 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-06-27 19:32
In another thread about tuning to an A,
brycon wrote:
> Interestingly, I've played for a few big conductors, and nearly
> all of them were down to business and very matter of fact in
> rehearsals. The more poetic conductors I've played for, by
> contrast, were almost always less experienced (and the
> musicians almost always found their poetic directives cringe,
> as the youths would say).
and...
Philip Caron wrote:
> The effect of poetical or analytical expression depends on the
> audience and the circumstance. It's so in speech, writing,
> music and art. Once in a while poetry and analysis accurately
> coincide, and people tend to remember it.
The point may be that, for a non-technical audience, poetry may be an effective way to arouse interest. For professional, experienced musicians, it can be tedious to be told about mountains and fjords, when they really only want to know if they need to play louder or softer, faster or slower, shorter or longer, etc.. If the conductor can deal with the technical needs and the music is worthwhile, the poetics should come out of the music.
I read in different accounts that the NY Phil musicians would tune out Bernstein's (apparently long) verbal descriptive essays in rehearsal and resented the time spent (wasted?) on them. I never saw him rehearse - I was still a student in Philadelphia when he left the Philharmonic. The only rehearsal I ever saw was the video of his recording session of the West Side Story music with Kiri Te Kanawa and José Carreras, when he was clearly conscious that the cameras were rolling.
I'd be curious about what they thought of his actual physical conducting technique, which during his Philharmonic years, at least in performance, was quite theatrical. It changed of course, as he aged, and became more economical, but it was still, even in the early 1980s, on the dramatic side.
Karl
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-06-28 04:52
Dan Shusta wrote:
> Succinctly stated, I believe Bernstein simply wanted to be
> “remembered” in the hearts of millions.
>
Could be. Getting into other people's minds is something I've learned isn't really possible for anyone not on intimate terms, if then. I never even met the man, except as a recorded performer, a larger than life image on a TV screen or (once at the Academy of Music when I was still in school) in a live performance with the NY Phil.
He certainly conducted his life (no pun intended) in a way that attracted maximal attention in a number of artistic and political realms.
Karl
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Author: graham
Date: 2025-06-29 01:03
Mountains and fjords are more prosaic than poetic. Allusions which convey image/style/mood obliquely often galvanise the players. And while it can seem corny and absurd, these allusions often get the job done notwithstanding.
Bernstein rehearsing BBCSO in Enigma Variations is a very revealing video. Some uncomfortable moments (as there are in the West Side Story video).
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