu para ela reger o coral. O resultado foi uma porcaria. Foi um desencontro geral. Eu vi ali , naquela ocasião a diferença que existe entre um maestro experiente e um sem experiência.
I suppose we could play them in the right order if we had to but nobody hears us anyway. The viola section is still the most important part of the orchestra though. Without us you'd have violinists and cellists sitting side by side and all of them armed with bows.
There's a growing group out there that thinks music should all be improvised and played any old way one pleases. I've even seen some ask why the orchestra need sheet music. Like at any time why did they need to read the music. Should be self-evident but yeah, stands to reason they wouldn't get the point of a conductor either
What a coincidence, just last night while watching an orchestra play Tico Toco No Fubar, my wife started asking what the conductor was doing, other than swatting at imaginary flies. I gave her my rendition, but I think she will understand your video better. Thanks for the very humorous and informative episode.
Us singers on stage + small band in the pit. Once we started singing we couldn't hear a squeek from the band. Conductor needed. Or when the acoustics of the venue played its tricks and I couldn't hear the singers in front of me and just brass and celli next to me. Etc... The conductors are there for a reason.
The purpose of a conductor is to wave his arms a lot, to distract people so that they don't notice that I just emptied my trumpet's spit valve down the neck of someone in Second Clarinets. The only time we actually pay any attention to his apoplexy is when he signals us that it's time to stand and bow. This, of course, is our favorite moment of the whole concert, because it means that we can LEAVE and go do something interesting, like watching videos of Kyoto Tachibana Marching Band (which we hope the conductor NEVER sees, because we don't want him getting "ideas") . . .
Cute, but you only list what I'd call the "negative" reasons...the reasons the performance would crash if there was no conductor. But to my mind, the most important function of the conductor is to supply the INTERPRETATION. (Which, by the way, happens well before the performance.) In fact, you might say that what makes a great conductor great is that s/he uses the performance to say something exciting that even 80 crack musicians could never have come up with on their own.
I was already taking offence on the like and respect part (not meaning you K!) but I was too soon! 😂 In my choir we did practice sometimes with singing without a conductor. We closed our eyes and in spite of that, we all (20 to 25 persons) had to start at exactly the same moment. And when you listen carefully you can do that. It was amazing.
As someone who's been in a marching band,a choir, and an orchestra, I can pause and say "Well, no. But actually yes." Truth be told, SOMEONE is going to end up conducting no matter what happens. Even in a rock band, one of the band members conducts. In a rock band, WHO is conducting will usually vary by the song. Sometimes it's the lead singer, could be the Bassist, or the lead guitar, it usually gets handed back and forth with the Drummer. It helps a LOT to have an actual conductor when you're in anything that can be called an orchestra. It's not COMPLETELY necessary, but it makes things easier and better for everyone involved.
@RainerHerschUA-cam Pretty much. Except for the Rock band part, but that was strongly hinted at with the violin lady. I posted in response to the question. I figured I was restating the point. And, whaddya know. 😁 A lot of UA-camrs I subscribe to do the "Pause now, and post your guess in the comments section." thing. So I've gotten into the habit of doing just that, even when they haven't asked. It boosts their engagement stats.
Ive seen this video before, looks like the main difference is the video of the orchestra playing the Blue Danube was replaced with a video of people dancing
Oh. I thought the conductor's main job was during rehearsals, where he makes the orchestra play the piece _as he wants it played_, and that that interpretation is why the same piece can sound so different under different conductors ...
There is also this element: if the orchestra knows the piece well and is proficient, loads of people can conduct the start and finish and whatnot. (Well, actually giving the right starting tempo is not that easy and needs practice.) Starting a piece from scratch, that half the players don't know yet, where your ears are doing overtime figuring out if it all makes sense. That is where all the hard work is at.
Hersch needs to stay away from electrical instruments, since he's such a great conductor and can be shocked. If he was a bad conductor, he couldn't carry the voltage 😂
Typical recording session, the conductor is there to take the flak from the Producer who is running out of rehearsal time. Give the conductor the only pair of cans and they can pass on the angst from the Sound Control Room in their own special way. It's far too expensive to provide 80+ radio talkback receivers or run cables and volume boxes to every player - most of the orchestra will forget to bring their own iPods or have the wrong converters anyway. Only joking of course!! 🎤🎤🎤🎤
A conductor is just someone in fancy clothes who waves arms around for awhile, turns around, bows and gets all the attention. An easy job, right? Right?
What is a conductor? The man who stops us when having fun. About violin as a conductor, check André Rieu. It would be fun to see you together :D But...what is wrong with your background. The mirroring triggers me :o
I can't believe how easily people can give themselves permission to dismiss the violas as 2nd class members of the orchestra. Some of my favorite lines and harmonies in all of classical music come from the viola section. They are absolutely essential. Condescension toward your peers and colleagues is in opposition to the very spirit of music.
Viola players are forgiven for playing wrong notes. They are very occupied deciding how many of them are needed to change the light bulb. Cue light bulb jokes .......
Answer : ' 50 viola players . One to put the light bulb in place and the others to turn the building around' or 'None because they can't get up that high.' Viola players we love you really ......
In addition, isn't the conductor also usually conducting slightly ahead of the beat rather than synchronised with the music? Which before you think about it always looks a bit odd. A solo guitar player friend of mine (who plays beautifully but doesn't read music and thinks it's all a complete waste of time), once just laughed at an orchestra on TV and exclaimed 'He's not even moving in time with the rest of the orchestra. Just shows how poncy classical music is. Gullible people don't even realise that conductors don't actually do anything and are just there for show.' I didn't think it worth trying to explain! But, otherwise how can the instrument players react in time in accordance with the conductor's direction (e.g. if you're already playing a note as the conductor directs you to play more quietly or to slow down for example, it's then too late to change how or when you're going to play it to properly follow his directions. To me, that takes real skill on top of having to know each instrument's part and get your musical interpretation of the whole piece successfully across to evey instrument player. An exception is when a piano is involved as conductors usually let them set the mood if it's fundamentally a piano piece rather than a piece with piano parts in it. I really 'take my hat off' to how hard a conductor actually works. Sorry if anyone is upset I just used 'he or his' , no deliberate upset intended. It's just that I was educated a long time ago and was taught that such language referred to 'mankind' for reasons of clarity only and is not actually intended to be deliberately sexist or exclusive but includes everyone (nowadays 'all genders') i.e. all members of the human race (mankind).
This is one brilliant video, thanks for sharing 😊 I often wondered why an orchestra needs a conductor…and I still do. I don’t know a thing about music, and the last thing I want is to insult conductors or instrument players, but here are some of my thoughts. I think that an orchestra without a conductor would be more cohesive because, instead of each player focusing on the conductor, they would have to focus on their colleagues. Why can’t they rehearse perhaps for a longer time to allow each player to understand the roles of all others? An orchestra could reach a shared view of how they will play a piece; in this way, different orchestras would have their own renditions. Why should the conductor impose his/ her view? It feels wrong. It’s like the players obey the conductor and must follow his/ her vision. Yes, it would take longer rehearsals. Yes, one of the instruments that plays first would have to signal the start, but it would be a much nicer experience for the players as they would feel more engaged, more attuned to their colleagues, more of a cohesive team. I don’t know how it works, but could a player have a music sheet that he/ she must follow even the parts that are not theirs to play (and have their parts to play maybe in another colour or otherwise visually standing out)? Last, but not least, if the conductor leaves or is unavailable, what happens to the orchestra? It falls apart. What keeps the orchestra together? What makes a bunch of instruments players an orchestra- the conductor? They cannot perform because they are dependent on the conductor. It just doesn’t feel right. Anyway. These are my silly thoughts…but has anyone tried this approach? I think it would work.
Thing 6: More than 90 percent of a conductor's job is done *before* the concert starts. The audience doesn't see that but it's crucial.
Yup. Can't perform without a rehearsal. But all this stuff is happening in the rehearsal too. Thanks for watching.
@@RainerHerschUA-cam I've been listening to classical music and attending concerts since the 1950s. I've also observed many rehearsals, where the real preparation is done in realizing the conductor's particular interpretive vision. There is a reason why the same ensemble playing the same music can sound so much different under different conductors. I think that a great performance results from a successful meeting of minds between the conductor and the orchestra. Over the years, I have heard many orchestral musicians comment about what a huge difference a good conductor can make in achieving that result. So, my geezerly view is that a good conductor is essential for an orchestra to play at its best.
Hey Ranier! I was a stagehand for The Ventura County Symphony. It was my experience that the orchestra was pretty much lost without Maestro Salazar conducting. They were so much better with direction.
So Brother….keep up your good work.
I was once freelancing for the Halle, when Sir Charles Groves was conducting, (at the Free Trade Hall - old story!). He gestured for me to place the one cymbal crash in the last movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony a bar early. I had major heart palpitations, being pretty sure it was later, and had to make the split second decision to ignore him, which, being freelance, might have been the last time I worked with the orchestra! The stress stayed with me for the rest of the piece sitting still! The next day, whilst setting up for another programme, Sir Charles mounted the stairs to the back of the stage, came up to me and said, 'As Sir Thomas Beecham once said, I issued an invitation and was very pleased when it was declined'! Relief all round.
Anyone who asks, "what is the point of a conductor," has never played in a marching band or a concert band or an orchestra. Pity them.
Yes, it seems like a total mystery, until you have experienced it. 'It's all written down', 'they are not even looking at the conductor' - you hear that so much.
@RainerHerschUA-cam As I recall, we practiced so much that the music was memorized and one kept an eye on our conductor/band leader and the other on the music. It's hard to believe that was all 60+ years ago. I miss it, to this day.
Marched plenty of times without a drum major. One person just gave a signal to the snares and after their beat we started the next march ;)
Of course, they don’t need a conductor. Every single one of those individual people playing in an orchestra knows their part inside out. They know the tempo. They know when to come in. They know when to play softer and went to play louder. They take 90% of their cues from the other orchestra members. They could very easily play through any piece without a conductor. Of course there are unnecessary.
@just_passing_through "Peace"??? Didn't you mean, "piece"??? Well, "music hath charms to soothe the savage beast." Such "pieces" should bring you "peace." -- "The Mourning Bride" c.1697 play by William Congreve.
As a tuba player I really appreciate the conductor helping me count the 5 minutes of tacit in Bolero before the boring part starts. Same 2 notes for another 10 minutes. I'd appreciate a bit of help counting up to that final crescendo too.
Yup. Like the cymbal player in the video.
@@RainerHerschUA-cam Ah, the cymbal life.
Is there a part in the Bolero that isn't boring? I don't remember.
@@ankavoskuilen1725 The part where Bo Derek rides the horse. Oh wait. Wrong Bolero.
After a couple of rehearsals, as a trombonist, I would have written what cues I needed on my sheet music so all I would need to do is listen to the music without counting beats or measures.
Thanks! Please share with any old friends from The Ventura County Symphony :-)
Hmmm. I once performed a piece by Messaiën. By the time the concert came around, there were only two types of musicians: those who counted, and those who quit the ensemble. In some pieces with, for example, complex polyrhythms, you HAVE TO count, or it goes to hell very quickly indeed.
"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all" - A Conductor.. perhaps..
Thank you for this , as I was sitting in my car the other day and this very question popped into my head 🙂
This video made me happy today. 😂❤
That is about the nicest thing anyone could say and it makes me happy too.
I had no idea that most people can't pay attention to the other parts being played around them or knowing how theirs fits in. In my years in band, concert band, jazz band, pep band, marching band, and a stint with a combined orchestra, I always listened to the other parts and knew how mine fit in. Especially those times when I had combined parts of different instruments that I had to play, listening was crucial. In fact, during my boring parts (yes I had some as well), the only way I didn't drift off to some other land in my brain was to listen to the other parts and know when to come in based on the other parts as well as my conductor. In fact, if I only relied on the conductor and never listened, I would never have come in at the right place and been in a heap of trouble.
Thank you, loved this.
The conductor takes the fares. 😊. Awesome video.
Are you thinking of that great conductor, Mr Andrew Preview who conducted Greig's Piano Concerto by Greig?
@@andrewcollie Needed a longer intro. About a yard, to be precise.
@@andrewcollie Eric and Ernie are sadly missed. 😔
Hey, violists have feelings, too. I think. Anyway, why do you always see violists standing outside of their houses? Because they don't know when to come in and can't find the key.
Yup, that's about the measure of it.
@RainerHerschUA-cam Oof! You're barred.
I always wondered about this. Thank you for making this video
As a violaplayer I often asked myself what this guy in front was doing all the time. Thank you for explaining, altough you spoke to fast, I had to slow down the video 😀
Bahaha.
Brilliant explanation simple concise and understandable , thanks Rainer that so helps me to enjoy classical music i live in Birmingham UK so i have easy access to the renowned CBSO every bit of information helps to understand the presentation and interpretation of the music ❤❤❤ Thanks
Maybe the CBSO will watch this video too, for info.
When I was a senior in High School, I was in District and Regional Bands. The director for the District Band was COL Arnold Gabriel of the US Air Force Band. During rehearsals he was a stickler for precise timing, snapping his fingers together at the moment of each down beat. During the performance, I looked up and he was dancing on the podium, waving his arms in a generally artistic but not particularly precise way. I suddenly realized that he did all of the work during the rehearsals, and was just putting on a show for the audience.
In the same way, if you look at a large band on parade, such as the Tadhibana band during the upcoming Rose Parade in 2025, there is no way the drum major can be seen by even a majority of the band. He guides the start of turns and such to the front rank, and the other ranks follow. Otherwise he maintains a position in line of sight of the leader of the drum section, which sets the tempo and, in the cases of the Rose Parade, may indicate which piece is next by variations in the introductory drum role. Tachibana is particularly instructive because there are wide variations in speed, and in some cases they even have been known to go into a 3/4 waltz pattern. The secret, massive amounts of practice coupled with a very good drum section calling the shots.
haha, thanks for this
Our pleasure!
Eu soube de uma orquestra sinfônica na União Soviética que tocaca sem maestro.
Ela permaneceu assim por três anos. Não foi proibida de tocar , mas foi desencorajada e até o próprio Stalin interferiu.
A orquestra acabou se dissolvendo.
O maestro faz parte do espetáculo.
Great video. I would like to know how much orchestral arrangement is undertaken by the conductor or modification of the arrangement by the conductor. Difference between performance of the same piece varies by conductor and I certainly do prefer some conductors interpretation to others.🎉
Eu cantava num coral na escola, com mais ou menos 60 cantores.
Um dia , num ensaio, o maestro deu a batuta para uma das alunas e pediu para ela reger o coral.
O resultado foi uma porcaria. Foi um desencontro geral.
Eu vi ali , naquela ocasião a diferença que existe entre um maestro experiente e um sem experiência.
The violas were playing all the right notes, just not necessarily in the right order.
I suppose we could play them in the right order if we had to but nobody hears us anyway.
The viola section is still the most important part of the orchestra though. Without us you'd have violinists and cellists sitting side by side and all of them armed with bows.
Haha!
@@tessjuel😂😂😂😂😂😂
There's a growing group out there that thinks music should all be improvised and played any old way one pleases. I've even seen some ask why the orchestra need sheet music. Like at any time why did they need to read the music. Should be self-evident but yeah, stands to reason they wouldn't get the point of a conductor either
What a coincidence, just last night while watching an orchestra play Tico Toco No Fubar, my wife started asking what the conductor was doing, other than swatting at imaginary flies. I gave her my rendition, but I think she will understand your video better. Thanks for the very humorous and informative episode.
Yay! We are already one conversion up.
Us singers on stage + small band in the pit. Once we started singing we couldn't hear a squeek from the band. Conductor needed. Or when the acoustics of the venue played its tricks and I couldn't hear the singers in front of me and just brass and celli next to me. Etc... The conductors are there for a reason.
The purpose of a conductor is to wave his arms a lot, to distract people so that they don't notice that I just emptied my trumpet's spit valve down the neck of someone in Second Clarinets.
The only time we actually pay any attention to his apoplexy is when he signals us that it's time to stand and bow. This, of course, is our favorite moment of the whole concert, because it means that we can LEAVE and go do something interesting, like watching videos of Kyoto Tachibana Marching Band (which we hope the conductor NEVER sees, because we don't want him getting "ideas") . . .
Cute, but you only list what I'd call the "negative" reasons...the reasons the performance would crash if there was no conductor. But to my mind, the most important function of the conductor is to supply the INTERPRETATION. (Which, by the way, happens well before the performance.) In fact, you might say that what makes a great conductor great is that s/he uses the performance to say something exciting that even 80 crack musicians could never have come up with on their own.
Disse tudo.
Awesome, a new video!
Enjoy
I was already taking offence on the like and respect part (not meaning you K!) but I was too soon! 😂
In my choir we did practice sometimes with singing without a conductor.
We closed our eyes and in spite of that, we all (20 to 25 persons) had to start at exactly the same moment.
And when you listen carefully you can do that.
It was amazing.
I like the version with tempometer more.
Thanks for watching anyway.
As someone who's been in a marching band,a choir, and an orchestra, I can pause and say "Well, no. But actually yes." Truth be told, SOMEONE is going to end up conducting no matter what happens. Even in a rock band, one of the band members conducts. In a rock band, WHO is conducting will usually vary by the song. Sometimes it's the lead singer, could be the Bassist, or the lead guitar, it usually gets handed back and forth with the Drummer. It helps a LOT to have an actual conductor when you're in anything that can be called an orchestra. It's not COMPLETELY necessary, but it makes things easier and better for everyone involved.
Haha. I think you have just restated the message of this clip, Grasshopper.
@RainerHerschUA-cam Pretty much. Except for the Rock band part, but that was strongly hinted at with the violin lady. I posted in response to the question. I figured I was restating the point. And, whaddya know. 😁
A lot of UA-camrs I subscribe to do the "Pause now, and post your guess in the comments section." thing. So I've gotten into the habit of doing just that, even when they haven't asked. It boosts their engagement stats.
Admit it already; you are really a comedian impersonating a conductor!
Or the other way round. Thanks for watching!
Ive seen this video before, looks like the main difference is the video of the orchestra playing the Blue Danube was replaced with a video of people dancing
Well spotted. The Vienna Philharmonic objected. After four years.
I like the formula of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. From what I've heard, the orchestra members choose their conductor.
Oh.
I thought the conductor's main job was during rehearsals, where he makes the orchestra play the piece _as he wants it played_, and that that interpretation is why the same piece can sound so different under different conductors ...
min 2:20something - i like the version with the asynchronous start better; it's more dramatic... :)
Just going to look up 'asynchronous', then I'll come back to you.
@@RainerHerschUA-cam sry english's my 4th foreign language - and i'm bad in all of 'em
There is also this element: if the orchestra knows the piece well and is proficient, loads of people can conduct the start and finish and whatnot. (Well, actually giving the right starting tempo is not that easy and needs practice.) Starting a piece from scratch, that half the players don't know yet, where your ears are doing overtime figuring out if it all makes sense. That is where all the hard work is at.
Why did you re-upload it? I kind of enjoyed seeing the "Like" count going up on my comment for this before. ;)
There was a copyright claim from the Vienna Philharmonic.
Quite correct. Excellent. Trained monkey is very funny.
A conductor is not needed. Let me play as fast and as loud as I want!!!
Haha, yes. But what is 'fast' and what is 'loud'.
…and that is why you only play solo.
and if you can play it slowly you can play it quickly
Thing the First to Thing the Fifth? You sound like you want to the Adam Savage School of Naming - referring to his kids as Thing 1 and Thing 2 :)
It's a great system! Thanks for watching.
Nicely done. Repeat.
Someone have to explain me why every musician hate violas XD
Hersch needs to stay away from electrical instruments, since he's such a great conductor and can be shocked. If he was a bad conductor, he couldn't carry the voltage 😂
Typical recording session, the conductor is there to take the flak from the Producer who is running out of rehearsal time. Give the conductor the only pair of cans and they can pass on the angst from the Sound Control Room in their own special way. It's far too expensive to provide 80+ radio talkback receivers or run cables and volume boxes to every player - most of the orchestra will forget to bring their own iPods or have the wrong converters anyway.
Only joking of course!!
🎤🎤🎤🎤
A conductor is just someone in fancy clothes who waves arms around for awhile, turns around, bows and gets all the attention. An easy job, right? Right?
What is a conductor? The man who stops us when having fun.
About violin as a conductor, check André Rieu. It would be fun to see you together :D
But...what is wrong with your background. The mirroring triggers me :o
I can't believe how easily people can give themselves permission to dismiss the violas as 2nd class members of the orchestra. Some of my favorite lines and harmonies in all of classical music come from the viola section. They are absolutely essential. Condescension toward your peers and colleagues is in opposition to the very spirit of music.
Waaay too serious
Viola players are forgiven for playing wrong notes. They are very occupied deciding how many of them are needed to change the light bulb. Cue light bulb jokes .......
Answer : ' 50 viola players . One to put the light bulb in place and the others to turn the building around' or 'None because they can't get up that high.' Viola players we love you really ......
What's a "Yumpty Tumpty"?.....
In terms of pacing: regular, ordinary. Marches for example. They start, stay at one tempo, then end.
The Viola players played all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order.
As a viola player, I am here to admit that frequently the order is also wrong
In addition, isn't the conductor also usually conducting slightly ahead of the beat rather than synchronised with the music? Which before you think about it always looks a bit odd.
A solo guitar player friend of mine (who plays beautifully but doesn't read music and thinks it's all a complete waste of time), once just laughed at an orchestra on TV and exclaimed 'He's not even moving in time with the rest of the orchestra. Just shows how poncy classical music is. Gullible people don't even realise that conductors don't actually do anything and are just there for show.' I didn't think it worth trying to explain!
But, otherwise how can the instrument players react in time in accordance with the conductor's direction (e.g. if you're already playing a note as the conductor directs you to play more quietly or to slow down for example, it's then too late to change how or when you're going to play it to properly follow his directions.
To me, that takes real skill on top of having to know each instrument's part and get your musical interpretation of the whole piece successfully across to evey instrument player.
An exception is when a piano is involved as conductors usually let them set the mood if it's fundamentally a piano piece rather than a piece with piano parts in it.
I really 'take my hat off' to how hard a conductor actually works.
Sorry if anyone is upset I just used 'he or his' , no deliberate upset intended. It's just that I was educated a long time ago and was taught that such language referred to 'mankind' for reasons of clarity only and is not actually intended to be deliberately sexist or exclusive but includes everyone (nowadays 'all genders') i.e. all members of the human race (mankind).
“Spot the difference?” - No. Really, not at all. What changed?
This is one brilliant video, thanks for sharing 😊
I often wondered why an orchestra needs a conductor…and I still do. I don’t know a thing about music, and the last thing I want is to insult conductors or instrument players, but here are some of my thoughts.
I think that an orchestra without a conductor would be more cohesive because, instead of each player focusing on the conductor, they would have to focus on their colleagues. Why can’t they rehearse perhaps for a longer time to allow each player to understand the roles of all others? An orchestra could reach a shared view of how they will play a piece; in this way, different orchestras would have their own renditions. Why should the conductor impose his/ her view? It feels wrong. It’s like the players obey the conductor and must follow his/ her vision. Yes, it would take longer rehearsals. Yes, one of the instruments that plays first would have to signal the start, but it would be a much nicer experience for the players as they would feel more engaged, more attuned to their colleagues, more of a cohesive team. I don’t know how it works, but could a player have a music sheet that he/ she must follow even the parts that are not theirs to play (and have their parts to play maybe in another colour or otherwise visually standing out)? Last, but not least, if the conductor leaves or is unavailable, what happens to the orchestra? It falls apart. What keeps the orchestra together? What makes a bunch of instruments players an orchestra- the conductor? They cannot perform because they are dependent on the conductor. It just doesn’t feel right.
Anyway. These are my silly thoughts…but has anyone tried this approach? I think it would work.