Brahms / Leonard Bernstein, 1957: An Analysis of Brahms' Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- From a Book-of-the-Month Club "Music Appreciation Record" issued in 1957. These appreciation discs -- 10 inches in diameter -- accompanied the regular 12 inch discs that were mailed to the homes of Club members. All images, except for that at the close of the video, are from the disc label and jacket.
Bernstein eloquently discusses and illustrates Brahms' ability, in Hugo Wolf's words, to "create something out of nothing," and in the process explains this great composer's profoundly ingenious and unique skill to develop within the classic symphonic framework. (In other words, we all knew that Brahms was a towering figure in the history of music; Bernstein merely tells us why.)
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Leonard Bernstein On Beethoven, 1956: Symphony No. 5 And Beethoven's Original Sketches - • Video
Leonard Bernstein, 1956: An Analysis of Dvorak's New World Symphony - • Dvorak / Leonard Berns...
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Brahms / Bruno-Leonardo Gelber, 1966: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 - Complete - • Brahms / Bruno-Leonard...
Brahms / Nathan Milstein, 1974: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 - Complete - • Brahms / Nathan Milste...
Brahms / Isaac Stern / Leonard Rose, 1956: Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 (Allegro) - Part 1: • Video
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"David Hertzberg"
Ludwig van Beethoven / Лудвиг ван Бетховен / لودفيج فان بيتهوفن / লুটৱিস ফান বিটহ'ফন / Λούντβιχ βαν Μπετόβεν / لودویگ فان بتهوون / 루트비히 판 베토벤 / Լյուդվիգ վան Բեթհովեն / לודוויג ואן בטהובן / ルートヴィヒ・ヴァン・ベートーヴェン / Лю́двиг ван Бетхо́вен
Each conductor has to go through the analysis of the work he has to perform and much of the quality of his interpretation depends from the depth of this analysis.
We have here a genius explaining the work of an other genius, with words of musical terminology such as developement, diminution or coda but without bothering us with too specific terminology regarding harmony or form. All what Bernstein explains here is correct but also thrilling because so personal, enthusiastic and full of fantasy! This is unique because other great conductors couldn't or would't like to explain a work in such a way.
To me Maestro Bernstein had the complete structure and dynamics of this delightful symphony made available in such an informative helpful and colourful analysis , just an eye opener for anyone wanting to study the inner workings of this Brahms 4th with a brilliant teacher, just so good....
It's obvious that Bernstein had tremendous respect for Brahms and love of his music. You can hear the influence in Bernstein's own music. Listen to the Candide Overture and tell me you don't hear parts of the 4th movement of Brahms First. And it's clear that the reason for this is Brahms's ability to create so much out of so little. That is genius.
It also explains Bernstein's less-than-enthusiastic analysis of Dvorak's 9th. Check it out on YT. Dvorak is a master of melody, and he's got a gazillion of them in his head. He churns them out one after another with relatively little development, which drives Bernstein crazy, but is probably why Dvorak's music has been so consistently loved by the public. Dvorak was the protege of Brahms and you do hear the influence, but more so in motives and harmonics, and the willingness to break traditions, rather than in development.
Thank you for posting this. Brahms 4th has always been my favorite symphony; now I appreciate it even better!
Listening to Bernstein is always a moment of enlightment. What a mind. Thanks for uploading!
Wow!
So that's why I love Brahms so much
Thanks for uploading this!
Yes, and Beethoven made several things from nothing, too, Herr Wolf! Lenny is great here! Thank for this!!!!
Lenny with the Vienna Phil - spacious, allowing room for the music to grow organically, allowing the awestruck nature of Brahms' inspirations to breathe and surprise.
In one of LB's books he recounts recording all the Brahms symphonies (and ancillary pieces) with the Vienna and going straight to Boston to record the 4th symphony. He then asks the reader to guess which orchestra played the "Alpha" approach - being the most 'literal' (read 'stiff') version, and which one played the "Omega" approach - the most flexible with tempos and interpretations.
The answer might surprise you...(scroll down)
Alpha (Boston)
Omega (Vienna!)
I've read that Brahms hated metronome markings and only included them reluctantly - he considered metronomes 'in-human'. I can only agree with interpretations of his music that agree with him on this.
I'd have been interested to see what Lenny would have done with Franz Schmidt's symphonies, especially the last three (2-4).
Leonard explains to the layperson so well.
Excellent anlysis based on Bernstein's vast knowledge and personal experience as a composer/conductor. Really interesting. Thanks for the valuable upload!
My great pleasure, thank you for your hundreds of erudite comments over the years. david
I should have checked this upload much earlier. If I had done so, I would have been able to deepen my understandig on both Brahms and Bernstein.
Beautiful performance ! Thanks for sharing!
Daniel, thanks for what I consider to be your approval with my side-line to your commentary.
Kind regards, Nanno
Maestro Bernstein appears to indicate that with regard to Johannes Brahms, Hugo was a sheep in Wolf's clothing. Since Hugo (1) excelled in the smaller art form of lieder and (2) was of Slovenian origin, perhaps if he had lived in the late 20th century he would have driven a Yugo.
This is fabulous, meaningful, insightful material. Thanks so much for posting it.
ah damnit, i cant get enough of this.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this with us. Liked, favorited, subscribed, shared on FB.
Thanks, what a treat! Brahms clearly had the last laugh.
Brahms liked a larf. His “tale” of his early working life playing piano in a bordello is an example.
The orchestra is actually the New York Philharmonic.
Very much MUCH.........enjoyable and informative. However, one needs only realize that music is described best in the view that a computer would take ( ones and zeros) . The ones are analogus to everything and anything (including musical notes) that are created here in Spaace-Time by humans. The zeros are from THE OTHER SIDE (heaven, the zero-point whatever you want to call it) It is in the SILANCE BETWEEN THE MUSICAL NOTES that power enters our continuium. If you have BEEN THERE in a Near Death Experience then you can LISTEN and HEAR the SILENCES. The power HEALS
No wonder Brahms had a significant influence on Schoenberg. In a way without Brahms, Schoenberg wouldn’t have been inspired by his method of developing the smallest fragments in music. Brahms also had a very new rhythmic language for his time, I don’t think this symphony had much of that though. So without Brahms we wouldn’t have the wonderful music from the Second Viennese school, hard to imagine. The music of our time would have been so dull and uninventive without the influence of the Second Viennese school which was inspired by Brahms.
Great commentary, many thanks.
Great! Thanks for uploading!
Dear David, have you upload the four movement of the symphony too?
30:58
31:55 !!!
Leonard B. carefully sheds light on the complexities of this Brahms. Have you noticed that this angle of thought follows what is essentially a religious concept. That is, that there is a single law-giver so everything must obey a single set of elemental rules. So the composer, at this time, was seen by some as a God substitute. People then attended concerts as if going to church. (This is not my idea.) What I believe was the difficulty that listeners had with Brahms 4 was that its complexity is unrelenting. It was heard as too demanding of the listener. Look at other masters of the time, you will see a lot of complexity, but also, pauses of breathtaking simplicity something like the First Species in Fux's Counterpoint.
Good theme, Daniel ! Well thought out.
In my idea Brahms wished a God to exist. He was not a believer; not in the organized religious way. For him it was music that presented a way, the only way, to try to believe in a Creator. He expresses such with this 'single lawgiver' in his compositions. Possible ?
This Fourth is for me the most superb symphony of all of them since Beethoven's Ninth. Actually it even surpasses Beethoven. (For sure in lyricism.) As Brahms must have tried his whole active life to achieve. (Never admitting he might have reached that high.)
Nanno Jonkers Thanks to both you and to @Daniel Tarr for your erudite commentary, expressing so well what I too have long thought about Brahms. Kind regards, david
davidhertzberg
Thanks so much for your great compliment. Lenny, so-called showman, hé was erudite. A man of great learning, insight and rhetoric. Apart from being a superb conductor and teacher. Kind regards, Nanno
Nanno Jonkers Lenny was a showman, but he really did know his stuff.
Some performances were not that good. Records hadn't been invented yet and the more emotional performances in Brahms locality weren't always repeated elsewhere as the interpretation of him as a 'classicist' could be dry. When the livelier style moved further abroad opinions changed.
My native language is Spanish and I do not understand as much English as I wanted, Perhaps do you may have the original text in English, that could help me a lot.
salonBLAtt!
Oh man. You won’t write any good music using this. He’s illogical way off
I'd like to hear some of your compositions, please.
@@davidhertzberg Anybody that claims Brahms was boring simply hasn't listened to his music. How could anyone that wrote the Handel and Paganini Variations be dull?
@@drjjpdc Pearls to swine. What more can one say.