Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture [conductor's analysis]

[@ggriglio]

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[@katrinat.3032]

Brilliant explanation! I’m not a music major but can hear all these themes And always wanted this explained to me. I just love the swells of the sea, but the music also has small waves on top that are choppy and then deeper slow swells underneath and all rhythmic but in an unpredictable way like the ocean. And the hopefulness of the boats coming in, love that! Thank you so much for explaining this, one of my favorite works. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@ggriglio]

My pleasure, I'm so very glad you liked it and found it useful! 😊

[@healthylifehacks6712]

I've always loved this piece, it flows so seamlessly. Thank you, great explanation!

[@ggriglio]

Yes it does flow very seamlessly, it's really typical of Mendelssohn. Thanks!

[@liangseng7474]

I guess the motif played by the cellos and bassoon in the beginning does not only establish the tonality: B minor (tonic), D major (relative major) and F# minor (dominant), but taken as individual notes, they spell the B minor chord (B D F#), something that Bach did also in the first three numbers of his Mass in B minor

[@ggriglio]

​@@liangseng7474 what do you mean by "does not only establish the tonality"? I agree with that but I'm curious about your reasoning because what you mention afterward in terms of spelling out the B minor chord does exactly that, establish the tonality. Can you elaborate?

[@liangseng7474]

@@ggriglio Hi, perhaps what I wanted to convey is: the motif passes through B minor, D major and then F# minor, the tonic notes of those keys spell the B minor chord. Bach did it also with his first 3 numbers of B minor mass (B minor, D major and F# minor). Mozart did it as well, in his Cosi Fan Tutte, the first three numbers are in G major, E major and C major, taken in reverse, the tonic notes from those keys spell the C major chord (C E G), which is the home key of the opera

[@liangseng7474]

@@ggriglio Also, this progression is reversed at the coda after the oboe solo from bar 226: B minor, G major and then E minor

[@johnreeves3876]

This is very helpful. I heard this piece today and found your video, thank you.

[@ggriglio]

You're welcome, I'm very glad it was helpful.

[@flavio5051]

great video, thank you!

[@ggriglio]

Thank you!

[@sebastianomuddolon1617]

Musica stupenda ed eccellente spiegazione. Grazie.

[@ggriglio]

Prego. Grazie del commento

[@hmar9599]

Don't forget the eighth notes in the first flute in the 3rd and 4th movements of the recap. You have to really control the strings' dynamics here or it won't be heard. You also may need to work on getting good balance from the trumpet response in the consequent phrase.

[@callum6660]

Wonderful and authoritative! Bravo:)

[@ggriglio]

Thank you, I'm glad you've enjoyed it!

[@JuanMariaSolare]

Ciao, a Gianmaria cannot be wrong 🙂! i would also appreciate if you could include in your explanations more specific things about the order of the rehearsals. This analysis is very useful, but i would possibly not rehearse this piece (or others) from the beginning to the end (but jumo to concrete places before, and later making the whole thing). Can you tell me/us moer about this? Juan María

[@ggriglio]

Hello Juan, Agreed, that would largely depend on how long you have and if the orchestra has the piece in their rep (and I don't mean from 10 years before...:)) If there's enough time, I read through it once, move back to critical spots, and then do a recap. You could also skip the first read through but you might miss on some things and end up having to go back anyway. Of course, if the orchestra has the piece in their rep, it is expected for things to run smoother and you can solely concentrate on the ones you deem key to your interpretation

[@polabenke]

lovely tip pn mm.176

[@ggriglio]

thank you

[@azure5697]

Osservazione fuori nota, ma se non avessi letto il nome non avrei mai detto dell'origine italiana. Eccellente inglese, complimenti.

[@ggriglio]

Grazie!