Pierre Monteux conducts Stravinsky (vaimusic.com)

[Hiram2you]

I have a great story abou the Maestro.

It seems they were on tour in New Orleans. They went to a large restaurant and somehow he seated himself in the "colored" section. A waiter came to him and said "You cannot sit here. This is Colored only"

Whereupon Monteux replied

"M'Sieur....I AM Colaird! I am PINK!

Everyone erupted in laughter and Monteux was served where he sat.

[cpaulskier16]

The man in the top right corner at 1:26 is my great-grandfather! :)

[1401JSC]

Was that a LADY flutist?

In what year?

[igalbras]

This absolutely amazing!!



[ibriveadus]

Seated next to Ms. Dwyer in the flute section, the venerable Jimmy Pappoutsakis.

[minacciosa]

I saw George Zazovsky!

[dasteufelhund]

This is flutist Doriot Anthony Dwyer, no question about it.

[stevekindler]

When i saw the female flute principle(in 1959!) i immediately

thought Doriot Anthony Dwyer, but dismissed it due to the date. When in 1974, as a student at Tanglewood, i heard her play the Prokofieff sonata, and she looked very much the same!

[Wcross34]

Don't know if anyone else has posted this story. In his old age, Monteux dyed his hair, but not, for some reason, his mustache. He was an approachable guy, and someone asked him "How is it your mustache is white, but the hair on your head is black?" He smilingly replied "Because ze 'air on my head, has not had ze same experiences!"

[ipmoic]

Such a treasure trove of old faces in another time--yet not really SO long ago. I especially like Gino Cioffi the principal clarinetist--probably the last player in a major symphony orchestra to use the bright, sweet glass mouthpiece.

[mdstategirl]

It is so weird to see my grandfather playing here -- he's in the cello section.

[naiki9]

Doriot Anthony Dwyer !

[carminum]

Thanks for putting this up!

I have been curious about what Monteux's conducting looked like. In his letter to Matthijs Vermeulen of 1929 he wrote the couldn't get a good impression of the composer's 3rd symphony as he didn't play the piano (!) and should first hear it with the orchestra. Imagine the conductor who premiered the Sacre not being able to play the piano! It has always made me wonder how he then studied the score (probably first with Stravinsky playing it for him?).

[Jafuet]

but what is that giant thing in Pierre's right hand?

[kirkmonteux]

Thank you for sending these wonderful DVDs

Great job

[kirkmonteux]

I am so glad to find my great-grandfather here.

This is a wonderfull collection. Thank you.

Kirk Monteux

[nibelungensohn]

Wow. The music gene runs in your family.

It must have been fun for him to be on the podium at that Le Sacre premiere. :)

[keramikk]

I've just bought Monteux on vinyl. Beethoven's fourth symphony on Victrola. Exellent! I will buy much more of this. You have every reason to be proud of your ancestry!

[kirkmonteux]

yes i am

[jhb134]

@kirkmonteux - Kirk: Are you aware that some of your great-grandfather's RARER recordings are now available? I mean the 1929/Paris Conservatoire performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, and others.

[HerrWozzeck]

It's not Part 4. That's supposed to be the real version of the Shrovetide fair.

Otherwise, it's a great performance. Some parts were too fast, but otherwise it was fine.

Which version was it?

[billinrio]

I do. My LP contains part of the rehearsal as well.

[vanesseveld]

I think Pierre Monteux is THE best conductor of the 20th century! This is just great!

I wonder if some of you know the 1962 recording of the Eroica symphony (beethoven) with the Concertgebouw orchestra... You should listen...

[billyguns2]

I agree with you; his unforced musicality is amazing. His late recordings with the London Symphony are unmatched, especially the Ravel DAPHNIS, Elgar ENIGMA VARIATIONS, and Tchaikovsky SWAN LAKE. I've never heard an orchestra makes sounds like those heard on those recordings! This excerpt is marvelous; he gets the BSO to sound like great chamber music players.

[nibelungensohn]

Here here. I stumbled upon that Eroica a while ago. One of the best Eroicas I've heard along with the mono Klemperer and the live Scherchen.