Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Boulez · Berliner Philharmoniker

[hecklephone99]

@BerlinPhil Who is the celesta player here?

[vsanx]

and celesta is.... where?

[dakwa1]

Bartók was such a strong dramatic Composser, that all the pieces I have heard have so much power and energy to them. Fantasdtic performance of this piece.

[ALBIBISBIS]

Over-rated 20th century 'specialist'. Go and listen to the version by Solti and the CSO !

[3589546]

Great performance.

[yenrabaraho]

I have never understood why people judge this great artist by whether or not he acts like a rock star on the stage or not, the fact is the result is superb and this is why Boulez is a great artist. People saying he's cold just because he doens't put on an act are sadly missing the music.

[classicalmusic6]

I wish Berlin could make a cd to every single video they post! No orchestra matches them!

[Albel8492ed]

Amazing piece to say the least. One of my favorite 20th century composers.

[peppersax]

People like Bartok were way ahead their time. This is the music!!!!!!!! The shit that's out now (including mine) can't touch this stuff. Long live Bartok, Shostakovitch, Stravinsky, Walton, Prokofiev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Copland, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Britten, Ravel, Debussy, Penderecki, Holst, .....and a host of others!

[FluteTramp]

... where is the celesta? come on. don't just play the part that doesn't have the celesta!

[guidepost42]

Boulez seems to have the good sense to keep his head down, beat time and the get the hell out of the way.

[redhotchiliangel]

Sorry but... Bela Bartok was a Fuckin GENIUS!!!!!!!!!

[muslit]

The piano is too prominent. This isn't a piano concerto.

[austin33309]

@muslit the piano is there, but it is the strings that dominate the piece in my opinion.

[muslit]

@austin33309

check out 1:51 - who has the melody, the strings or the piano? the strings. but the piano is way too prominent -

[muslit]

@austin33309

check out 1:51 - who has the melody: the strings or the piano?  the strings. but you can hardly hear them, because the piano is way too prominent.

[muslit]

The 'takt-beater', as Schoenberg would have called Boulez.

[gwalkron]

Great Stuff!

[sebastianrc]

1:44

[HuggumsMcgehee]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! GO TIMPANI!!! You'll almost never see percussion during a televised performance of an orchestra. If anyone, you'll only see timpani.

[soulmach]

The conductor appears emotionless, but it is not transferring to the orchestra itself. Looks can be deceiving. I wonder if Boulez has a philosophy that the music should flow through himself and through the instrumentalists, then through the instruments themselves, and out. Out to us? I'm thinking that would eventually be my philosophy if I were conducting. Just like life should flow through us and we let it escape us through action. This is how I feel, that music can teach about life. Amazing.

[TravisEdward]

He must have immaculate rehearsal techniques, because the orchestra sounds virtually flawless, but his conducting and emotions are visually painful they are so bad. Needless to say, this orchestra ceases to amaze me, and this is no exception. Bravo Boulez, Bravo Berlin Phil!

[Bass5el]

@TravisEdward Boulez is perhaps the antithesis of a Bernstein; absolutely not a showman maestro.

He apparently has the most precise ears in the business. Nadia Boulanger said that he would not just hear the note G, but all its individual harmonics as well- and he has been known to exactly pick an out-of-tune instrument in a 100+ strong orchestra.

[ALBIBISBIS]

@Bass5el

That is quite true but his 20th century performances are over-rated. After all intonation and rhythmic precision is not everything in music.

[Bass5el]

@ALBIBISBIS "...intonation and rhythmic precision is not everything in music". Very true!

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@ALBIBISBIS Then again: intonation and precision should be prioritized over flair and visual grace. His recordings of Petrushka and Oiseaux Exotiques are unrivaled!

[doctorfuse007]

@AfroDeezeeYak Yeah, right, sounds like you gotta picle up yer butt. When Stravinsky heard Boulez '73 recording of Sacre with Cleveland (the first virtually flawless recording as far as intonation and rhythmic precision are concerned), his response was "cold, isn't it?" ALBISBIS is right on.

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@doctorfuse007 And it sounds like you have issues with reading comprehension.

No one is saying precision is everything. My point is that once someone has MASTERED a work, only then they are granted certain liberties. Performing/conducting a work is about relaying the COMPOSERS message: not showing off how much one can unnecessarily exert themselves.

This all being said: I'm not even that much of a fan of Boulez's conducting.

[doctorfuse007]

@AfroDeezeeYak Nay, I comprehend perfectly what you have written. Now you are adding to your argument. But still, you come across as the normal classical music 'lover', more concerned with 'MASTERING' than communicating. It's a huge reason why classical music is dying a slow death; it's going the way of the middle class bourgeoisie, complete with entitled and panicked outrage.

Time to broaden the horizons. Perhaps start with some john Cage and a good dose of psilocybin?

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@doctorfuse007 No you didn't. My saying 'precision and intonation should be prioritized over visible grace and flair' is not the equivalent of saying 'PRECISION IZ EVERYTHANG LAWL'. I guess you didn't have issues comprehending my post: you just are horrible at grasping the English language.

And what leads you to believe that I need to 'broaden my horizons' with my tastes in music? You don't know anything about me: and lol @ your thinking that John Cage is an obscure composer.

[doctorfuse007]

@AfroDeezeeYak Because you have obviously not taken in any of Cage's important lessons on freeing the ear of chauvinism and authoritarianism. OK, my work here is done. I have outraged you so maybe you can now go and deal with your issues.

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@doctorfuse007 LOL @ your continuing attempt to patronize, yet explicit misunderstanding of Cage's harboring of Zen views.

Cage's philosophy is relevant to the concrete definition of 'music', as well as aleatoricism: not an attempt to give performers and conductors the option to abandon specific instructions given by composers and shit all over their intention.

Also what is your objective? You first tried to act pseudo-intellectual: now when proven wrong, as if you were trolling all along

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@doctorfuse007 And lol @ your telling me to take shrooms and listen to Cage. So you are one of those morons who wastes a perfectly good dose on sitting in a room and listening to music huh? Tsk tsk

[doctorfuse007]

@AfroDeezeeYak Such anger. There is still time for you, my friend.

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@doctorfuse007 So do you have any real rebuttal? Also lol @ your claiming to have played under Boulez. That is a HILARIOUS joke.

[doctorfuse007]

@AfroDeezeeYak Scotia Fest, 1993, no joke. Crazy program, Miraculous mandarin, la Mer, Sacre.

Classical Music is dying because orchestras all over the West are either suffering cuts or are going bankrupt (Louisiana, PHILADELPHIA - Almost, despite my good friend Yannick continuing to garner young audiences). Perhaps in China it is still growing and flourishing, but definitely not in the West. Here, Hip Hop is the most interesting new music culture to appear and flourish.

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@doctorfuse007 From what I hear: Philly actually managed to get a 'donated loan'.....whatever that means.

I'm not angry, nor does (as a composer) wishing for my music to remain uncompromised, make me an authoritarian.

Glad we can end our little quibble amicably.

[AfroDeezeeYak]

@doctorfuse007 HAHAHA I just read your sentiment that Classical music is 'dying'. What makes you say that: because living composers don't write music in the Post Romantic idiom? I'm dying with laughter over here.

[doctorfuse007]

@AfroDeezeeYak And so I must leave you now, and go back to struggling with learning Bartok for tomorrow's rehearsal. Anger is not necessarily a bad thing, but it must grow to something else, or you can get cancer or mental illnesses. I'm hoping you will overcome your angry, authoritarian ways. I wish you good luck, as we share a deep love of Bartok's music!

[doctorfuse007]

@TravisEdward I played Rite of Spring under Boulez, and at a rehearsal I misread the clef on' the fourth viola solo (my chair); Boulez stopped and said "No, not D - C!". He's got amazing ears.

[btoboot]

@TravisEdward

I always object to the complaints that Boulez "does not show emotions". he indeed does, plus, the orchestra PLAYS the emotions. He is the conductor, not a dancer, and he is executing his craft with the greatest of expertise. the results prove it.

[fireasdf1]

@btoboot You're absolutely right. That idea that the conductor must show his emotions visually when he is conducting is just some crap people make up.

[redhotchiliangel]

Boulez, genius.

[Lonegan63]

Magisterial

[KhagarBalugrak]

I love Pierre Boulez. His Godawful compositions, his heartless conducting, his love of terrible repertoire, all of these things point to his masterful musicianship.

[Lesolin]

What a thoughtful and contributive post. See, I can exercise brainless sarcasm too!

[KhagarBalugrak]

I was sarcastic, but also totally serious in what I said. Boulez is famous not because he's done anything worthwhile, but because he conformed perfectly to the trends which classical music was following when he was younger. He simply went with the flow and wrote and recorded alot of horrible atonal garbage, and for this, the critics, just as susceptible to the winds of prevailing opinion, lauded him for this.

[Kitsua]

I watched Boulez conduct the London Symphony Orchestra with this piece, one of my all-time favourites. He is a master. Only someone who has no idea what they're talking about would say that he's doing nothing or contributed nothing. This is classical music, you can't fake it. It's an orchestra that decides a conductor's worth and the Berliner Philharmonik are top league. Just because you don't like his music it doesn't mean that Boulez is not a bona fide maestro.

[rishimedicine]

Thanks berlin Phils for providing us high quality audio-visual treat!

[niedavgeige]

Tut mir leid Berlner Philharmoniker, ich liebe euch,aber die Version mit Dohnanyi und dem NDR trifft den Geist und die Kraft Bartoks einfach besser....

Boulez Konzept geht für mich an diesem Satz absolut nicht auf.

Mir fehlt der lebensbejahende Schwung und die Frische ungarischer Volksmusik (denn daher kommt die Melodie dieses Satzes).

[klingsor93]

Boulez is such a "virtuoso conductor" that one can

almost guess what he is performing just by looking at his gestures with the sound off!!. Besides, in Bartok's music, he is totally in his element......

[anzdf]

Excelente, muy hermosa pieza musical.

[RAMIRO3]

Fantastic!

[Rumozamonien]

What a great performance and piece! I have never heard of it before, and now I shall go look it up :)

[bcad0]

Very exciting to see the Berlin Phil treatment of one of Boulez' obvious favourites.