Face Conducting

[Michael]

I read somewhere recently that the main theme of the final movement of Beethoven's First Symphony was "stolen" from the last movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 88.
I went on to YouTube to check it out, and while the resemblance is very slight, I was delighted with Leonard Bernstein's conducting, which he did with his face alone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU0Ubs2KYUI

[Chris]

Ha, great stuff! Though I've seen the entire performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3O3vst-ESY - and the face conducting was a repeat of the final movement; the first time through he conducted it more conventionally. Though I'm sure they could have played this entire work without him actually doing anything at the actual time of the performance! Nevertheless, a charming thing.

It was great to watch him conduct Beethoven. One of my favorites is this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzDgkMCxC5o - Piano Concerto No. 4. There are some great moments during the orchestral exposition in the first movement. Look at climactic moments starting at 1:00 and at 2:00. He's really feeling them!

[Quijote]

I read somewhere recently that the main theme of the final movement of Beethoven's First Symphony was "stolen" from the last movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 88.
I went on to YouTube to check it out, and while the resemblance is very slight, I was delighted with Leonard Bernstein's conducting, which he did with his face alone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU0Ubs2KYUI

Hah! You know, I bet that is exactly how Haydn did it himself !!

[Michael]

How about thought-conducting?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeygf4L7l0A

[Quijote]

How about thought-conducting?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeygf4L7l0A

You won't believe this, Michael, but when that fellow asked the conductor to write down the name of a theme that nobody could see, I thought "I bet he writes the Ode to Joy".

More pertinently, when you ask an orchestra to play anything and see what sort of tune might develop 'spontaneously' whilst suggesting that they at first "do nothing more than tune up and play a few scales", the strings will tend to dominate, and hover around the note A (!) then maybe a D (!).

Lo and behold, we set up a sonic environment around two specific notes (A + D / D + A)) and what do we get? Well, a whiff of D Major! From there it isn't a million miles away for classically trained orchestral musicians to slip into an easily remembered tune.

Long live the scientific method! Down with populist voodoo clairvoyant nonsense!

[Quijote]

I vote for face conducting over thought conducting any and every time !

[Quijote]

I just realized my post above (#5) might come across as a bit hysterical. It wasn't meant that way, I assure you! But really, does anyone truly believe in 'telepathic conducting'?
I do hope I'm not releasing any esoteric floodgates ...
[Yes you do. Peter and Chris pay you a stipend for exactly this. Ed.]

[Michael]

I vote for face conducting over thought conducting any and every time !

The "Ode to Joy" was a fairly safe bet. Now, if that hypnotist had come up with something by, say, Alexander von Zemlinsky, I might be slightly intrigued.