Glinka: Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla, Jürgens

[Teghan9559]

Great conducting! I wish my conductor got that into it. We're studying to play that song right now.

[1violaplayr]

Although I understand your rationale, I also cannot agree with your decision to let the beat completely stop in the beginning: when you restart, the beat's not quite clean. I'd just mark time for those measures with as small and precise a beat as you can. At 3:22 they really did need your beat, at least in concert, and they seemed totally lost without it (although, as you said, they did better without in rehearsal).

[travisjuergens]

@1violaplayr One great conductor, Larry Rachleff, said that the conductor's job is not to show the musicians where to play; it's to show them what to listen to. Of course, they do need our beat sometimes, but not as much as we think, if they're truly listening. It's true that my beat wasn't clean when I restarted - my fault (it was one of my first performances as a conductor).

[1violaplayr]

Around 1:08 the beat seems very messy; I can tell what you want, but I couldn't play off it (although the orchestra is kind of going to trample anything you do there anyway with the runs). The pianissimo runs in the firsts are nastily hard to play - did you have them memorize the passage? I've never quite seen it come together without that, so they can watch.

[k73f]

I am a cellist, so my favorite section is 1:11, so lyrical and beautiful.

[dawnIove]

Fabulous! I have to play this song for AllState this year. (:

Though our conductor is going to take this piece in 1. I've never played something this fast!

[geemmkay32]

I had to play this for a Junior District Orchestra Audition. Nice Job!

[MCDaresAndMore]

I have to play this for JDO, its my audition piece. and Im 14....

[555256]

We have to write a paper on this song for my 7th grade orchestra class. I think they did a great job.

[lipkinasl]

The violins become scrappy and not together just at the the exact points where the beat stopped! There are places where the beat is needed, and places where it is not, unfortunately you found 2 places where it's critical, and it wasn't there. But apart from that a very fun performance.

[travisjuergens]

Thank you for your comment. If you can believe it, the strings were actually less together when I was beating in those sections. Oftentimes the conductor gets in the way when the string players need to be efficient and listen. In rehearsals, they played those passages best when I just started them and got out of the way. Still, they aren't a professional ensemble. Glad you enjoyed it though!

[johnsheriden]

Would you have taken faster if UISO could have played it at a nice quick tempo? Oh this is Phil... shit. Nice job. :)

[travisjuergens]

Thank you, John. I may have taken it a bit faster if it were with the UISO, however, it's already faster than the metronome marking in the score. Glad you enjoyed it!

[LoVeBlooDPlus]

Its akward how he stops conducting at parts just to move his arms and moves out of the 2 count conducting...they sound pretty good but i think he needs to know that the musicians can read dynamics on their parts

[travisjuergens]

Thanks for the comment. Actually, it's important for a conductor to not just beat time, and to show the music. You have to show what is different, what changes, otherwise it becomes boring. Just because the whole piece could be conducted in 2, doesn't mean it should be. Of course the musicians can read the dynamics, but they can also read the time signatures. They're more likely to play with the pulse than they are to do the dynamics.

[travisjuergens]

Also, when the character changes and it sounds more like it's in 1, then the conductor should go into 1, because it's more musical and helps the phrasing. If one conducts what is constant throughout the piece, then it's no longer music, but static. Therefore, it's important to conduct the contrasts and make it interesting! That's why it sounds "pretty good."

[nekonaru16]

Not to mention the fact that it's Russian tradition to play this song in 1... Or is my source wrong?