It is that awful, sinking, nauseating feeling that you have made a huge error, and EVERYONE knows you did. Every performer has had it happen at least once. I am remembering my HORROR moment right now, and I do believe my upper lip is sweating. OUCH, that is a horrible memory. Eh...we're only human.
This is pretty cool actually, shows a high level of musicianship from both the conductor and the orchestra for the piece to continue virtually unblemished by the mistake. Considering the exhaustiveness of Mahler's compositions, with so much music to keep track of, it's bound to happen from time to time. I don't know the piece well enough to comment on who's mistake it was...I'm inclined to believe the conductor since the orchestra didn't flinch at all, but does it even matter?
I had a similar expereince as an amateur where I had to step in at short notice on first oboe in a local orchestra. I had to lead off one section in a Sibelius piece, but unfortunately there was a series of pauses from the rest of the orchestra before I came in and not knowing the piece very well I got completely lost. The only way was to wait for silence on the conductor's first cue. Fortunately I was able to come in on his second cue and after that it all went fine.
Compare how Boulez and the Concertgebouw properly execute this same passage in this youtube video: Start at 0:50 (Youtube doesn't allow a link up; search Boulez Mahler 7 Satz 1 Part II.) Interesting how Boulez makes the same eye contact then gives the same down beat as MTT. In any case, kudos to the SFS for listening and watching MTT, it could have been cacophony if just one player had continued to play.
It's just interesting to some people that a professional and internationally celebrated conductor would have in his orchestra a trumpeter miss two cues. It's not like you were mislead, the title describes the video exactly.
evidently, MTT is mistaken: he jumps one bar (he does not beat the bar before #37, and thinks evidently to be one bar further than the orchestra expects him to be.
keep in mind that on #37 Mahler suggests to change the beat from 2/2 to 4/4, but MTT does this starting from the last clarinet note, instead of one bar later.
that said... well, of course the truth is that every human can make mistakes, and the greatness of an artist can hardly be mesured on the basis on his infallibility.
and, for the record, it should be noticed that MTT is an extremely clear conductor, which in this case makes a mistake more evident, but is mostly a very big help to an orchestra!
Not that such a mistake is the end of the world, but some conductors would have got pretty mad. (Imagine Fritz Reiner!.) MTT handled it with good grace, good for him!
Wow, there are people who are actually upset and criticizing MTT and the SFS?? I feel like being a classical musician is like being a Christian at times... It's a great field, but man are there some obnoxious, pretentious idiots out there...
It's a small MISTAKE people... and if you didn't notice, the music wasn't really harmed by this.. which should go to show you all how professional this organization is to pull a mistake like this and recover so smoothly. I for one just chuckled and moved on
Very awesome trumpet playing! Though, I also believe that he missed the first cue. It's pretty evident on the conducter's face. Either way, it's still amazing!
Ha! Michael Tilson Thomas does some exciting conducting though, missed cues or not! Trumpet player is actually pretty damn wonderful, I went to school with him.
Ouch.... His timing cue seemed perfect, it obviously was the trumpeter's fault. They pulled it back together very well though. But man... Thomas looks so embarrassed.
@BBRENTTAGHAPP no, it mustn't have :P Making mistakes is much less embarassing for us, musicians, than you'd think.. And it always meets with perfect understanding of fellow players - we just know, that during the concert anything can happen.. So I'm sure that after the performance MTT congratulated the trumpet player on pulling it together afterall ;)
MTT about to call the cops there. He was about to pick up a phone and ask for the local constabulary, if you know what I'm saying my brothers. As far as MT McT was concerned, the only plausible solution was four squad cars and a paddy wagon, if you catch my drift. In the grand scheme of things, we all make mistakes, but if O'Rourke McHarrison had anything to say about that trumpet entrance my brothers, it would have involved some handcuffs and a pair of San Fran's finest...sayin' McBronswells?
there we are, starting to point out humanly mistakes even in this ultimate form of music, instead of appreciating it's undoubtable greatness, it's by cases like this that I get the feeling of humanity really being doomed :(
OK WHO REALLY CARES IF HE MISSED A CUE. OH I FORGOT HE IS NOT HUMAN. YOU ALL ACT LIKE YOU CAN DO ANY BETTER. IF YOU HAVE CONDUCTED A PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA AT THE PROMS CONCERT HALL, AND YOU ARE WORLD RENOWNED, COME TALK TO ME. IF NOT SHUT THE HELL UP BECAUSE HE IS HUMAN AND HE WILL MAKE MISTAKES. SUCH REDICULOUS MUSICIANS.
@YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST Ha, ha! This comes from somebody who calls himself Virtuoso Violinist. You're setting the bar pretty high for yourself there. If you've played in the Proms Concert Hall (sic) [it's the Royal Albert Hall, but who cares?], you can call yourself Virtuoso Violinist.
@YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST If you'd bothered to read a little further, you'd have seen that I corrected myself immediately. My comment was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, not to be taken too seriously. As to calling somebody an "idiot" with absolutely no idea to whom you are talking, that's childish.
The cues were perfect. If you listen to the recording, he gave "Cue No. 1" exactly where it should have been. The trumpet was even slightly late for the 3rd cue. As far as the amount of rests trumpets have in orchestral works, that is a part of the gig. This is such a vital part of the work for the trumpet, and that's such a big solo, there is really no excuse for missing the cue. He's even slightly behind the third cue. This is only proof that musicians are not robots. Not MTT's fault.
@DiVeronica you can't blame a pilot for a mistake. It is awful to be sitting there for 6 hours to come in and only land. Now seriously, you can blame him for sure.
@gilbertoagostinho It's true, he's a professional musician. Snobby violinists should know however how awful it is to sit there and wait for 80 measures.
@DiVeronica Well, I'm not a violinist, but I study composing and conducting. I understand this issue, and I always try to use often the instruments I asked for, and also in an interesting way. It must be awful to play Tuba, for instance, when the composition asks you for 1h of wait, then a pedal tone, then another hour of wait. But this is no excuse for mistakes. They happen, but we can't feel sorry for the instrumentalists, and professionals should try their best to play correctly.
Mistakes happen; jesus. Yes, Bill Williams missed his cue. No, that doesn't mean he should be fired, or is unprofessional. No, Michael Tilson Thomas will not hate him. ...Probably.
@ikshields haha ok genius lol. Ya i listen to a lot headbanger music but i love classical just as much. Beethoven's 3rd symphony eroica got me hooked on the genre
Good job by the resting musician at 0:18 to not react... That would be bad, if he was smirking or shaking his head or something and got caught for a second on video...
Ha, ha, look at the way MTT is biting her lip at 0:25, thinking "F*ck-me, I'm trying hard not to look pissed-off. Take my chirpy smiles of a few seconds earlier at face value. You know we are all on camera hear, but fortunately most people do not have the score in front of them."
This is priceless.
Anyhow, brilliant musicians. I went to this concert, sitting on the rail in the balcony. Excellent.
I agree..regardless of whether the cue was early or not, that trumpet player should've followed and came in with his cue. I mean, 3 times?? A professional is expected not to be burried in their music. This isn't a high school orchestra.
PLEASE DONT READ THIS. YOU WILL GET KISSED ON THE NEAREST POSSIBLE FRIDAY BY THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE. TOMORROW WILL BE THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE. HOWEVER IF YOU DONT POST THIS COMMENT something bad will happen. NOW UV STARTED READIN DIS DUNT STOP THIS IS SO SCARY. SEND THIS TO 5 VIDEOS IN 143 MINUTES WHEN UR DONE PRESS F6 AND UR CRUSHES NAME WILL APPEAR ON THE SCREEN IN BIG LETTERS. THIS IS SO SCARY CAUSE IT ACTUALLY WORKS
@freshhh1994 Cue 2 was actually the first cue for the trumpet. The one marked cue 1 wasn't actually a cue. The trumpet actually came in on the real 2nd cue, albeit, almost a beat late.
@tkdigi Absolutely, irritation with a tinge of relief. I particularly like the tiniest of glances at the score after the first cue... just to be sure.
That was the trumpet player's fault. Notice that Thomas stops beating until the trumpet player enters. He actually covered quite well for Williams. The next fanfares, other trumpet and clarinet, come in correctly.
Even the best made mistakes. I'd say it actually shows how great you really are when a single mistake is hailed as an incredible thing and owns it's own separate discussion.
To the trumpeter's credit, he only actually missed one cue. The '1st cue' was the downbeat to rehearsal #37. The 2nd was the missed entrance, and he obviously saw the third one and came in. No biggie, everyone makes mistakes. Great listening by the 2nd trumpet, though!
@clovenh00f the first cue is clearly on the downbeat of the measure after rehearsal #37. the measure before 37 is in 2. Then the measure rest at 37 is in 4 which he beated, and then he cued the downbeat of the 2nd measure. so the trumpet missed all 3.
@clovenh00f the first cue is clearly on the downbeat of the measure after rehearsal #37. the measure before 37 is in 2. Then the measure rest at 37 is in 4 which he beated, and then he cued the downbeat of the 2nd measure. so the trumpet missed all 3.
Looking at the score, Tilson Thomas was absolutely spot on! The 1st trumpet missed 2 cues and came in on the third cue two bars too late. I agree the 2nd trumpet listened well though.
@clovenh00f Actually, I don't think so. The beat is in 2, the clarinet came in on beat two of two measures before rehearsal 37. That means that from the clarinet's A#, there are four beats before the entrance of the trumpet. Thus, the trumpet definitely missed BOTH of the cues before coming in on the 3rd.
The title is also incorrect, but I think most people get that.
@clovenh00f The trumpeter should have come in on the first cue. It is not a downbeat of rehearsal mark #37 because that mark is placed exactly on the last note of the clarinet you can hear at the beginning of this recording where "Etwas gemessener" is written and time changes to 4/4. MTT cues one bar after the time change which is exactly when the 1st trumpet should come in. Nevertheless, I think MTT is mistaken because his downbeat on #37 is one beat too late. He confused the trumpeter.
@kstarybrat Right, that was the mistake of the trumpeter, who should come on the downbeat of the "first cue". And I do NOT think MTT is too late, he is conducting correctly at #37.
@ssh1025 I just realized that the audio and video might not be synchronized properly. That's why he seems to be wrong. But if that's not taken under consideration he really is too late, just look at the score.
Hey..all people make mistakes, but I'm sure he got an ear full after! Years ago I've sung with the LA Phil where there have been botched things and the other orchestra members give the person a mean glare :-)
yeah i don't think the title of this video should be 'tilson missed a cue?" because that was definitly the trumpet's lack of attentin or something that had the THREE cues missed...and which makes tilson have the reaction with the head shakeing that he did lol like "oh, are you awake?'
Hardly. You try performing a dense score like Mahler 7, in the noisy, distracting Proms environment, fresh off jet lag, and see if you can go an evening without missing one exposed cue...
The SFS has one of the greatest brass sections on the planet. If it can happen to one of those guys, it can happen to anyone.
I'll refine my previous statement -- if it can happen ONCE to one of the peerless SFSO brass players, it would happen a HUNDRED times to anyone else, every minute of the performance, every night. lol...
When MTT whispers "God bless", perhaps he is thanking the first fiddle. Good heads up playing on the part of number one. He holds the tone right through the mis-cue!
A lot of talk here about the trumpeter being "fired", which I believe is a misunderstanding of the case of Bill Williams -- the SFSO's Acting Principal Trumpet at that time (and who may or may not be the player who missed this cue).
Williams, a super player who put in a solid tenure in a "temp" position, was not fired, but was simply not selected as Principal when his time was up. (MTT went with SFSO veteran Mark Inouye -- a player with a fat dramatic tone like Adolph Herseth's in Chicago.)
The trumpet player was NOT fired. It was Bill Williams, who was Acting Principal at the time (and is no longer in the orchestra because Mark Inouye won the position).
The good thing about playing any off stage cue is that you can horse it up and be home before the concert finishes, you may not get booked again but you won't get a blasting from the maestro after the gig!
Hmm...I don't really know the score well enough to tell if it was MTT's mistake or the trumpeter's mistake. I love MTT's reaction , though..."just keep swimming!"
The real tragedy is not the missed cue, but the totally distorted tempo. the trumpet motive comes (when it finally comes) a lot slower than originally intended by MTT. that's how I read it: the trumpet had a different tempo in mind and was confused with his fast beat.
Really? he got 1.5 seconds of coverage and you were able to garner enough information from his face to make this statement? I'm impressed. You must be on helluva poker player........
All the trumpeter's fault. A career can be ruined for an orchestral musician with something like that. It's a shame though that is one of my favorite mvmnts of any Mahler Symphony.
He is addressed as a three name guy, The "Tilson" in the Michael Tilson Thomas gives it some distinction, because had the name been just "Michael Thomas" it would have sounded like a bumpkin boring hick.
Last year in May I was at the performance of this symphony at Davies Hall with MTT, it was perfect!
BytomGirl 1 day ago
0:17 This Guy's face: "if you would do that to me, oh good...."
MartinoDondievelo 1 week ago
I wonder if the trumpeter was fired.
mrcmrtnz1 1 month ago
Wether he missed it or not, his a human being. Hop of his dick!
mrcmrtnz1 1 month ago
@mrcmrtnz1 I'm really curious as to what the hell "Hop of his dick" means.
hkobb7 1 month ago
@hkobb7 Context clues!
xHuntedGunzPCGx 1 month ago
@hkobb7 Don't worry about it ;)
mrcmrtnz1 3 weeks ago
It is that awful, sinking, nauseating feeling that you have made a huge error, and EVERYONE knows you did. Every performer has had it happen at least once. I am remembering my HORROR moment right now, and I do believe my upper lip is sweating. OUCH, that is a horrible memory. Eh...we're only human.
swarze 1 month ago
Seriously, not MTT's fault... Trumpet was picking his nose or something hahaha
omjeremy 1 month ago 4
The trumpet player was wrong
0312mapa 1 month ago 4
I was there. You should have heard the Candide encore. An MTT miss-beat blamed on the piccolo sub.
flautflute2 2 months ago
this kind of thing happens on stage. It is just about how they go to the right track without showing it to the audiences that thats a mistake
kangegha 2 months ago
This is pretty cool actually, shows a high level of musicianship from both the conductor and the orchestra for the piece to continue virtually unblemished by the mistake. Considering the exhaustiveness of Mahler's compositions, with so much music to keep track of, it's bound to happen from time to time. I don't know the piece well enough to comment on who's mistake it was...I'm inclined to believe the conductor since the orchestra didn't flinch at all, but does it even matter?
DJChrisBradley 2 months ago 5
That wasn't Michael Tilson Thomas's fault, he gave the cue THREE times, it was the player's fault.
isaacthom34 2 months ago 2
@isaacthom34 He gave it at the wrong time in the music.
globaltruth08 2 months ago
I agree, the first trumpet missed it.
So what, it was two cues late? three?
It is still insanely amazing.
ikertznus 2 months ago
I had a similar expereince as an amateur where I had to step in at short notice on first oboe in a local orchestra. I had to lead off one section in a Sibelius piece, but unfortunately there was a series of pauses from the rest of the orchestra before I came in and not knowing the piece very well I got completely lost. The only way was to wait for silence on the conductor's first cue. Fortunately I was able to come in on his second cue and after that it all went fine.
BachAndByte 2 months ago
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Compare how Boulez and the Concertgebouw properly execute this same passage in this youtube video: Start at 0:50 (Youtube doesn't allow a link up; search Boulez Mahler 7 Satz 1 Part II.) Interesting how Boulez makes the same eye contact then gives the same down beat as MTT. In any case, kudos to the SFS for listening and watching MTT, it could have been cacophony if just one player had continued to play.
pyu67 3 months ago
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pyu67 3 months ago
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pyu67 3 months ago
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pyu67 3 months ago
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pyu67 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
hey guys...conductors make mistakes. and players too.
...move on? lol
ev13191 3 months ago
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I bet the trumpet player is better on the skin flute.
chubbylilloser 3 months ago
MTT did not "miss" a cue, the first trumpet player did.
darahbee 3 months ago 58
Lol by the third time he was like "jesus christ..."
procrastination100 4 months ago
His facial expressions are so charming!
neirol 4 months ago
There is no reason for this to be posted on YouTube.
dbrockbassoon 4 months ago
trumpet players... what else can you say
swankestdraf 4 months ago 6
Cue 1, Cue 2, Cue 3... OUT!
kharlitoz 4 months ago 4
Ladies and gentlemen, shit happens. For everyone.
TheJstaten1 5 months ago
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Fervorum 5 months ago
LOL
classiccandle27 5 months ago
@aikisalvo Perfectly clear. Not at all bad English, I can assure you.
Nai61a 5 months ago
ok. and what so? is this really interesting?
MrDenull 5 months ago
@MrDenull Unusual, therefore interesting, though not earth-shatteringly so.
Nai61a 5 months ago
@MrDenull
It's just interesting to some people that a professional and internationally celebrated conductor would have in his orchestra a trumpeter miss two cues. It's not like you were mislead, the title describes the video exactly.
SirSebastianWang 5 months ago
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titoceccherini 5 months ago
evidently, MTT is mistaken: he jumps one bar (he does not beat the bar before #37, and thinks evidently to be one bar further than the orchestra expects him to be.
keep in mind that on #37 Mahler suggests to change the beat from 2/2 to 4/4, but MTT does this starting from the last clarinet note, instead of one bar later.
titoceccherini 5 months ago
that said... well, of course the truth is that every human can make mistakes, and the greatness of an artist can hardly be mesured on the basis on his infallibility.
and, for the record, it should be noticed that MTT is an extremely clear conductor, which in this case makes a mistake more evident, but is mostly a very big help to an orchestra!
titoceccherini 5 months ago
I can't say that the music suffered from this. If anything, it augmented the tension.
Timrath 6 months ago 24
Michael Timson Thomas missed a cue? - No, the trumpet player did miss a cue!
Oistrakhfollower 7 months ago
Wow... I didn't realize Micheal Tilson Thomas was capable of making mistakes! I'm glad to see he's still human... I've wondered at times.
UnDead483 8 months ago
@UnDead483 Well this isn't one of those times haha he didn't mess up here, but I'm sure he has before
cysotbone621 5 months ago
nice listening by the orchestra though. That is what you call a brain fart.
samdajellybeenie14 8 months ago
this is pretty funny, nonetheless
shib340 8 months ago
Not that such a mistake is the end of the world, but some conductors would have got pretty mad. (Imagine Fritz Reiner!.) MTT handled it with good grace, good for him!
musoderelict 8 months ago 2
@NoirSeth7 I was making a comparison.. not stating I'm actually a Christian (God forbid)
chocotastic 8 months ago
Ahhhhhahahaha! up yours Inouye!!!
atomicm0 8 months ago
Wow, there are people who are actually upset and criticizing MTT and the SFS?? I feel like being a classical musician is like being a Christian at times... It's a great field, but man are there some obnoxious, pretentious idiots out there...
It's a small MISTAKE people... and if you didn't notice, the music wasn't really harmed by this.. which should go to show you all how professional this organization is to pull a mistake like this and recover so smoothly. I for one just chuckled and moved on
chocotastic 8 months ago 3
We're human, get over it.
jsteuernol 9 months ago
Very awesome trumpet playing! Though, I also believe that he missed the first cue. It's pretty evident on the conducter's face. Either way, it's still amazing!
chezzeh 9 months ago
Ha! Michael Tilson Thomas does some exciting conducting though, missed cues or not! Trumpet player is actually pretty damn wonderful, I went to school with him.
klavierspieler72 10 months ago
when you become the awesome conductor like MTT is, you can criticize his directing all you want
onagoodday1 10 months ago
Ouch.... His timing cue seemed perfect, it obviously was the trumpeter's fault. They pulled it back together very well though. But man... Thomas looks so embarrassed.
harvestsoulfly 10 months ago
it must've been so awkward back stage after the performance...
BBRENTTAGHAPP 11 months ago
@BBRENTTAGHAPP no, it mustn't have :P Making mistakes is much less embarassing for us, musicians, than you'd think.. And it always meets with perfect understanding of fellow players - we just know, that during the concert anything can happen.. So I'm sure that after the performance MTT congratulated the trumpet player on pulling it together afterall ;)
pjkorab 9 months ago
@pjkorab Amen
JASmahler 8 months ago
We're all human!
muzomanoz 11 months ago
@muzomanoz AMEN!
yoshibrothers17 10 months ago
MTT about to call the cops there. He was about to pick up a phone and ask for the local constabulary, if you know what I'm saying my brothers. As far as MT McT was concerned, the only plausible solution was four squad cars and a paddy wagon, if you catch my drift. In the grand scheme of things, we all make mistakes, but if O'Rourke McHarrison had anything to say about that trumpet entrance my brothers, it would have involved some handcuffs and a pair of San Fran's finest...sayin' McBronswells?
yisacknayrabin 11 months ago
there we are, starting to point out humanly mistakes even in this ultimate form of music, instead of appreciating it's undoubtable greatness, it's by cases like this that I get the feeling of humanity really being doomed :(
undyingdarkness610 11 months ago
who gives a damn he missed a cue? go and make it better hero ;)
pennerdwo 1 year ago 4
He's HUMAN???
Big surprise!
Even YOU are human!
ltyr2001 1 year ago
@ltyr2001 I know right? Dude did you not know that he was human haha? obviously the other dickheads don't realise that at all.
YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST 1 year ago
Everyone makes a mistake....great job to the trumpets for counting there rests!
gsili91 1 year ago
OK WHO REALLY CARES IF HE MISSED A CUE. OH I FORGOT HE IS NOT HUMAN. YOU ALL ACT LIKE YOU CAN DO ANY BETTER. IF YOU HAVE CONDUCTED A PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA AT THE PROMS CONCERT HALL, AND YOU ARE WORLD RENOWNED, COME TALK TO ME. IF NOT SHUT THE HELL UP BECAUSE HE IS HUMAN AND HE WILL MAKE MISTAKES. SUCH REDICULOUS MUSICIANS.
YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST 1 year ago
@YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST Royal Albert Hall*
WoWKoest 1 year ago
@WoWKoest Thank you, I stand corrected.
YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST 1 year ago
You are right!
Stop using capitals already!
ltyr2001 1 year ago
@ltyr2001 deal with it MATE!
YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST 1 year ago
@YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST LEAVE MICEAL TILSON ALOOOOOOOONE, HE'S A HUMANNNN!! :'((((
darkdemonded 1 year ago 33
@YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST Ha, ha! This comes from somebody who calls himself Virtuoso Violinist. You're setting the bar pretty high for yourself there. If you've played in the Proms Concert Hall (sic) [it's the Royal Albert Hall, but who cares?], you can call yourself Virtuoso Violinist.
Nai61a 5 months ago
@Nai61a Sorry, Violist.
Nai61a 5 months ago
@Nai61a you are an idiot it is Violist not violinist go back to school.
YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST 3 months ago
@YNGVIRTUOSOVIOLIST If you'd bothered to read a little further, you'd have seen that I corrected myself immediately. My comment was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, not to be taken too seriously. As to calling somebody an "idiot" with absolutely no idea to whom you are talking, that's childish.
Nai61a 3 months ago
he doesnt look happy at all ahhahaaha uuhhhh
less01 1 year ago
The cues were perfect. If you listen to the recording, he gave "Cue No. 1" exactly where it should have been. The trumpet was even slightly late for the 3rd cue. As far as the amount of rests trumpets have in orchestral works, that is a part of the gig. This is such a vital part of the work for the trumpet, and that's such a big solo, there is really no excuse for missing the cue. He's even slightly behind the third cue. This is only proof that musicians are not robots. Not MTT's fault.
VallejoBrawler 1 year ago
I can't blame him. This stuff isn't written for trumpet and it's awful to sit there for 80 measures to come in and play three notes.
DiVeronica 1 year ago
@DiVeronica you can't blame a pilot for a mistake. It is awful to be sitting there for 6 hours to come in and only land. Now seriously, you can blame him for sure.
gilbertoagostinho 1 year ago
@gilbertoagostinho It's true, he's a professional musician. Snobby violinists should know however how awful it is to sit there and wait for 80 measures.
DiVeronica 1 year ago
@DiVeronica Well, I'm not a violinist, but I study composing and conducting. I understand this issue, and I always try to use often the instruments I asked for, and also in an interesting way. It must be awful to play Tuba, for instance, when the composition asks you for 1h of wait, then a pedal tone, then another hour of wait. But this is no excuse for mistakes. They happen, but we can't feel sorry for the instrumentalists, and professionals should try their best to play correctly.
gilbertoagostinho 1 year ago
MTT didnt neeed to give a gigantic cue as if the trumpet was behind the stage!
He gave a confident beat without any confidence in return.He just smiled.Great guy!
Shit happens
callasnuts 1 year ago
definately not the trumpets fault. the first two cues were wrong
koolznstuff 1 year ago
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jeeves217 1 year ago
Wow, I'm a nerd and and even I can't help but say NERD!!!!!!!!!!!
jeeves217 1 year ago
Well According to the Green Book in chapter 5 dealing with expressive gestures. it specifically states............................
lol you be the judge
suntsu152 1 year ago
that's funny it seems that all conductors have the same facial expression when that happens. "hello?!?!" :D it's ok i do that all the time
cowrockscarol 1 year ago
the conductor afterwards proubly was like, DO THAT AGAIN AND U ARE OUT OF MY ORCHESTRA!!
CorelliChopin08 1 year ago
Ooops. Conductor and Trumpeter probably had a laugh about it afterwards. No biggie!
schnozz87 1 year ago 2
the pause that refreshes
u89worlds 1 year ago 2
too bad this video isn't on youtube anymore. If it was, we could compare it with Bernstiens performance...
TheMacband 1 year ago
From the philosophical side of it, this just proves that we are humans, not machines, and we should be proud of being humans.
gwaur 1 year ago 4
Mistakes happen; jesus. Yes, Bill Williams missed his cue. No, that doesn't mean he should be fired, or is unprofessional. No, Michael Tilson Thomas will not hate him. ...Probably.
Bobs482 1 year ago 3
Ive heard a lot about this guy and hes is extremely good at what he does but does he seriously have a life beyond music
Metalfreakk19 1 year ago
@Metalfreakk19
Music is in every part of life, so no, in a way, there is no "life beyond music".
(And what would be the point of a "life beyond music" anyway? Perhaps you mean, a life BENEATH music? lol...)
ikshields 1 year ago
@ikshields haha ok genius lol. Ya i listen to a lot headbanger music but i love classical just as much. Beethoven's 3rd symphony eroica got me hooked on the genre
Metalfreakk19 1 year ago
I say trumpets fault but not missed 3rd time only missed que once but who really noticed it live? Exellent music......
dacamn555 1 year ago
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
IAMLISZT 1 year ago
MTT made a mistake, he changed the tempo so soon. However, it's the trumpet's fault as he didn't join in when the conductor asked to.
diu8 1 year ago
Good job by the resting musician at 0:18 to not react... That would be bad, if he was smirking or shaking his head or something and got caught for a second on video...
NJLouis66 1 year ago
Ha, ha, look at the way MTT is biting her lip at 0:25, thinking "F*ck-me, I'm trying hard not to look pissed-off. Take my chirpy smiles of a few seconds earlier at face value. You know we are all on camera hear, but fortunately most people do not have the score in front of them."
This is priceless.
Anyhow, brilliant musicians. I went to this concert, sitting on the rail in the balcony. Excellent.
Regards and ♥, andrea
andreaandrewmilne 1 year ago 2
I agree..regardless of whether the cue was early or not, that trumpet player should've followed and came in with his cue. I mean, 3 times?? A professional is expected not to be burried in their music. This isn't a high school orchestra.
OMGImaViolinist 2 years ago
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vac137 2 years ago
I'm going to put an end to this.
It wasn't MTT's fault it was the trumpet.
However conductors do make mistakes.
violinguy100 2 years ago 6
i agree
quintetbyb 2 years ago
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THE TROUBLE WAS OF THE CONDUCTOR, musicians played correctly. Has someone listened other versions of this symphony???
MrLavegabrass 2 years ago
The conductor cued three times before the trumpet came in, so it was the trumpet's fault.
freshhh1994 2 years ago 106
@freshhh1994 TRUMPETS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT..U WOODWIND TARGUS
lilv593 1 year ago
@freshhh1994 Cue 2 was actually the first cue for the trumpet. The one marked cue 1 wasn't actually a cue. The trumpet actually came in on the real 2nd cue, albeit, almost a beat late.
muzomanoz 11 months ago
@freshhh1994 Yes! How did anyone think this was his fault? He had the face of an irritated conductor, not a "oh-i-made-a-mistake" conductor.
tkdigi 3 months ago
@tkdigi Absolutely, irritation with a tinge of relief. I particularly like the tiniest of glances at the score after the first cue... just to be sure.
krg1965 3 months ago
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Typically shit American orchestra. Get back to playing bluegrass.
andy4009 2 years ago
andy4009 smells of soot and poo
ryanfallon 1 year ago
yikes! hope i don't do that in a performance!
nco62292 2 years ago
That was the trumpet player's fault. Notice that Thomas stops beating until the trumpet player enters. He actually covered quite well for Williams. The next fanfares, other trumpet and clarinet, come in correctly.
kenalebla 2 years ago 2
Even the best made mistakes. I'd say it actually shows how great you really are when a single mistake is hailed as an incredible thing and owns it's own separate discussion.
eragoncp14 2 years ago 2
The guy that plays principal trumpet here-Bill Williams- is a phenomenon player!
neaionia60 2 years ago
So was it MTT's fault or the trumpeters? I think it was the trumpeters.
Classicalguy12 2 years ago 4
@Classicalguy12 Yes, it was the trumpet player's fault, you can check that with the score!
Scissors8311 2 years ago
To the trumpeter's credit, he only actually missed one cue. The '1st cue' was the downbeat to rehearsal #37. The 2nd was the missed entrance, and he obviously saw the third one and came in. No biggie, everyone makes mistakes. Great listening by the 2nd trumpet, though!
clovenh00f 2 years ago 59
yeah, but he was hired to be perfect. That's why there's only one chair available to the thousands who audition for it.
AllStarBugler 2 years ago
@clovenh00f True, but that will get you fired
samdajellybeenie14 1 year ago
@clovenh00f the first cue is clearly on the downbeat of the measure after rehearsal #37. the measure before 37 is in 2. Then the measure rest at 37 is in 4 which he beated, and then he cued the downbeat of the 2nd measure. so the trumpet missed all 3.
rsteele92 1 year ago
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@clovenh00f the first cue is clearly on the downbeat of the measure after rehearsal #37. the measure before 37 is in 2. Then the measure rest at 37 is in 4 which he beated, and then he cued the downbeat of the 2nd measure. so the trumpet missed all 3.
rsteele92 1 year ago
Looking at the score, Tilson Thomas was absolutely spot on! The 1st trumpet missed 2 cues and came in on the third cue two bars too late. I agree the 2nd trumpet listened well though.
SteveyBlunder 1 year ago
@clovenh00f Actually, I don't think so. The beat is in 2, the clarinet came in on beat two of two measures before rehearsal 37. That means that from the clarinet's A#, there are four beats before the entrance of the trumpet. Thus, the trumpet definitely missed BOTH of the cues before coming in on the 3rd.
The title is also incorrect, but I think most people get that.
kongming819 11 months ago
@clovenh00f Great listening by the 2nd trumpet player... and the whole orchestra!!! That could have been bad!
heshoopman 8 months ago
@clovenh00f The trumpeter should have come in on the first cue. It is not a downbeat of rehearsal mark #37 because that mark is placed exactly on the last note of the clarinet you can hear at the beginning of this recording where "Etwas gemessener" is written and time changes to 4/4. MTT cues one bar after the time change which is exactly when the 1st trumpet should come in. Nevertheless, I think MTT is mistaken because his downbeat on #37 is one beat too late. He confused the trumpeter.
kstarybrat 8 months ago 2
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ssh1025 7 months ago
@kstarybrat Right, that was the mistake of the trumpeter, who should come on the downbeat of the "first cue". And I do NOT think MTT is too late, he is conducting correctly at #37.
ssh1025 7 months ago
@ssh1025 I just realized that the audio and video might not be synchronized properly. That's why he seems to be wrong. But if that's not taken under consideration he really is too late, just look at the score.
kstarybrat 7 months ago
Hey..all people make mistakes, but I'm sure he got an ear full after! Years ago I've sung with the LA Phil where there have been botched things and the other orchestra members give the person a mean glare :-)
dancertm 2 years ago
It WAS the trumpeter - I remember seeing this on TV. It looks like MTT says "come on" Strings save the day as ever!
musicdirektor 2 years ago
yeah i don't think the title of this video should be 'tilson missed a cue?" because that was definitly the trumpet's lack of attentin or something that had the THREE cues missed...and which makes tilson have the reaction with the head shakeing that he did lol like "oh, are you awake?'
TheFlutegirl15 2 years ago
I don't much about conducting, but he at least he stayed pretty calm.
humbucker08 2 years ago
Was the trumpeter stoned or what?
What a moron!
lakejohnson 2 years ago
lol ... the trumpeter a "moron"?
Hardly. You try performing a dense score like Mahler 7, in the noisy, distracting Proms environment, fresh off jet lag, and see if you can go an evening without missing one exposed cue...
The SFS has one of the greatest brass sections on the planet. If it can happen to one of those guys, it can happen to anyone.
ikshields 2 years ago 5
@ikshields
I'll refine my previous statement -- if it can happen ONCE to one of the peerless SFSO brass players, it would happen a HUNDRED times to anyone else, every minute of the performance, every night. lol...
ikshields 1 year ago
xD oh man that was... kinda funny
onrev 2 years ago
When MTT whispers "God bless", perhaps he is thanking the first fiddle. Good heads up playing on the part of number one. He holds the tone right through the mis-cue!
snakespeare1 2 years ago
i know the trumpet's been fired, but what was his name?
SupaDraga 2 years ago
oh boi- really?
DiVeronica 2 years ago
A lot of talk here about the trumpeter being "fired", which I believe is a misunderstanding of the case of Bill Williams -- the SFSO's Acting Principal Trumpet at that time (and who may or may not be the player who missed this cue).
Williams, a super player who put in a solid tenure in a "temp" position, was not fired, but was simply not selected as Principal when his time was up. (MTT went with SFSO veteran Mark Inouye -- a player with a fat dramatic tone like Adolph Herseth's in Chicago.)
ikshields 2 years ago
The trumpet player was NOT fired. It was Bill Williams, who was Acting Principal at the time (and is no longer in the orchestra because Mark Inouye won the position).
ThaSchwab 2 years ago
Mark Inouye has won the spot several times. But each time, MTT shot it down. At least he finally got it this last time.
Bobs482 2 years ago
Definitely the trumpet's mistake. I can't believe it took him 3 cues....
mflancon 2 years ago
Oh boy he got pissed lol
Shankovich 2 years ago
The good thing about playing any off stage cue is that you can horse it up and be home before the concert finishes, you may not get booked again but you won't get a blasting from the maestro after the gig!
topbon2ndvalve 2 years ago
Hmm...I don't really know the score well enough to tell if it was MTT's mistake or the trumpeter's mistake. I love MTT's reaction , though..."just keep swimming!"
JeeRant 2 years ago
DEFINITELY the trumpet. He was subsequently fired.
finlayma84 2 years ago
Me too!! But it the trumpets mistake.
MasterAzunai 2 years ago
mtt doesnt miss a cue, but the trumpet was probably just sleeping, not with his head in the music. this i call a serious failure.
jonrellim 2 years ago
Lol. I imagine the trumpet with some cows on his brain dancing around
webspec 2 years ago
MTT has the patience of a saint...if i were in his shoes i would have come across the orchestra and stabbed him with my baton.......
not 1..not 2...but 3 cues!
trumpetdudeman07 2 years ago 2
The real tragedy is not the missed cue, but the totally distorted tempo. the trumpet motive comes (when it finally comes) a lot slower than originally intended by MTT. that's how I read it: the trumpet had a different tempo in mind and was confused with his fast beat.
etiterum 2 years ago
He does not look happy lol.
HuggumsMcgehee 2 years ago
MTT didn't miss the cue, the trumpet player. That was way too long a wait to be a missed conductor cue.
ThaSchwab 2 years ago 2
Haha the clarinet players face. He's trying so hard to act like nothing happened.
gestrumpet 2 years ago 3
Really? he got 1.5 seconds of coverage and you were able to garner enough information from his face to make this statement? I'm impressed. You must be on helluva poker player........
AllStarBugler 2 years ago
@AllStarBugler
:) Terrible actually...
gestrumpet 2 years ago
haha, that's not michael's fault
Scharlach14 2 years ago 2
All the trumpeter's fault. A career can be ruined for an orchestral musician with something like that. It's a shame though that is one of my favorite mvmnts of any Mahler Symphony.
gestrumpet 2 years ago
He is addressed as a three name guy, The "Tilson" in the Michael Tilson Thomas gives it some distinction, because had the name been just "Michael Thomas" it would have sounded like a bumpkin boring hick.
freeqwerqwer 2 years ago
LOL, that is funny, I love MTT's expression. Just goes to show that we're all human and that mistakes like that happen.
MrJcorona89 2 years ago
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ppgppgppgppg 2 years ago
These things happen! We're all humans!
crotchet66 2 years ago
Usually this sort of mistake is caused by ants crawling about on the music score mischievously posing as notes.
No seriously! It was explained in a documentary I saw when I was little.
Although come to think of it, it may have been a cartoon.
pddwatch81 2 years ago 3
Is this Mahler?
SonofDostojevskij 2 years ago
mahler 7
ppgppgppgppg 2 years ago
How many times does MTT need to cue that entrance! I love how the strings just keep playing there.
rachmaninovbrahms 2 years ago
i know...i think it would have been weird if the strings stopped playing...I blame the trumpeter.
alexandertom05 2 years ago
hee hee
Mahler 7th, great piece
ppgppgppgppg 2 years ago
More trumpeter fail at 00:24...
ultrallama101 2 years ago
classic "oh shit" look
dungman101 2 years ago
now we know why the conductor stands with his back to the audience. but today everything is filmed and so the truth is revealed.
etiterum 2 years ago
true, but i think that was the trumpeter's fault, not MTT's.
therabbitsfoot 2 years ago
trumpeter's fault
gamerexpert95 2 years ago 8