Igor Stravinsky: Symphonies Of Wind Instruments (1920)

[Tengent]

Could someone recommend me some more music like at 0:50? I only ever hear polytonal? stuff like that in old television scores.

[sumkewlgurl]

interesting. the title says 1920 which is when the first 'draft' was composed. but the instrumentation of this particular video/performance is actually the rewritten score from 1947.

[Shinbasher]

This is one of my favorite pieces! Stravinsky wrote this for the passing of his friend and mentor, Claude Debussy! It was written in a Panikhida funeral style (Russian Orthodox). If you listen really hard, you can hear the beginning of the piece paying before it even starts when it it is supposed to be silent with the conductor looking at the orchestra. That's funny!

[classiccandle27]

Yes, excellent piece of music. I like the main theme by the highpitched clarinet~

btw, the cor anglais player is really hot ~~

[RediForKing]

Whenever I feel sad or depressed I listen to Stravinsky and it heals me every time. Thank you Stravinsky for saving my life.

[karinleitner]

Thanks for this impeccable, clear and stong performance. It helps me with practising this piece for the Musikverein Vienna.

[DevinJMorrison]

Can some of you just shut up and enjoy this masterpiece!

[fabianidhesona]

this piece is a shame of 20th century music. is hard to believe the same man composed the firebird and le sacre du printemps.

[RogueRotting360]

@fabianidhesona Not really. It's got Stravinsky's mark all of it, including his sly sense of humour.

[Rickeeey1]

@fabianidhesona

In what sense is it a shame of 20th century music? Explain.

[fabianidhesona]

@Rickeeey1 because this piece has no innovation at all. its just something that could work well for only movies like Bambi or Snow White. every body knows that Stravinsky lost his magic after his firsts ballets.

[Rickeeey1]

@fabianidhesona

Since when is a composer not allowed to do whatever he/she wants to do?

[isherwood]

@fabianidhesona Everybody knows? What about Les noces, Threni, Agon, Oedipus Rex? To name but a few... Innovation is not the sole measure of excellence. Some people regurgitate the tired, reactionary criticism of Boulez et al that somehow Stravinsky "let us down" with his neo-classicism. Of course, these days, Boulez makes a tidy profit from his recordings of those same works. As for Bambi, even the least informed music "lover" is aware of Stravinsky's statement, "Music means nothing".

[Rickeeey1]

Stravinsky's music is amazing. One of my favorite composers in the 20th century along with Debussy, Ravel, Alban Berg, Schoenberg & Leo Ornstein.

[Tsamnon]

This is one of his best! Great performance!

[nanaflute4ever]

amazing music .. stravinsky is one of the best composers of the 20th century !

[chiledofthekorn]

this is amazing

if you like this you might like

gabriel williams - dancing with the schizophrenic

[fremsley001]

Legend has it that Robert Craft first met Igor Stravinsky when I.S. dropped a meatball onto the floor in a Los Angeles restaurant and R.C., who was seated at a neighbouring table, knelt down to pick it up with a napkin. It had rolled about two feet across the white carpet, leaving a trail of gravy. R.C. observed to I.S. that it looked like a crotchet. In his thick Russian accent, Stravinsky said "You are r-r-r-ight!" and laughed very loudly. The rest, as they say, is history.

[alezander666]

msystical infinite mus heard this piece probably several hundred times STILL FIND NEW THINGS,IT NEVER AGES,thank god,i was not present at the champs e'lysie when they booed, rioted during SACRED "RITE",i think i might have killed one of those ignorant louts, little goblin,once said "music does not have any emotion,it is sound",or something like that,"the john lennon/popular as jesus",line,as it hit me,OK,IGOR,FIREBIRD,SACRE,JUST A BUNCH OF NOTES,yeah right you minx

[VanGoghLipstick]

Stravinsky is a dancer's dream. He is my favorite composer to dance to .

[Baddies88]

VPRO music

[bearishwearish]

waht is this jazz music?

[andre34343]

Ive heard this somewhere!!! I sware!!!!!!

[musoderelict]

Sometimes Stravinsky puts me right off - he can be capable of writing 'anti-music' - devoid of any life. But not this. It has a purity and freshness that really hits you.

[dalecampbl9]

stravinsky really went wild with instrument combinations. I like that. Now I think Stravsinky is a Great 20th century composer, but is he the greatest of the 20th century...or even say top 5? But I do find Stravinsky's music more enjoyable as it is not nearly as dissonant as Bartok or Prokofiev...at least not from what I've heard by Stravinsky

[pyramidion]

Genius.

[nevandan]

It was exactly in 1923.

[RedCloudBeechWaveAhh]

this is one of the great masterpieces of 20th century culture... unique, concise, powerful, abstract, profound, idiosyncratic... no one can create such beauty out of notes that, if played in close formation, would be gratingly dissonant!

and a really wonderful performance! thank you!

[tbonetimmons]

Does that oboe player look like Nicholas Cage to anyone else?

[bassoonatic88]

@tbonetimmons Yeah, but not as much as the clarinetist looks like Tim Robbins.

[BrucknerMotet]

@tbonetimmons Nick Cage with better hair.

[8472238]

what's the name of the chord played at 00:12? in fact all of these chords are rather strange. not exactly major or minor chords. at least not how i'm used to thinking of them. i understand bach, beethoven, and mozart. but this music is something i appreciate but don't fully understand.

[gera1262]

@8472238 @8472238 they sound like 7th chords to me.

i.e (c,e,g,b flat)

commonly used in jazz.

by the way, this is music of the 1920's so keep in mind that music has grown since mozart and beethoven. Varese is a good example of modern music.

[Tengent]

@8472238 This piece uses a lot of non-standard chords that are difficult to name. I'll look at the score and tell you the notes and maybe a name.

[jimjims3150]

Stravinsky the Snoop Dog of classical music

[petezilla]

Agent Skully on flute at 0:53

[ByronAdams3955]

In memory of Robert Palmer, composer and teacher, 1915-2010.

[stamstuff]

to stravinsky lovers. maybe you would like this concerto.

just write the word FREAKOLLO, and you would get to a 2 parts concerto, enjoy.

[emilygclarinet]

This music is spectacular.

[tommonkell]

What an incredible performance!

[hceggeberth]

...and Kevin Bacon 2nd oboe!

[ellieysama]

Ohh What beauty...words cannot describe this enchanting, uplifting, magical composition :3

[saladshootavvv]

Young Bruce Willis on Clarinet!

[arash2002art]

It is the revised version of 1947. and this version also has 4 french horns in F!!

[TrifleTrousers]

are you sure this is the 1920s version and not the 1947 version?

[kongming819]

false, both 1920 and 1947 have 4 horns

[MrFritz65]

...e' di una bellezza ancestrale...

[dazamaru]

not a real classical music fan....but for some reason this guy moves me....his rhythms are just so original......

[science454]

Surprisingly accessible, uplifting even.

There's always something extra in a Stravinsky composition, something that leads you to hearing his compositions again. These performers look like they are very much into the piece, and seem to be enjoying it whilst retaining the required intensity.

In other words, excellent.

[mrsafrolady]

great performance

[twillis591]

Very artistic video. And of course, sensitive and incisive playing by leading Dutch wind musicians. When was this video recorded?

[afffred]

the best composer of the 20th century in my eyes

[TheLfwjo]

@afffred In your eyes? Or to your ears?

[MrLeovioletto]

@afffred in your eyes? or in your ears:)

[theslothmonkey]

Happy Birthday Igor Stravinsky.

[godesmoksha]

Crazy man this Stravinsky

[davis1337]

Best performance of this piece I've heared so far. But they're great players and they have a good conductor, so I couldn't expect anything different.

[mvotta]

This was mentioned incidentally in a very early comment--but it's worth repeating:

This performance is the 1947 version, not the 1920 version. They are quite different.

No matter, though, this is a great performance of the piece. Thanks for uploading!

[Bone666Dust]

yes! nude performances!

[mayitpleasethecourt]

true, i never thought of that - can't imagine why not.

[buddy34]

Thank you for this video!!!

[username14657]

This is so poignant, deep, touching, almost patriotic at times.

[saladshootavvv]

Absolutely gorgeous

[zelrods]

watch the 1st clarinet, he's first on the left of the flute then on the right in the same take at 1:58- 2:15

very interesting video work and great performance

[trumpetguyps4335]

i think the video was made to match the piece

very abstract and surprising

do you get what i mean?

[GerardoHere]

fantastic !

[seostattler]

absolutely incredible so beautiful.... does anyone know which documentary this is off

[skarioffszky]

@seostattler This is from the documentary The Final Chorale, by Frank Scheffer; the film is about this piece and ends with this performance.

[seostattler]

@skarioffszky thanks for this that is really helpful will have to have a root around for this documentary

[krazykylewithak]

fantastic playing and artistry displayed here with all the glory of 80s early 90s fashion... gotta love it. I'll be playing this next week so I'm glad I found such a beautiful video and recording to aid me.

[drummanDet]

Я ничего в этом не понимаю, но мне нравится!

[Pellow]

Is this Pop music from the 70's? My mum used to play stuff like this around the house when I was ill.

[GreggaryPeccary]

Are you five years old? If that were the case, I'd understand your severe lack of knowledge on culture

[Pellow]

Have you not got a sense of humour you 'little pig with a white collar?'

[GreggaryPeccary]

Well, I can't smell if you were joking.

[Pellow]

No worries.

[CriticulMuzical]

:))

[iGotSpaceLikeNASA]

ROFL!!

[ikshields]

Beautiful!

Here's another great performance on record: the Berlin Phil with Boulez conducting. It was on an album of Stravinsky "Symphonies" released around '97 on DG.

Boulez and the Berliners made it so disembodied and perfect that you almost can't believe humans are playing it. Utterly astounding.

I was working in the Classical department at a Tower Records when it was released, and the store got a promo copy. The other Classical guy and I fought over who would get to take it home!

[nonthere]

"Boulez and the Berliners made it so disembodied and perfect that you almost can't believe humans are playing it. Utterly astounding."

I agree. This piece is strange even for Stravinsky. Emotionally it really is an alien landscape which keeps the listener at arms length while yet trapping him in a ritual which he doesn't understand but is compelled to attend. He did something similar with Oedipus Rex, but that, despite its dispassion, is a human drama. This piece is in another space entirely.

[maestrojeremy]

I couldn't agree more with your description, nonthere. :)

[username14657]

I love this video... it inspires and relaxes me.

Thank you so much, Stravinsky!

[Terror74]

Funny!

The conductor looks like Donald Sutherland in Kate Bush's video "cloudbusting"

[hasbeenshaken]

You're right. Reinbert de Leeuw is his name and he is famed for all his vital work on 20th century music. Check him and his recordings out if you're into all from Satie (he's a good pianist as well) to Ives or Gubaidoulina and from Stravinsky to Andriessen and Messiaen, to name just a few.

[merlinpies]

sir thomas beecham maintained most reed players had a flea up their arse.

[splishtastic]

but then again he was a nob

[VomitAllIdeals]

i like this song

[kgband76]

This is an amazing performance.  And I loved how artistically it was presented. Notice all of things SURROUNDING the musicians rather than the musicians themselves...it's really quite interesting.

[mhsportsfan]

yeah, it gave the room and the music that was being played more of a personality

[GreggaryPeccary]

very sacre du printempsish

[Nuker1337]

@GreggaryPeccary Yes, very dirge-ish, like many sections in le sacre.

[lykeomgitsmaymay]

this is a fabulous rendition of Stravinsky's masterpiece. Everything is pretty much perfection. One of my favorite chamber pieces along with Kurka's "Good Soldier Schweik Suite", the Mozart "Gran Partita" and Hahn's "Le Bal de Beatrice d'Este".

[Saxation1]

why is it that high reed players always bop around when they play? that always makes me laugh when a see that while playing in an orchestra or something. great song too!

[robotkarel]

is not a song

[MothmanCometh]

I don't know. You can never tell what Igor's thinking. He avoided predictablity to an alarming extent. I like note being able to predict music, which is easy to do with all the shit you hear these days.

[cssa12]

This music is so funny.... and that's not a bad thing. I mean,the clarinet solo sounds hilarious with the other corresponding instruments(trumpets and trombones) playing the random-like sforsandos... So funny.

[nomadicjazz23]

awesome!!

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

I heard this piece was included in Elliot Carter's proverbial desert library, along with all of Mozart's operas.

[maestrissimo]

The title of this video is misleading, since this is the 1947 version of this piece, not the 1920 version.

[Leibo07]

00:54-00:57 en 01:07-01:11, mooie ogen zeg !

[Leibo07]

Can't anyone upload "Im schönen Monat Mai", or parts thereof ? It is one of the most beautiful and interesting compositions of the last 25 years, to my ears.

[username14657]

Ah I love I love I love I love

[trombonekaren]

This is really a great video - what a wonderful addition to the Youtube repertoire!!!!

[dupa3211]

no, he was ~85. But yes, his works are immortal

[abkdeg]

isnt it stravinsky died at very young age?...but still his works seems to be immortal!....

[sshuck]

According to Wikipedia, Stravinsky at the very young age of 88.

[genshitenson]

Which pretty much exceeded the average life expectancy of every composer known to western society... he even outlived Schoenberg XD

[Jafuet]

Jimi Hendrix died earlier.

[Leibo07]

Hendrix died 27.

BTW he liked Strawinsky too. And Schönberg and Stockhausen. And Wagner, Richard Strauss, Bach, ...

[Jafuet]

yes...frank zappa also liked stravinsky

[Jafuet]

i dont understand you people...what is the reason for this 3 thumbs down?...its a fact...i think there are a few boneheads around here

[answerplz3000]

Charlie "Firebird" Parker got his nickname for being a Strav fan. i'm trying to think of which piece?

[Leibo07]

His nickname was "Bird", and I don't know if it got something to do with Strawinsky. But there is a ballet of his, called 'The Firebird'. It belongs to the '3 great ballets', along with Sacre and Petrouchka.

[answerplz3000]

the full nickname was "firebird". check your history books. and yes, it was to do with his love for stravinsky.

[Leibo07]

If you can "check" your 'history books' (they might tell you were that nickname came from), why then ask here and waste some Internet space? Provo

[answerplz3000]

its called sarcasm genious. i'm making light of your pseudo-intellectualism.

[Leibo07]

Ooh, envious are we.

But making light, that you couldn't, 'cos you can not what you are not.

You are a waste of Internet community space. Better return to your Helene Fischer-level intellectualism. Bye

[answerplz3000]

to make such a bland (or envious?!?! HA)presumption is a sure sign of your sensitivity. best to bottle up that anger away from the outside world hey ;)

[Leibo07]

I can see that you have too much time at your hands, you twofold in horse grease baked ectoplasm.

[answerplz3000]

"you twofold in horse grease baked ectoplasm." back to the pseudo-intellectualism hey?

"too much time at your hands" (?)

You are a hypocrite and a fool.

just to save other listeners of this fine work the misery of reading our banter,

how about we take this somewhere else?

[Leibo07]

Already wants to pick a fight, cowboy? (Man, you must have been harassed as a small boy, but who can blame them?)

No. Right here, right now, since you started with your vulgar "sarcasm" on THIS site. (You had that chance already.)

I am an avid listener of this fine work too, and I find it amusing that you seem to hang around on vids like these just to have an amusing day. It doesn't disturb, but you wouldn't notice.

Otherwise, weigh anchor, ye Captain of the Ship of all Fools.

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

just to save other listeners of this fine work the misery of reading our banter,

how about we take this somewhere else?

Thank you, that would be nice. I'm glad you enjoy this piece, and are adult enough to recognize that your discussion with Leibo07 was becoming less relevant to this music.

[emtube]

LOL

[alezander666]

@emtube ok,OK YOU LITTLE TOADS WHO CANNOT PROBABLY EVEN READ,OR PLAY A OCCARINA,'''F88ck off',NOBODY HERE EXPECTS YOUR LITTLE,TINY JAYLO,J.C. MINDS TO COMPREHEND TWELVE TONE,AND MODERN JAZZ,AND COMPOSITION,SO GO BACK UNDER YOUR STUPID ROCK,NOBODY CARES ABOUT IDIOTS OPINIONS,HERE IT IS FOR YOU IN ONE SENTENCE,""STUPID PEOPLE!!!,STUPID PEOPLE,THEY DON'T KNOW THEIR STUPID"",go vote republican again,they'll get ya your big tax cut,losers

[nonthere]

@alezander666 I'm not even joking when I say this but I am dead serious. You seem to have some real emotional problems. Get some help and don't yell in the middle of a concert.

[Jafuet]

whats the problem?...i only wrote that hendrix died in 1970 and stravinsky 1971

[Leibo07]

No problem, I know that you know. I only liked to add my own little comment since we seem to share some enthousiasm 'bout Hendrix TOO, you know. Because people sometimes think that Hendrix didn't know about classical stuff, and jazz. They really haven't a clue.

BTW, in London he lived in the house formerly owned by G.F.Händel.., I like to add. Bye

[Jafuet]

sorry...i only reacted on these 2 thumbs down...just like offended somebody

[gab1279]

The clarinet line around 2 minutes reminds so much of the bassoon in Rite of Spring, and I adore the odd meters...thanks for putting this fantastic piece on YouTube, definitely a masterpiece of wind literature!

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

That is a very nice film. How come we don't ever see ensembles filmed like this, very nice cuts, and panning, etc.. The rhythm of the edits and camera work, along with the coloration worked really nicely with the symphony, which I love. Thanks for posting this.

[agefreerk]

My Chemical Romance, hahahahaha.

[VomitAllIdeals]

My Chemical romance are better than this crap

[moesbrotha]

MCR?! Are you Fucking kidding me?! You have to be joking...

[Blibblabblibblibblab]

uhhhh...No. Do you realize how much more time, practice, skill, training, and care goes into a piece like this than my chemical romance puts into their songs?

[Jafuet]

:D  :D

[spg0922]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video. We need more Stravinsky on the web! Anybody have the Symphony in C? Symphony in Three Movements?

[Jafuet]

I have...but not in video :)

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

Symphony in C is available on the web, though the recording itself is amateur. Youtube it.

[Comeoneverybody]

a masterpiece of the 20th century musical Master. And wonderful performance.

[VonRichter]

Nice performance... especially from the cross-dresser flautist in green.

[emtube]

Very beautiful interpretation of this masterpiece among masterpieces by Stravinsky. Interesting to compare the first few measures with the brief clip of the performance following the comments by Craft -- that version is quite acerbic, with sharper contrasts--quite different from de Leeuw's almost romantic, gorgeous textures. I must say, I prefer the latter...

[iwanttowatchsomethin]

In a music of so many inherent sharp points (in terms of harmony) it is curious to render their articulations with more curved edges, so to speak. I just love this piece, and this video is top notch.

[Castenelli]

This version is excellent. To my humble advice, one of the best version was recorded by the Montreal Symphony in the 80's with Charles Dutoit. I Hope that Nagano will revisit this piece for us in Montreal this season

[lamanogaucha]

I agree. The Dutoit is one of the best interpretations, probably the best. It is also of the original version, which is even more beautiful than the revision. BTW, the version on this video is in fact the revision, even though the video seems to imply that it is that of the original.

[c06031983]

I prefer Kent Nagano's version, but oh well this will do. Thanks for posting it!

[sez40]

Go Igor...love this

[daniperpi]

very nice video, thanks

[msenseid]

Reinbert de leeuw, your work is highly apreciated and your interpretation of satie's work are,i imagine, like listening to satie himself would have been. Thanks for a lifetime of joy listening to your recordings. Greetings from buenos aires, sorry for my bad english

[mahlonmahlon]

a masterpiece

[luxOculta]

simply genius!

I can't believe how real he creates those feelings.

[dazamaru]

yo, i luv dis dude. he's kewl. love da sonorities, man.

[keltec2000]

Beautiful Work on this.

Stravinsky never fails to ensnare me with his music.

Great balence and Blend as well.

I can only hope to be that good one day.

[apollodionysus7]

one of my very favorite great pieces of music- dedicated I think to Debussy... how great to find a videorecording of this piece!

[chrism823]

Thank you for this gift!

[opusnumberken]

Reinbert, my dear old friend, I love seeing you in action again, this is a superb performance, I was the principal bassoonist at Tanglewood's Contemp. Festival in 1995 and 1996, we did a great performance of Messien Chronochromie, you said to me, "Bassoon you are big bird! Flute you are little bird!"LOL< I'll never forget you. Cheers!

[SecretTheatre]

Thank you for for this superb video of this wonderful work.

[nfloresc]

excelente video!!

gracias por subirlo nuevamente =)=).