Violinist Midori breaks E-string twice and swaps 2 violins

[AleiramEllimac143]

The conductor's dancing was sooo FAIL

[ppgoth]

the woman be happy with her new stradivarius jajaja

[gojewla]

According to accounts, Paganini used to break strings in concert and keep playing till there was just a g-string left. Some people believe that he would intentionally cut them with a small blade so that they would break during the performance. I've always wondered if the violinist is in danger of being hurt by a breaking string. I wouldn't want my face near if a piano string snapped!

[Djarra]

@gojewla Violin strings are not under anything like the same tension as a piano, but yes violin players do at times have to be careful of eye injuries when strings go. Especially the unwound e string.

Paganini would have been using gut strings which are not as violent as steel strings when they break.

[badATchaos]

lol. I just saw her preform life tonight and she broke a few strings during the performance.

[brainsareus]

midori must have been pissed that day. check out the conductor bustn' some moves on the podium. that was lenny getting down right ? he could have boogied with the studio 54 crowd,while conducting his beloved mahler.

[levinflute]

that means the concert master had to play on a small size violin.....XD

[benloeb]

It was 1986 not 1985

[benloeb]

It was 1985 not 1985

[bigfatfoot]

I am so amazed at her composure. That is professionalism.

[FineViolins]

I was there for that concert! Amazing!

[icetyu]

Her teacher Dorothy Delay actually taught some of her students, Midori included, how to react to situation like this. Some can even continued to play without the E string depending on the repertoire. All rehearsed and anticipated in advance for that awkward moment.

[nospamreceived]

there's a clearer video w/ her explaining (yrs later, in Japanese) the event

watch?v=Rkp8YSuePPM

[AndromedaAiken]

@nospamreceived That is the same address as this video.

[tyo1973]

@nospamreceived It's this video I guess, watch?v=04pXykKsO_k

[SakuyaKiciKici]

I saw her while concert in Poland.. huh, I thought then: she is like robot! After watching this movie I think the same!

[RMartin973]

What steel-nerved talent. And what a fabulous conductor to keep this going, letting Midori to show her resiliance. What a class act! Imagine lending your Strad to a 14-year-old, even if it is Midori. A classy concertmaster!

[flowforms]

incredible! and moving onto a full size violin with different stretches needed for all the notes

[InnocentNeverLast]

Wow. That's so cool! And she was only fourteen at the time? I wonder if she still plays?

[erykaadams]

@InnocentNeverLast she has a web page i looked it uo

midori goto

[jiuhb]

"oh shit this 4/4 is too big for me, got to switch.."

hence another string break lol

[AlanLaFromboise]

Now they can say Midori played my violin :)

[aurazillian]

poor concertmaster D:

[mtan123456789]

Too bad for the concert master

[cogermax91]

fantastic !*****

[viola989]

is there a video of the entire thing?

[loveinthekeyofJ]

@viola989 You can watch a much longer version of this video with better sound and picture quality (with Bernstein embracing her and the audience giving a standing ovation after the performance) if you search with the words 五嶋みどり (comes on top of the search list).

[loveinthekeyofJ]

With the title タングルウッドの奇跡

[viola989]

thank you so much!! i did what you told me and it worked!

[JEROyROSA]

Amazing!

[tinysimone]

that brand of violins is like a million dollars

[pyeon]

Midori.. where thou art now ?

[gok2000]

she played those different size violins,

i read in a textbook when i was a junior high student.

[tueslabelledujour]

maybe she's playing a little agressive?

[thothbaboon]

holy shit she's pro

[extranged]

Ah, Stradivari ... italian genius.

[bellonny]

Eu amo Bernstein dançando!

[firefly09td]

oh my god

[Barilito123]

i didnt know playing vigorously alone could break the E-string in such a short period of time.

[AndromedaAiken]

I love how Bernstein was dancing at the end. :)

[simplyme782]

lol me too I've never seen a conductor do that

[suhheechoi]

Wow, that's the legend!! Thank you for sharing this video!

[VSL123]

Professional and calm. I love her.

[marlfox4]

hahaha cheap violins? strats are priceless

[xXLeafXNinjaXx]

amazing, but i wish the video was much clearer

[Svatopluk]

I suspect this was staged.

[Marqo7]

I had the fortune to listen to her at Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and she was unbeatable! Her CD never tires. I would definitely attend if she comes back to Cincinnati!

[joeypaint]

Broke the Estring on a Stradivarius?? Damn...

[byakuganmaggot]

On a strad... thats fucked up

[airplaneman123]

WOW!!! she's veeery talented!!!

[RG007145]

It's funny that what most of the people here don't realize is that this video isn't about breaking the strings, but keeping track of the beat while exchanging instruments and being able to get back to playing completely in sync.

No mean feat for a 14 year old.

[yohanfish]

fsho. Breaking strings happens all of the time. Thats why you always keep spares in your case. I guess she had already done enough performing so she was able to stay in control. I saw her play mendelsshon a couple of weeks ago. It was great

[whoryhobopowers]

That is true.

And damn that was amazing.

@_@

I'd be so out lost already.

I'd be in shock, panic, maybe even run off stage.

[benutzer2]

And then she has to get used to the new violin, and play up in the higher positions on a violin shes probably never played before. That is no mean feat either... Anyone who has played violin can attest to this.

[aznbryanc]

Plus the other violins were different sized!

[BoeingB17FF]

@RG007145 Well, if you practice pieces long enough, you know exactly where you're at given any 2-5 notes.

[etiterum]

are you sure, this rupture isn't part of the composition ?

[GenJ911]

The maestro is soo funny XD i love the violin <3

[llee1080]

haha this just shows that she doesn't know how to play the instrument correctly.. much less knows how to run a damn school

[yohanfish]

USC?

[DAVESMOMHASAIDS]

I blame the strings, made in china

[hislove4ever7]

LOL thats funny. Poor Midori! XD

[liveforlife2494]

Wow, never heard of this happening.....it must have been a little embarrassing for Midori after she broke the string on the first borrowed violin

"Sorry, I broke your E-string too..."

Classical music is love =)

[ChillpointNews]

Would've been worse if she broke the G-string...

...

...

...."sorry, I broke the G-string I borrowed. Got a little out of hand there for a second."

[MusicKid516]

once a famous violinist broke all his strings exept for his g string. he kept going!!!

[leedoyeon]

paganini?

[FungoBoy]

thats what she said

[aznbryanc]

sounds like the legend about the paganini variations on rossini's moses

[cyvue]

That's crazy! I've heard of the story before, but now that I've seen it on video, unbelievable!

[goduxgo]

I'm impressed that she was able to finish the piece using a full-size violin, rather than her usual 3/4 size violin... I know the difference in length is only about an inch, but that's still gotta take a little getting used to.

[crazycellist973]

@goduxgo Even a fraction of a centimeter makes a HUGE difference - even on a cello!

[lostnyc2]

Breaking 2 strings in a row,? what was the problem, cheap strings?

[jaredtbzook]

yeah, that's generally what you put on stradivarius violins

[lostnyc2]

Figures, trying to save $2 by using cheap strings, and this is what happens...

[BubblyViolin11]

um, u do realize that jaredtbzook was being sarcastic? Midori is pretty much known for her power, she probabaly used a bit too much and popped the strings.

[lobster272]

lol. if you knew anything about violins you would know that stradivarius violins are worth about $2 million. an $80 set of violin strings means nothing in comparison.

[lostnyc2]

LOL what a dork, I am quite versed in the fact these are worth MILLIONS, I was being sarcastic about "cheap strings" geezus!

[lobster272]

yeah, im sure you were.

[crazycellist973]

@lobster272 Are you kidding me? I'd like to know where you are getting your violin strings! I don't know if I have ever paid that little for strings!

[lobster272]

@crazycellist973 $80 for strings? That's pretty much the most I pay for them.  Where do you live?

[crazycellist973]

@lobster272 Minnesota USA. What do you put on your violin?

[lobster272]

@crazycellist973 well last time i put on thomastik strings and bought them for about 80 bucks. I could've bouhgt them online for maybe 45 bucks. I usually would put on evah pirrazis for about 90 bucks but they really didn't last too long.  Search online and you can find strings for half the price you normally pay.

[crazycellist973]

@lobster272 I put Evah Pirazzi on mine, and yeah I guess they are about $80. I normally but Pirazzi on the D,G, C and Larsen A on my viola. That is about 100.  I think that is what I was thinking. My cello strings end up being about 200. Strings are expensive for having to replace them almost every year!

[Violanerd6]

@crazycellist973 for viola try a pro arte C its $15 and an excellent string

[crazycellist973]

@Violanerd6 What kind of a sound is it?

[Violanerd6]

@crazycellist973 good bow response and powerful yet mellow

[crazycellist973]

@Violanerd6 I think I may just have to do that. Cello is my main and first instrument, and so I like sort of the big, round cello sound on my viola. This string may help - thanks!

[LifeJuice90]

Thats how stevie ray vaughan was with guitars. Boy his music didnt stop neither he had some guys that could chang out his guitars within 3 seconds

[cosxcosx]

dick dale could replace his strings whale he was still playing

[yabukileft]

圧倒されました。

[honghongbcc]

Ms Goto is a musician & a scholar. A musician is constantly judged by his/her peers.

She may not be the BEST in history but she is all we've got, racism has no rm here..

Comparng a living to the dead is not fair.

Fact that the late Bernstein loved her is a statemnt by itself.

Rgrdless of how rich you r, you can't get urself be invited by the Berlin Phil. She plays with em often.

She chairs the SC strings dept. & she's not a money monger.

A lovely human being, that's good enuf for me.

[Rinhos]

really incredible!!

[enternalharmony]

ha i wonder how much the concertmaster has to pay to repair the violin... but breaking 2 e strings in one piece is funny! But midoris' still amazing....sighzz a child prodigy in music...

[yohanfish]

probably nothing, since it was just a string. im sure he had plenty of extras in his case

[honghongbcc]

These strings are extremely expensive as they are made of silver and GOLD. Honest, go check it out.

[yohanfish]

e strings can be gold plated steel. other than that, its just steel. and sets are hardly ever above $60. just saying

[SkrPchr3]

@honghongbcc

Strings are dirt cheap, even the "gold" and "silver" ones. My gold-plated E string (Evah Parazzi) is under 10 bucks.

[7enlightenedtemplar7]

Midori is good, but there are many better more expierienced Violinists

[brilliantcorners]

To say that there are more experienced violinists than a 14-year old child is about the most fatuous comment I have read on Youtube

[markaustin]

brilliantcorners is indeed, brilliant

[juzo95]

unbelievable!

[AllegroNonMolto2000]

Midori grew up to be the legendary Midori Goto violinist

[iluvsystemofadown]

Lol legendary?

[violinlova]

she's ma hero

[sailorfan1111]

oh my gosh!! that's famazing! Midori rox!

[twiddle7125]

I've seen a performance where the violinist's E string broke so he continued to play on the A string shifting everything lol it was awesome

[thelightisahead]

Haha, like Paganini used to I guess! But blimey, imaigne transferring the notes from memory, to the correct places on the A string... argh!

[hsu912174]

Kreisler did that once during the second movement of Mendelssohn concerto. The thing is that he (probably) put on new string between second and third movement, and broke it again in the Finale. That time, he quickly seized the concertmaster's violin. (Can't imagine how funny it would be when you sit in the first chair and looking at that kid who just broke a string staring at you, debating whether you should hand your Strad to him.)

[thelightisahead]

Oo, how interesting. And yeah, instinct would tell you not to give your prized violin into the hands of a child!

[honghongbcc]

Midori plays a "del Gesu", rarer and more valuable than a Strad. If you don't know what they are, then do not make such silly comments.

[yohanfish]

she does now. but not when she was 14. she didnt play the guarneri till she was like 17. and shes only been playing the ex huberman for like 4 years or something like that

[thelightisahead]

I think your reply wasn't meant to come to me, I never suggested it was a Stradivarius... hsu912174 mentioned Strads, I only mentioned prized violins in general

[hsu912174]

That's the point. She just broke two strings, and you love your fiddle dearly - doesn't matter if its a Strad or del Jesu or Guadagnini, and the orchestra decrees you must hand your instrument over...... What a searing pain it is!

[fullargon]

You've no idea what you're saying. In an orchestra there are some protocols to follow. And that's one of them. If the soloist breaks a string, the concertmaster in a flash has to provide his violin to the soloist. By the way, there are many Strads, and not all of them sound good. Only the best among the best Strads are played by outstanding violinists. I can tell that the concertmaster's Strads was not one of them. And who in the world wouldn't lend a violin to Midori no matter the maker?

[thelightisahead]

Oh don't worry, I know, I was only joking because she's a child; I understand it's nothing like handing your violin to an everyday kid but to an amazingly gifted musician well worthy of playing it!

[SkrPchr3]

@twiddle7125

Another problem with that is that once a string breaks, the other strings may go off-tune. So it's not even a matter of playing on 3 strings. It's more like: playing on 3 strings that are randomly un-tuned.

[xxTestTubeBabyxx]

if that happened to me i would have just cried. i dropped my bow in a performance when i was 6 and to this day it still haunts me. haha

[violinhunter2]

I'm so glad this was caught on tape!!!! Happy birthday Midori. (October 25)

[gparke5]

amazing

[cremesugar]

She signed my case!! :D

[Frogger161]

I got to play with her!

[ik3333]

yeah... i've seen things. but that's worth admiration. 5 stars. though 2 strings in a row makes me think something perhaps she did to break them accidentally.

[xDYurix3]

haha XD she broke it twice :o amazing tho

[lordomnic]

Wow, way to keep her cool, and at such a young age too. Bravo!

[MBD320]

i love seeing that virtuosos are just normal people. it makes me feel better.

[zigeunerviolin]

If anything, it just shows that she's probably doing something wrong. Strings shouldn't just break while playing... especially if they're not gut strings.

[azimbron]

It isn´t all true. Some times, specialy in a concert, the conditions of light or AC can make the strings break. Specialy, the ones who has a certain frequency

[modelstatue]

When strings break, that really shows that you are getting into the music.

[erinaito]

amazing

[hitmanabcde]

gota be like Paganini, breaks 2 strings in the middle of a piece, and finishes the piece with the other 2 strings alone.

but this girls amazing for her age

[xxcrazy9katxx]

honestly i agree with VVV

this isnt that great

i mean it seems like she has no emotion to be like

unfeeling after that and its like she does it on purpose or something - -

[headbeaterii]

Doesn't miss a beat? Well..the orchestra does have to stop.

I'm not quite understanding why this is considered so remarkable.

[Lolcilohi]

they're referring to the second time.

[tom1957b]

The headline in the New York Times was, "Girl, 14, Conquers Tanglewood with Three Violins."

Incredible. It's an honor to watch this.

[dt10825]

it is said that this was a publicity stunt conjured up by the late dorothy delay. any takers?

[whenwefly]

that's silly.

[dt10825]

how so?

[John11inch]

It is said by whom?

[toganlinge]

whoa

[vlasux]

I was at this concert as a student and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. They played Tchaikowsky 6th right after her and the audience was crazy.

[mamayocello]

I thank for upload.

There are few Japanese knowing a performance in Tanglewood and the article of the New York Times and a textbook.

[wmd10]

Very nice footage.

[Cissy97]

Midori was luckier.

Nikolaj Znaider fared less well in his 15.3.2008 debut at the HK AF in the Brahms Concerto. His chin-rest came off 1/3 way during the 1st movt. He signalled multiple times to the LPO 1st violinist for a swap, but the latter was oblivious! The chinrest finally air-dropped 6 feet from his shoulders during the Cadenza in front of the audience. The 2nd movt. was held off for 15 mins, with the LPO under Vladimir Jurowski at the stage waiting with the audience.

[RedFoxAce]

For a 14-year old, she looks awfully small. Almost 10-years old ish.

[jaejoongluverxoxo]

omg, its gonna take me forever to catch up to her, and i finished all the suzuki books.

[adidas01003]

it would benefit you greatly not to compare yourself to other violinists, especially when "catching up"

[jaejoongluverxoxo]

oh....yea, i noe. its just that its my dream to become a really famous violinist and midori is one of my role model.

[winfinity77]

It's amazing !! How did you get this video? Do you have Midori's Zapateado? If you do, could you please uploade it? I love Midori's Zapateado best !!

[RedFoxAce]

Bernstein is dancing funny near the end of the video. ;) Last 15 seconds. ;)

[boomshockalakalaka]

Getting his "boogie down",,

"Dancing funny" indeed. Humph.

[AndromedaAiken]

Haha...he's just really into the music but I thought it was cute he was dancing around in the video lol. :)

[dragonhidepker]

she is as popular as perlman, you must not know anything then.

[eboyinc]

amazing...saw this happen to Joshua Bell doing the Red Violin in Philadelphia...just one time, though...didn't miss a beat...gotta have nerves of steel :D

[stradivari08]

Look at 1:17, is she trying to grab back her soulder rest?

So she grabbed a violin that she didn't ever play before, and played with such perfection immediately but without a shoulder rest!

Well, I don't feel right even only without a shoulder rest but she did this with the age of 14, what a shock.

[ongpohheng]

does shoulder rest really help? i plan on getting one but it looks awkward to me......

[moonkasnow]

ohhh yes, actually i used to play with out shoulder rest, but when i trayed out.... was much easier

[lolcello]

O_0 just incredible...!

[Thordi]

14?! Wow. Broke the E string twice.

She's definently blessed with a gift! T__T

Although, I wonder why she isn't as popular as Perlman.

[azncewtie]

she is as old as me in this vid and i dont even play that good dayum she good

that is so weird i wonder wut the concert masters expression wus like wut he wus thinkin!

[vokuheila]

transition from quarter size to full size is not easy. Midori is god.

[brian777999]

amazing stuff....so professional for such a young age.

[virtuoso18]

indeed

[duhhh86]

wow.  cool. she's really steady.

[bndgrl1lm]

At least it was just the string...not the strativarius....

[malisatomiko]

the show must go on! I wonder if they have rules for these sorts of scenarios?

[DarkZodiark]

How do you break a string twice? I could see having a bad string on one, but breaking a string twice in as many minutes?!

I never let anyone play my violin, if I was the concert master, who had a strad, I would say "get out of here. Take my stand partners."

[fiddlinmatt]

I think I have your answer, although I could not see exactly what Midori was doing in her part, and I haven't played the piece so I couldn't tell you, but if her e string was weak going into the performance, it could have happened the first time for a number of reasons. As for the second time I think it has to be the fact that the violins have these wicked e string pizzicatos, so when she exchanged violins, the other e string was probably already on the verge, or slowly coming apart.

[DarkZodiark]

that sounds plausible. I've never heard the piece, but i kind of figured it would be easy to break the first one.

[Alejandro914]

I once played a whole concerto with two string missing!It sounded awful.

[111banana]

I can only imagine. XD. Thanks for sharing!

[thecelloking]

i would be super pissed if she took my violin twice... but the show must go on.