NO NOT EVER REPLACEABLE NEVER.........

Bernstein is Genius. Never will be replaced or forgotten

❤

The Fourth Movement is written as a Passaglia-- a clear tribute to Bach. But in the opening Eflat progression, the 6th note is augmented to a Csharp, giving a dissonant effect that quickly plunges back to harmonic resolution. So you're absolutely correct that the edginess of the introduction is 'classic late 19th century. And yes, the symphonic structure has lots to do with competing horn dissonance vs wind harmonics. Ditto for the string counterpoint in a later them--wihci barnstine completely misunderstands. All in all, Brahms reunified the early and late classical by affirming that yes, even a highly traditional form such as The Passaglia can undergo harmonic evolution that challenges our understanding of what the Western Syatem can do without tipping over into either the atonal or The Eastern Makam.

😂

😢

Painstaking? Rather tediously self-painstaking and hammed up.

I was just about to comment that it may be heresy to some, but in that magnificent passage in the Andante movement (you know the one), I pick up a bit of Wagner. The beauty of tone and building and building and building, growing ever more intense. But I appreciate the emphasis on timbral beauty and evoking emotion over just showcasing virtuosity or complexity. Don’t know if that makes sense. But that’s what’s hitting me.

From me, that’s a high compliment.

A “non-metronome conductor” 🥹 that captures it perfectly. My favorite interpretations of my favorite compositions are by conductors who aren’t afraid to change tempo bar by bar to capture the emotion imbued in the score. It takes incredible discipline by the orchestra and a shared agreement that such variation is the optimal means of reaching musical nirvana. I’m forever ‘scarred’ for any version of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto, Adagio movement where during the beautiful swell of the final climax, the conductor doesn’t steadily increase the tempo, and have the strings playing at fff, while bringing the supporting melody played by the woodwinds up much more prominently to create a kind of emotional urgency that for me makes any other version fall almost entirely short of what kind of emotional power that final melody played with passion can truly have. I heard Vladimir Ashkenazy conduct the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall a million years ago and it remains the most moving musical emotional experience of my life. The recording made of it is good, but doesn’t quite capture the element I refer to the way it sounded live in the hall. Subsequent concerts of the same piece elsewhere prove that such ‘non-metronome conducting’ is far more rare than one might think given all the truly talented artists in the world of classical music and conducting. For me, Simon Rattle consistently demonstrates this trait amongst modern conductors.

Stefan Ufer I'd venture to say how right you are, this unusual union jewish/nazi Austrian history left behind in this ecstatic bringing together of prolific talented orchestra and a brilliant Maestro, they made heavenly renditions together of most of the classic repertoire, and yes they deeply respected each other, and love?....definately.

Master of slow, self-indulgent and hammed up conducting.

@@psijicassassin7166one person’s “slow, self indulgent, hammed up” is another person’s emotive, expressive, and organic. If you want to hear it rushed through, you always have Karajan (who I usually love, but interprets this too briskly for my taste).

In the fall of 1990, I was introduced to Brahms Third Symphony. The Poco Allegretto is absolutely beautiful. After all these years I swoon.

I was looking for this comment, thank you ))

@@VyacheslavLogutin You are very welcome 😀

No.3 is by Meinhart Niedermayr, and No.4 is by Wolfgang Schulz.

schutz

Schulz

I know, right!!!????

In that time, Wiener Philarmoniker was only composed by men

NOT sad love to see the Weiner Philharmonic Gentlemen play such unity.

@@sarahjones-jf4pr I'm surprised that as a woman you see no problem with an all male orchestra.

@@bilahn1198 WHY SHOULD I ? THEY WERE A GLORIOUS ALL MALE ORCHESTRA ESPECIALLY IN THE 70s/80sAND EVEN MORE SPLENDID WHEN CONDUCTED BY MAESTRO BERNSTEIN.

Their quality is not in question.That's not the point. I'm a man, trying to understand why a woman, of all people, has no problem with other women being prohibited from playing in the Vienna Philharmonic. They were not allowed to apply, Or were rejected out of hand. Do you understand that? I've even heard there was an attitude that women were "distracting," and "affected cohesion "! Apparently an exception was made for the harp, which was considered a "woman's instrument"! The whole point of my comment was that alone among major orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic was continuing its policy of prohibiting women long after other orchestras had stopped it. That is why I find viewing these concerts to be disturbing in the year 2022, regardless of how beautiful they were playing, which was beautifully indeed.

@@bilahn1198 you are such a lib. Get over it

The man you claim is not a “real conductor” just happens to be one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century. Sorry bud but you don’t conduct major European and American orchestras for over 50 years if you aren’t “a real conductor”. Is it fine to criticize Bernstein’s exaggerated mannerisms? Yes! That doesn’t take anything away from Bernstein’s actual conducting ability. Nevermind the fact that he knows BOTH of these scores like the back of his hands. If you don’t like the performances, don’t listen to them! Let the rest of us enjoy :)

@@musc.984 Bernstein was a guest conductor in Vienna; his home orchestra was in NYC. Moreover, during his own life, the NY Phil was not equal to the orchestras of Cleveland, Chicago, Philly, Boston, or LA. And exagerated mannerisms do indicate a loss of control of meter, tempo, blending, and introductions. That's because in symphonics, control is everything. For example, in the beginning of the Passaglia, you need to bring in the plunging guartets of the strings against the statement of the horns...plus...all those minor 5th singing of the winds. so kindly notice that the orchestra is doing all of this themselves--without lenny's assistance. And then the harmonics breaks into counterpoint(s)--but wher, again, is Lenny? Jumping up and down with his hands by his side! Otoh, Lenny wuz great with young students, and actually tried to keep up with Gould regarding Bach. And he did give us West side Story for palookas such as you to enjoy. Otherwise, suffice to say that i enjoyed the vienna performing w/o a conductor--an ostensible comparison to other orchestra's interpretation of Brahams#4 with a real conductor on board.

bill harris OH DEAR....

@@sarahjones-jf4pr Oy Vey. Barnstein just had to have been a great conductor because he composed West Side Story.

​@@00billharris That is a fatuous remark...Two separate itineries commercial Broadway musical, classical pianist, internationally loved and respected conductor, teacher,broadcaster, writer, composer a man of these towering talents deserves more than ridicule.

Fortunately he made hundreds of albums just for people like you.

I love him. I could watch and listen to him all day.

@@Twentythousandlps are you an American by any chance?

@@chasfleming Why do you ask?