Bernstein Dancing to Ravel's La Valse

[laqin007]

He is the GOD!!!!!!! His conducting, interpretations, emotions, movements, and expressions can teach you sooooooo many things about music and also can teach you how to be expressive in your own personal ways. He's my biggest inspiration in musical, philosophical, instrumental, and orchestral manners. LOVE BERNSTEIN!

[Aydam161]

The ending is terrifying. Bernstein was a genuine great.

[Aydam161]

The ending is terrifying. Bernstein is a legend.

[dealogs]

Watch the concert-mistress! Look at her go!

[LeakyWicks]

wow! just wow!

[arriaru]

Очень чувственная музыка! Страсть, выраженная в музыке :)

[gatomjp]

Holy S**T! The passion that man could convey!!

[MsCatwink]

Please upload the entire performance!!! The National Orchestra of France is...well... a killer orchestra! WHOOO! Thank you!

[Dan474834]

Lol wtf is he doing at 0:07. Waving to the camera?

[thegoodgeneral]

@Dan474834 He's conducting. He's giving a cue to a player.

[Dan474834]

@thegoodgeneral And the player happens to have the camera on his lap or something?

[thegoodgeneral]

@Dan474834 No need to act stupid. Some of the cameras are among the orchestra members, crouching right beside or behind them. The camera was simply in his line of sight.

[dongjunh]

I used to own a video of this concert. L. Bernstein was as if possessed by a Spirit of Unbelievable Joy that night. I remember the breathtaking violin solo by the devilish B. Belkin (La tzigane), and the gorgeous voice of M. Horne (Scheherazade). It ended with Bernstein playing the piano AND conducting (Concerto). Unfortunately the man whom I lent the video to is in North Korea now and he is uncontactable lol.

[worseto1]

you could comb over this performance a hundred times and i have yet to find a performer that missed a note.This is truly a gem of performance and technical know how.What a fitting tribute to Ravel performed in paris.

[MrAddisondewitt]

I sa him conduct this at Carnegie Hall when I was a kid. On the same program was the Strauss DON QUIXOTE and the American premiere of the Shostakovitch Piano Concerto, which he conducted from the piano! An evening that has stayed with me for all these years. Thanks for posting this and bringing a part of it back! Damn, the man was brilliant!

[MEpianist]

For some reason this song always gives me a lump in my throat. It seems to signify the corruption of Europe's culture in the wake of WW1.

[maestro803]

wrong, the orchestra is dancing to bernstein.

[obiwan88]

Saw this video when I was nascent to the world of classical music.

My first reaction was to laugh out loud in disbelieve, but quickly realised it was quite natural to the man, just emotions overflowing...

[kaustin6969]

He doesn't as much dance to the music, as he dances the music,

[666ARMEL]

une valse qui libere le classique du classique grandiose bernstein

[ewulec5278]

Genialne, nie ma co:)

I walc, i dyrygent, i orkiestra:) szczególnie od 1:20 mi się podoba;)

[Nimenicamine01]

El Tzigane!! ponga usted eso!! cuando lo va a poner?? lo quiero ver rapido aqui, necesito eso para mi desayuno correcto.

[OperaVince]

at 0:30 you see a man who truly loves his job.

[CarlSpackler89]

Is that a sousaphone?!

[sunnymarky]

wish it had the complete performance

[yooolue]

where to find the complete video? thanx!!

[pisacane63]

bernstein...UN MOSTRO!!!!

[pisacane63]

bernsteinj...UN MOSTRO!!!!

[pisacane63]

la VALSE....che meraviglia!!!!!!

[pyontai]

Merci bcp. j aimerais bien voir en entier ! ca touche beaucoup comme explosion de coeur...

[Oistrakhfollower]

The problem is, there is one Justin Bieber-lover

[hvkarajanfan]

who wants to bet me that the one person who disliked this is a beiber/miley cyrus follower

[Annahola1]

Please about the whole movie, I beg you ... !

ONLY BERNSTEIN !

[The55555SSSSS]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

UPLOAD THE COMPLETE PERFORMANCE

I AM ADDICTED TO THIS EXQUISITE PERFORMANCE OF RAVEL'S LA VALSE.

[danielleshanti]

@The55555SSSSS

If you search for What Does Music Mean Part 4 of 4, Lenny conducts this piece as part of his Young People's Concerts. It's from 1958, so you'll see an earlier interpretation.

[mortalfrog0815]

@danielleshanti thanks for the great hint but it's part 6 of 6... but really thanks a lot!

[The55555SSSSS]

@danielleshanti

thank you so much !

[anonymous4gud]

just played this piece...its soo haughtingly beautifu l=0

[francello75]

assolutamente favolosoooooo!!!!! dIO BENEDICA bERNSTEIN!!!!! Orchestra fantastica!!!!!

[francello75]

assolutamente favolosoooooo!!!!! dIO BENEDICA bERNSTEIN!!!!!

[cimarosa5]

gonna keep waltzing til i die! XD lol

[tjpark0420]

That 1 dislike must have been a misclick from someone!

[starcevicgoran]

Najbolje izvodjenje ! ! !

Maestralno !!!

[abydosianchulac2]

@organboi Also, to follow up on AnastasiaHill1, the applause was most definitely directed towards Bernstein too. Of course the musicians earned their yearly salary with this performance, but at this level of musicianship a good deal of the quality of the performance has to do with the conductor's reading of the piece. That's what gives each performance and recording its character, and why conductors are paid the big bucks in the classical music world.

[defda94]

WOWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!

[Josep489]

OMG

Someone of you did see any "subliminal" image or text at the video? Like a message?

[StormAngel13]

2:01-2:15, i bet he is saying "..ah,showbiz! Its so demanding!"

[worseto]

NOF nobody can play music like you.

[organboi]

interesting. they were really clapping for the great musicians of the orchestra, and not really him. when he turned around the applause didn't get louder. and how gross that he wiped his dripping face with the handkerchief and then grabbed the hands of the violinists.

[awesomerockyluva]

@organboi well first of all.. if you were actually paying attention, you would notice that he shook the violinists' hands with his other hand. second of all... that comment shows how unappreciative you are towards music. Yes, of course the audience was clapping for the musicians, but not ONLY the musicians. He is a legend. He is known for taking music pieces and bringing life to them. Bringing passion through his conducting style and his directing skills. He is amazing, hence the loud applause

[AnastasiaHill1]

@organboi You're clearly not a musician. If you were, you would know that, following a performance, there is applause. The conductor then bows, shakes the hand of the concertmaster, and then invites the entire orchestra to stand. This is customary. It isn't gross, or condescending. It's just how classical performances work.

[OperaVince]

@organboi I'm sure any musician out there worth his salt would be HONORED to have shaken Bernstein's sweaty drippy hand after that performance.

[Josep489]

So powerful and strong!

[4785689]

0:07 hehehe

[potassiumchlorate]

*Dances along*

[marystod]

One of favorite waltzes of all time and the story behind the piece is amazing. Is it also known as The Ghost Waltz? Where dancers from years gone by suddenly push through the beginning melody to dominate the piece in the end? Think I read it on liner notes on an album somewhere. This performance is superb - of course! It's Bernstein conducting Ravel. Two of my favorites!

[KiaOra53]

Whoa - WoW

[RaRaLandEQ]

holy hell.... i thought Abbado's version on the 1999 newyear's gala was amazing,

but the dynamics here are superb!!!!!!!!!!! Where's the whole clip????

I just have to track it down!

[Pamina2000]

This is so incredible! Spreading energy, radiant charisma and above all a musical genius. I miss him. The whole world misses him.

[eguirald]

Bernstein! We miss him a lot. And, Ravel, another genius.

[StoptheIgnorants22]

Seiji Ozawa version is also amazing

[OrangeSodaKing]

Whoa! Such interesting sounds I haven't heard from any other orchestra or composer! Charles Munch does an awesome job with this too.

[noza5n]

He even dances on the 3rd movement of the Mahler's 9th symphony as well.

[SondheimFanatic1]

1:30 - 1:33 Possibly the most amazing combination of notes ever written. Period

[ktm64]

@SondheimFanatic1 Agreed. And also, Ravel is...Ravel is...ridiculously amazing. To create such power in an orchestra...I admire that. 

[babydrane]

I wanna see the rest of this.

[Alu10000]

Mitico Lenny! E mitico anche Ravel :-)

(Great Lenny! Great Ravel also :-) )

[jzer21]

Incredible intensity. That concertmaster is bowing the HELL out of her violin! So cool!

[Jamillah428]

Hello,

Does anyone know where this footage is from?

Thanks!

[rickstill122]

It was published by Kultur films.

[workingmansblues]

That is from the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris. A beautiful place which is haunted by the ghosts of Berstein, Strvinsky, Ravel, Debussy, Walter, Von Karajan, Callas, Rostropovitch....and many more. A beautiful place and a great concert hall.

[0GL]

oh god this is awesome.

[Andre1214]

Quel cirque! :-))

[Mozart61]

Lenny PER SEMPRE!!!! Ogni sua esecuzione trasforma letteralmente il pezzo....e capisci veramente l'anima del compositore!

[ilovepachelbel]

this is amazing. i love how diabolical this waltz is the strings rocked this, even with bernstein's confusing conducting patterns

[comanchehotspot]

i have never seen this before. not like this i meant. This is amazing and it leaves you sitting at the edge of your seat. The computer seat i mean. I can just imagine hearing it LIVE at the time. Impressive!

[AcordeonWeiss]

incrível!

[LadyPrizma]

Great music, great orchestra, great conductor!!! Thanks!!

[Nexodaedalus]

Fantastic. My personal favourite aspect has to be the sudden surges/crescendi. Love it.

[terrina3]

xyzm7891

[MrGorgeousCT]

..ho la pelle d'oca...un esecuzione tanto impeccabile quanto emozionante!Grazie Maestro.W BERNSTEIN!

[jeff2sabbag]

Excelent time !! Magnific !!

[mrpossibilities]

It must be such a honor to be able to conduct Ravel at the Champs Elysees. Must be a very emotional experience.

[2cgod]

The definition of really getting into your work!

[stephendedaelus]

he conducts with his entire body, not just his arms. so cool

[cornflakegirl86]

I just realised he doesn't have a score in front of him!

[marcocosmic]

The man was so brilliant that he had the score in his mind.

[animumaurarium]

@marcocosmic Well, he had absolute pitch :) What made this man so brilliant was that he could read what wasn't in the score.

[jlaurson]

@marcocosmic

That is decidedly NOT what made Bernstein brilliant.

[marcocosmic]

@jlaurson there is not enough space here to explain why else this cat was brilliant...go back and view his Norton lectures entitled "The Unanswered Question"

[jlaurson]

@marcocosmic

I'm not saying he wasn't brilliant. I'm just saying that conducting from memory is neither special, nor (and much less) sufficient grounds to attest brilliance of any sort. Zubin Mehta can rehearse (!) Le Sacre from Memory... does that make him brilliant? As you suggest, Lennie was brilliant because he could communicate like few others.

[sireofzelda]

0:31

Lol content smile..

[ultradmann]

Ahh 1:05-1:35 is awesome!I love the ritard as before 1:12.But my favorite part of this piece is 1:20.That alway make me swing from side to side slowly.GOD I WISH I COULD PLAY THIS BETTER THAN WHAT I DOING NOW.well I'm still in high school so I got time.

[sireofzelda]

I agree the ritard before 1:12 is good. I like around 1:38 and the mixture of the cymbals and horns

[ultradmann]

I forgot to add another detail of this song that I absolutely love.THE TIMPANI ROLL AT 1:20 THROUGH THE WHOLE SECTION OF 1:35.I love to hear it louder in recordings, this ones perfectly fine but I like the timpani roll in Cologne Raido Symphony Orchestra,

[HelveteKeiser]

me too :(

[CDOG111]

:32 is the best

[vicken782]

Bernstein, good one, but....

You old violin player, watch your wig, is going to fall xDDDD

Hilarius comment mode off*

[eoghdes18]

I love watching Bernstein conduct. The looks of sheer gratitude when the orchestra does what he wants it to are enough incentive to do it for him.

If only I could have learned directly from the man, instead of trying to pick up bits and pieces from videos.

[bluemonk82]

This is the worst performance I've seen or heard of "La Valse," but then again Bernstein isn't a good Ravel conductor anyway.

[arabesque1981]

You mean the best !

Excellent orchestra, incredible tempi, a valse of evil ! Like Ravel's wishes !!

[kate7smith]

are you CRAZY!!!??

you must be one of those who we are ashamed of to have in the classical music community, cause if it'd be up to you, we'd only have all the boring performances and all the weak and dry interpretations.

Lenny saved the art of conducting and all of classical music!!! (although I wish he had done more Bruckner)

[oboistru]

Hey, hey, let him has his opinion, why shout right away? I also don't find this conducting and the result extremely impressive.

[kate7smith]

I was not shouting, Mr/Ms I-dont-find-this-conducting-ex­tremely-impressive.

I was FLABBERGASTED. As well as I am right now with you. And may I ask Your Highness whose conducting would be enough to impress you ever so extremely??

[oboistru]

No. You may not.

I don't like your manner.

Many people don't like Bernstein's conducting. Nothing wrong with that.

[kate7smith]

I agree, my friend! Many people can't see joy, mastery, and pure genius.

;)^

[bluemonk82]

I didn't say I didn't like Bernstein. I said I didn't like his conducting of Ravel or any impressionist for that matter. This music isn't meant for an over-the-top interpretation. Go listen to Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, or even Karajan and then listen to Bernstein.

I just didn't care for his reading of this piece, so what? It doesn't mean I don't respect him. It just means I have a different opinion.

[cppeabody]

My GOD I love his smile at 00:32!!! Bernstein was so brilliant!

[Oathkeeper1992]

Wow, this is amazing!!!!! I love impressionist music. Haha, but it's kinda funny cause he's also sweating to Ravel's La Valse. But hey, that looks like an extreme workout up there. :P

[FungoBoy]

lol there's actually a fitness program called Conductorise

[bt10ant]

The entire work is available on DVD "Bernstein In Paris"

[imsleepyanddead]

the entire work by ravel please!!!!

this piece is (ironically) my favorite waltz piece. the ending feels like johann strauss riding a malfunctioning merry-go-round

[wrdrennan]

Wow. Blazing speed at the end. Fantastic energy!

[shotslove]

BRAVO!!!!!!

[munkybrain]

bernstein always gets such a great sound

[ThroughMusic]

Excellent...!

Thank you!

[williamholzman]

Lenny forever!

[williamholzman]

Lenny really gets into it. A Master at work !

[williamholzman]

Lenny really gets into it. What a Master!

[francello75]

meraviglioso.

[matthiasspeck]

Wonderful like Maurice Ravel's peace of music!

[abmephise]

Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful

[workingmansblues]

This is what music is supposed to be! Bravo Maestro!

[paulostroff99]

As good as it gets! Bravo! TY. One of the most underrated composer/conductors of our day.

[JeeRant]

I would hardly call Bernstein underrated.

[atralfalgar]

So amazing ! Tellemnt époustouflant !

[RomydeJesus]

VERY GOOD!

[shtucni]

marveloussssssssssss!

[NickoVolodya]

Il s'agit là une nouvelle fois d'un grand moment de plaisir et sport pour Bernstein qui conclut cette Valse en sueur et très fatigué.

Cette fin est en tout point divine

[coasterman16]

If you get the chance, go buy the Bernstein Century CD of Ravel's music. It's cheap, but it has, perhaps, the best recording I've ever heard of La Valse and the Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2.

[anotheraznpianokid]

oh my god!! do you have the rest of it???

[douglas20853]

MAESTRO ....BRAVO.