Brahms Symphonies 3 and 4 with Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic

[@tancreddehauteville764]

Bernstein was a true master of music and will always be missed. Irreplaceable.

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

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

[@olgaantonova85]

Bernstein is Genius. Never will be replaced or forgotten

[@cedericocosantorini8013]

He was fine with Tchaïkovski. Had no clue for Brahms nor Mahler for that matter.

[@vovakozac5588]

Бернстан прекрасная светлая личность . Идеал музыканта и человека. Не подавляя и не ведя за собой оркестр, он - раскрывает нам бесконечную красоту симфонии.Мы вовлекаемся в таинство и чудо.

[@judithnelson1665]

Lenny speaks wonderfully, -no teleprompter.

[@scottwallace1]

My god. What he does at the famous break in the andante movement ( 39:07 )….no other conductor besides Simon Rattle comes close to the emotion and passion he draws out. Beautiful.

[@mark-shane]

What a great teacher and explainer of the great symphonies

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

❤

[@benvolman3709]

A few years ago, I read one of the musicians in the NYP speak of the incredible esteem in which Maestro Bernstein was held by those who played under him. After watching so many performances, especially with the WP, you begin to sense the amazing rapport that he has with this ensemble. When so many conductors were focused on less is more, Lenny's total engagement with the score is evidently a joy both for the orchestra and his audience (what a cheer when he enters!). We are so privileged to see these performances--and then see his affectionate embracing of the lead musicians (not to mention his evident appreciation of those brilliant woodwinds) who are clearly so appreciative of his wonderful gifts.

[@briananderson8428]

In the 4th mvmt, Bernstein is painstakingly knitting for us the final good-byes of Brahms--the anger and the joys and the accomplishments. Bernstein nods in approval to the magnificent flute soloist. The blending of tones and instruments by the Vienna Philharmonic seem to me unparalleled. I can somehow hear lush Romanticism, precise Classicism and also--maybe I'm crazy--occasional Wagner, Mahler, Elgar, and even R. Strauss throughout. This is a concert which I shall never forget. The melody of mvmt #2. WoW. Thank you, Brahms, Bernstein, and the Vienna Phil.

[@00billharris]

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.

[@deniscuschieri260]

😂

[@deniscuschieri260]

😢

[@psijicassassin7166]

Painstaking? Rather tediously self-painstaking and hammed up.

[@scottwallace1]

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.

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

Concert master Gehart Hertzel had utter love and total respect for Maestro Bernstein at the end the reverential head bowed said it all ........Just lovely.

[@musicaled4016]

I enjoy the numerous thoughts, analysis and insights; I choose not to respond to any one in particular. I enjoy a non-metronome conductor who in my opinion shares something with an orchestra. One may name a conductor and orchestra of choice to call a favorite. I do like the knowledge base of any conductor who attempts to learn about and envision the composer in the composer's time and place with the culture and society at the time of composition and the history with which that person had. The mutual respect of the orchestra with their audience and the conductor create the expression of the passion. With respect to all, thank you.

[@scottwallace1]

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.

[@pianistegolfeur]

La période légendaire de Bernstein avec les Wiener, avec en plus de précieux commentaires du chef : Etonnants, non, ce rapprochement entre Brahms et Schumann ? Il nous fallait un Bernstein pour une telle analyse ! Et puis, regardez bien : sur son pupitre, la partition est fermée : voilà bien la preuve de sa parfaite connaissance de l'oeuvre qu'il dirige ! Inévitablement mémorable !!!!

[@matejkincl]

39:07 is heaven

[@arpiruk]

Thank you! This is priceless.

[@matthewv789]

My favorite recordings of these symphonies (and the second). Great to hear his thoughts on them.

[@ukkisachedina]

4th Symphony 1. Allegro non troppo. 1:13:02 3. Allegro gicoso. 1:39:52

[@cedericocosantorini8013]

? why just those two ?

[@ronaldbeield7946]

The 4th symphony, 2nd movement is the most interesting, complex and in my opinion Brahm's greatest 15 minutes of music he ever wrote. Beginning with a simple drumbeat and pitzicato it gradually unfolds into one of the most passionate and emotionally sweeping melodies ever. I never stop swelling up listening.

[@brdmohamedali]

موسيقى الحنين، هي النعث الدي أطلقه على موسيقى براهامس. I qualify the Braham's third symphony the music of nostalgia

[@michaelreidperry3256]

Bernstein was a “Rockstar of Classical Music Performance Art.”

[@michaelreidperry3256]

From me, that’s a high compliment.

[@rolandbruno4664]

1:35:00 - 1:37:33 gewoon de meest expressieve en oprechte dirigent aller tijden! Een lust voor het oog.

[@korneliusracz6001]

57:20 Always reminds me of Mahler's 9th, first movement.

[@ecyranot]

1:37. It took me 30 years to realize that soaring melody is a variation on the dark theme that precedes it.

[@stefanufer608]

I'd venture to say that Lenny and the Vienna were the greatest orchestral love affair of all time

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

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.

[@alexgurr2118]

Bravo Maestro

[@josefelipemartinezdomingue9488]

Que precioso, muchas gracias por compartirlo.

[@michaelreidperry3256]

Keep calm, and listen to Brahms.

[@GoranVONKarkin]

Beautiful. Thank you 💚

[@TWThT]

0:42:01 Sym. III. Poco allegretto

[@Orynsbelt]

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

[@VyacheslavLogutin]

I was looking for this comment, thank you ))

[@Orynsbelt]

@@VyacheslavLogutin You are very welcome 😀

[@ExxylcrothEagle]

Amazing. 4th movement of 3rd kills me

[@cedericocosantorini8013]

Yes the movement is fantastic, but this rendition from Bernstein is rather weak. Try other versions, some famous German conductors - to not name a few.....

[@kyung-hoonpark307]

1:25:55 True Legend

[@松田博和-m3l]

1:35:38

[@scottwallace1]

39:07 😥😥😥👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏

[@shin-i-chikozima]

Bernstein holds an unchallenged position as an interpreter of Brahms

[@psijicassassin7166]

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

[@scottwallace1]

@@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).

[@theingabo212]

Treasure!!

[@simonaringer2238]

46:15 Hornsolo

[@scottwallace1]

If that isn’t Michael Caine’s doppelgänger at 40:25 playing oboe 😮

[@nsawanobori]

Who is the principal flutist?

[@outlaw35363841]

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

[@xiaoyuyang3920]

schutz

[@GossJenn]

Schulz

[@soeunkim498]

아 정말 대단! ❤❤❤

[@AssafNoy]

A religius experience

[@НавсикаяОдисеевна]

Брависсимо

[@이준석-n6l]

느리고 장중하군요ㆍslow and maestoso

[@borisbrinkmann]

Wenn er nur das Tempo dirigieren würde, das er am Klavier spielt!

[@AmazingGraceArt]

Why are there no women in this orchestra?

[@joanschansberg677]

I know, right!!!????

[@joeld7001]

In that time, Wiener Philarmoniker was only composed by men

[@bilahn1198]

That's as good a performance of Brahms as I've ever heard. Sad to see however that the VPO back then was "women need not apply", however.

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

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

[@bilahn1198]

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

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

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

[@bilahn1198]

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.

[@Renenko]

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

[@cedericocosantorini8013]

Zu langsam...

[@dennisdrud2078]

No perfect, and so deep felt emotional

[@cedericocosantorini8013]

@@dennisdrud2078 Je confirme : les mouvements cruciaux sont trop lents. De la vraie merde. Ah! au fait, heureusement que Google a intégré un traducteur instantané, pour aider les handicapés culturels que sont les anglophones ignorants unilingues (99,9%) comme vous sans aucun doute, autrement vous n'auriez pu survivre dans le monde d'aujourd'hui. Bref, je suggère un reformatage de votre cerveau totalement conditionné à la médiocrité ambiante - première étape : tous les enregistrements de Brahms par des orchestres allemands dirigés par des Allemands. Bonne vie !

[@chasfleming]

Bernstein seemed to be very overbearing and very interested in how he looked with his over exaggerated facially expressions and flamboyant body movements. I find him unbearable to watch.

[@Twentythousandlps]

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

[@robinstellly]

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

[@chasfleming]

@@Twentythousandlps are you an American by any chance?

[@Twentythousandlps]

@@chasfleming Why do you ask?

[@josebascur5007]

Tchaikovsky was quite right when said Brahms's music was the greatest trash !

[@00billharris]

it's an amazing tribute to The Vienna that they can play without a real conductor; ignoring his showboat antics, they maintain meter, dynamics, and symphonics all by themselves regardless of what that clown of a conductor is doing...

[@musc.984]

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 :)

[@00billharris]

@@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.

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

bill harris OH DEAR....

[@00billharris]

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

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

​@@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.

[@goldfish2503]

1:46:16

[@cameronbrooklynnflute]

1:49:55