Many years ago, when I was a teen in the 1980's, I was home alone one day, and Beethoven's 6'th Symphony came on the radio. It may have been the first time I had ever heard this music; I don't know. I found myself transfixed. I was "overwhelmed by the beauty of the music," as silly as that may sound. I was breathless with tears welling in my eyes. It was though I had been granted a rare glimpse of Heaven. I've heard this symphony many times since then, and while it is still incredibly beautiful, it's never had such an overpowering impact on me as on that day. Perhaps I was just caught off guard, not realizing just how strongly brilliant music can conjure up our emotions. Of course, I was an overly-sensitive boy. I played violin in a youth orchestra, and the other kids would laugh at me because I would get teary-eyed during the really sad parts of music we played.
Approximately from the slowest to the fastest: Larghissimo - extremely slow, slowest type of tempo (24 bpm and under) Adagissimo and Grave - very slow, very slow and solemn (24-40 bpm) Largo - slow and broad (40-66 bpm) Larghetto - rather slow and broad (44-66 bpm) Adagio - slow with great expression[11] (44-68 bpm) Adagietto - slower than andante or slightly faster than adagio (46-80 bpm) Lento - slow (52-108 bpm) Andante - at a walking pace, moderately slow (56-108 bpm) Andantino - slightly faster than andante, but slower than moderato (80-108 bpm) (although, in some cases, it can be taken to mean slightly slower than andante) Marcia moderato - moderately, in the manner of a march[12][13] (66-80 bpm) Andante moderato - between andante and moderato (at a moderate walking speed) (80-108 bpm) Moderato - at a moderate speed (108-120 bpm) Allegretto - by the mid-19th century, moderately fast (112-120 bpm); see paragraph above for earlier usage Allegro moderato - close to, but not quite allegro (116-120 bpm) Allegro - fast and bright (120-156 bpm) Molto Allegro or Allegro vivace - at least slightly faster and livelier than allegro, but always at its range (and no faster than vivace) (124-156 bpm) Vivace - lively and fast (156-176 bpm) Vivacissimo and Allegrissimo - very fast, lively and bright (172-176 bpm) Presto - very fast (168-200 bpm) Prestissimo - extremely fast (200 bpm and over) (At this tempo, cut common time is often used) Additional terms A piacere or Ad libitum in Latin - the performer may use their own discretion with regard to tempo and rhythm; literally "at pleasure" Accelerando - gradually play faster Assai - (very) much A tempo - resume previous tempo Con grazia - with grace, or gracefully Con moto - Italian for "with movement"; can be combined with a tempo indication, e.g., Andante con moto Furioso or Furibondo - 'furiously' Lamentoso - sadly, plaintively L'istesso, L'istesso tempo, or Lo stesso tempo - at the same speed; L'istesso is used when the actual speed of the music has not changed, despite apparent signals to the contrary, such as changes in time signature or note length (half notes in 4/4 could change to whole notes in 2/2, and they would all have the same duration) Ma non tanto - but not so much; used in the same way and has the same effect as Ma non troppo (see immediately below) but to a lesser degree Ma non troppo - but not too much; used to modify a basic tempo to indicate that the basic tempo should be reined in to a degree; for example, Adagio ma non troppo to mean "Slow, but not too much", Allegro ma non troppo to mean "Fast, but not too much" Maestoso - majestically, stately Molto - very meno - less Più - more Poco - a little Rall. or "Rallentando" - opposite of Accelerando Subito - suddenly Tempo comodo - at a comfortable speed Tempo di... - the speed of a ... (such as Tempo di valzer (speed of a waltz, dotted quarter note. ≈ 60 bpm or quarter note≈ 126 bpm), Tempo di marcia (speed of a march, quarter note ≈ 120 bpm)) Tempo giusto - at a consistent speed, at the 'right' speed, in strict tempo Tempo primo - resume the original (first) tempo Tempo semplice - simple, regular speed, plainly
So glad you did this one. Just watched today, a month later. The main reason this is an important symphony to listen to is because it's one of those pieces that literally shifted the symphonic world at the time. It was super thematic which wasn't really in the DNA of classical symphonies in previous (Baroque and Classical) eras. This was a paradigm shift that kind of "gave permission" to the emerging, more experimental and emerging composers of what would become called the Romantic era. HUGE impact on composers like Dvorak and even Holst and Chopin, both of whom you've listened to on your channel. Even if you don't want to do another whole Beethoven symphony, I HIGHlY recommend doing his Symphony 7, movement 2. It's less than 10 minutes and absolutely breathtaking.
As someone who knows Beethoven's symphonies backwards and forwards, my favorite part about reaction videos is when the reactor talks about their feelings about the music etc. so just keep right on talking if you need to!
Any Beethoven symphony is well worth a listen but this is one of my favourites. Like many in my age group one of my first exposures to it was from the Disney film Fantasia. My generation owes a lot to “cartoons” that exposed us to a lot of fantastic music.
At first when i saw U with the cap i thought U were nuts!!!! After watchinga few of your vibio,s i dot knoted , Ijust love your reaction to someof thebest music,,i must say this isoneof thebest Love from Cyprus. 🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾❤️❤️
Hi Justin. Dave from Across The Ocean. Sorry, came to this a bit late, but thanks for the namecheck. My favourite Beethoven symphony, definitely. It also got me thinking of my late Dad, who was a big classical music fan, but a couple of years before he passed away, he told me he hadn't got a full set of Beethoven symphonies. so for Christmas I gave him the Simon Rattle/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra set, which I know he played a lot. I miss you, Dad.
I don't listen to a lot of classical, but I do generally like Beethoven and I really love this symphony. Watching the video it struck me how amazing it is that we have invented all these different instruments and someone can weave them all together to create this wonderful work of music. Thanks for doing this.
At the time he wrote this symphony, Beethoven had not yet gone completely deaf but he was close. This was an incredibly dark period in his life. He found solace out in nature. He would often go for long walks in the country.
The third movement is meant to evoke a raucous country dance -- think of it as the "hoedown" of this symphony... Followed by the thunderstorm of the 4th movement, and the calm after the storm for the 5th and final. The chord at 44:12 in the coda is one of my favorite moments in all of classical music.
@@robertpearson8798Beethoven takes you on a ride everytime. His symphonies are something else. The moments when he gets either chaotic or very grandios yet still keeps his composure are my favorite in al of music
The movement titles: I. “Awakening of Happy Feelings on Arriving in the Country.” II. “Scene by a Brook.” III. “Joyful Gathering of the Country Folk.” striaght into: IV. “Thunder. Storm.” straight into: V. “Shepherds’ Song: Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm.”
I am not even amazed that the movement titles listed here matched exactly with what I was thinking while listening. At the very beginning I see a horse and carriage trotting through the countryside with passengers. In the third movement I can see the townspeople in the village. They are dancing a raucous dirge. Thank you Herr Beethoven.
Another great reaction! This symphony is a balm to the senses and it leaves you with such feel good sensation by the end, right? Beethoven used to love to wander the forests and fields surrounding Vienna, and there are a few accounts of people who'd see him humming a tune as he strolled by, totally engrossed in whatever melody he was working. He used to always carry a makeshift score notebook and a carpenter's pencil with him so he'd scribble down whatever musical ideas came to him during his walks. There's a moment towards the end of the 2nd movement in which the flute and clarinet sort of imitate the tweeting of birds. Some people say that's Beethoven writing down his own version of birdsong because by this point his hearing loss wouldn't allow him to catch those frequencies anymore, so perhaps he thought he could still have some birds tweeting in his life, albeit written from memory in the form of these little lines for flute and clarinet. Which is heartbreaking and bittersweet if you think of it🥺 In case you haven't watched this yet, you might want to check this historical recreation by the BBC of the first rehearsal of Beethoven's 3rd symphony "Eroica." All that happens in this recreation is backed up by historical data, letters, documents, and accounts of Beethoven's inner circle and colleagues by this time in his life, plus the sociopolitical context of Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, which heavily influenced this piece. Also, the orchestra are no actors but real musicians who are trained in playing on historical instruments of the time, so the sound you hear here it's much likely how it sounded back then. Leaving the link here for you, I'd love to see you react to it: th-cam.com/video/UtA7m3viB70/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gH5jWRD-Y7xRdGDp
I first hear this 60 + years ago in Fantasia (released in 1940) and they did such a great job of visualizing it that whenever I hear it, I see centaurs and pegasus.. Amazing piece as is all Beethoven.
This symphony is named the Pastorale, meaning of nature, the piece is supposed to evoke the idea of being on a river, with different currents and speeds, different eddies and drifts along the way, then a sudden thunderstorm and then the storm ending and beauty coming back into the world.
The second movement I heard suggests a stream in the forest, with the deeper sound when it is deeper. But it's the musical element that Beethoven concentrates on too. Like the 5th it uses motivic 'cells' and repetition to develop the music.
I would also add that in 1970, Johnny Halliday recited Philippe Labro's poem on the 2nd movement of the 7th symphony, entitled "Poème sur la 7e"... a tremendous, dark and powerful text on heavenly music.
Very glad you chose this performance of the Pastoral. Some 'romanticise' it and take it too slow, but the first movement here has plenty of energy. I'm also glad you listened without the descriptive titles of the movements. As Beethoven said it's more about feeling than pictures. He based the structure of the piece on a much lesser known symphony by Knecht (much inferior to Beethoven).
Beautiful rendition, nicely done. One of my favorites of Beethoven. The 4th movement (Thunderstorm) is the peak of this amazing work. One of the best examples of this (IMO) is included in the soundtrack to “Immortal Beloved” (with Gary Oldman), conducted by the great Sir Georg Solti. The soundtrack is a good intro to Beethoven for the uninitiated, especially Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”. Gorgeous, timeless music.
Normally, talking during live classical performances drives me CRAZY!!! With you, though, on TH-cam it’s okay. Movement 1: When I first heard this piece, the development section immediately connected. The polyrhythm of the triplets in the accompaniment with the duplets in the melody with the third relations in the chord progression… I was all in (8:23). The motifs (melodic chunks) being tossed around to the different sections throughout the movement is great, too. The French horn players were emptying their spit! Not all classical music is elegant. 💦 Movement 2: 6/8 time gets me every time. :) It’s actually 12/8 but that’s nit-picky. Just feel the subdivision of the beats into 3’s. Movement 3: Another movement that grabbed me on a first listen. “So aggressive” like hard rock but with an orchestra. The cords on the sackbuts (trombones) are for decoration. Movement 4: it sounds like a real thunderstorm. Great program music! Movement 5: it’s unusual for a symphony to have 5 movements but Beethoven was never know for following the rules. 6/8 time again; you know I love it! That sure was a satisfying way to spend time in a morning; sitting in a lazy boy with a fleece blanket and a cat on my lap while listening to and watching you. When listening to classical music, I found that understanding the form helped me to sit through longer movements. Pop music form is easy (intro, verse, chorus, v, c, bridge, v, c, coda). Many Symphonies use sonata form; theme, repeat, development, theme modified, coda. The complexities within each section can be hard to follow. I’ll see if can find a video for you to watch that might help. Thanks for the great reaction, Justin. The suit looks good but it’s not you. Try cutting the sleeves off of it for the next classical reaction! :) 🤟 …and don’t forget the yellow shorts, too. Finally. I found something more annoying than talking during a live classical performance, TH-cam advertisements during a classical reaction.
Programmatic music means that the symphony is describing a specific event with orchestral coloration and melodies where each movement besides having noted meter and effect like Allegro or Andante but also titles in the program book for the Pastoral Symphony for the pleasure of the general audience envisioning each scene hence: 1. Joyful Feelings Uopn Arriving in the Country 2. By the Brook 3. Peasant Merrymaking 4. The Thunderstorm 5. The Shepherds Song After the Storm Excellent suit. I love that the. Thanks for an excellent morning listen
Saw the Charlottesville Symphony perform the Emperor Concerto live on Saturday night, listening to this now on Monday morning. Seeing these classical works visually, vs. just audibly, always helps you single out each instrument when it's their time to shine.
JP, Thank you for the name check, and excellent reaction. Dressing for the music was a nice touch too (even with that little touch of yellow-toned hilarity). On the one hand, I'd love to see you do more of Beethoven in the near future. I mean, there's a reason he's known as one of The Great Composers, and plenty more excellent music awaits you in that direction. And yet, classical music music is a relatively small part of your channel and there are so many classical genres yet to explore. The most obvious one you've yet to visit, in my mind, is baroque, including such composers as Bach, Vivaldi and several others, and keep in mind that, for example, Bach wrote orchestral music, clavichord music, organ music and choral music, perhaps others I've missed, and they are all like completely separate genres by the same composer. Actually, I'd maybe recommend Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" as a place to start, due to its popularity, or perhaps Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. But baroque aside, there are many other wildly varying composers of many classical genres from through the ages, too numerous to mention, and I'm happy for your journey to take you wherever it may lead. Have fun and take care!
Eleventh like on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, of 2023, hmmm? Didn't think I'd see 63, but I'll take it, and Beethoven happily! Happy Saturday to all, Happy Birthday to me. Thanks for dressing up, the channel, and yourself J.P. Peace and Love, from the hairless hippie! (and son!)
The tympani was used in the 4th movement to represent thunder, aka the 'thunderstorm ' movement. The 3rd movement (shepherd's dance) segues into the 4th, If you're going to listen to classical music, this is as good anything to start with as Beethoven's Pastorale is very accesible to listen to.
Thanks a lot for doing that, and dressing up for the occasion. "Programmatic" in this context means it represents something, in this case nature, a storm etc, and has a clear narrative, not just a purely musical argument. Most of the cassical music you have listened to has been programmatic: the Planets, The Lark Ascending etc. The Chopin the other day was pure music - just a logical musical flow expressing emotion of course but otherwise nothing other than its own internal dynamics. I think you might be ready for Mahler's 3rd Symphony, with the children's choir it would be a great Christmas listen. Here's an excellent recent performance: th-cam.com/video/Pe4CRH2Q260/w-d-xo.html The music starts after about six minutes. A tuxedo is mandatory, but you can keep your hat on!
Five stars for the accoutrements and for the music. I do love the 6th; it is very aptly dubbed The Pastorale. I am another whose knowledge of classical music was derived from Bugs Bunny cartoons up until my late 20s. I just re-listened to Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique" after seeing a piece on You Tube about origins of psychedelic music. Looking forward to our next outing, and great upload.
Hey, he only composed nine. Nothing wrong with the 1st two. They are in the Haydn-Mozart mold. But some of their symphonies are among the greatest. Beethoven's 4th, though a middle period work, seems to suffer from being wedged between the 3rd and 5th but it is also a very fine piece.
In a classical symphony there are usually 4 movements. This one is a little unusual as usually the fourth and final movement is where all the “fireworks” are with a loud sound to end the symphony but this one ends rather softly. Now if you ever play a concerto (that features one instrument in front of the orchestra) it usually has 3 movements- usually fast, slow, fast.
The Pastoral is lovely. That was nice. My favorite symphony is Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. It's very dramatic. Great musical storytelling. The suit was a very nice touch, one I could not pull off; I hate wearing suits (lucky for me, I served my Mormon mission in the tropics where a suit was not required...). I don't even own a suit. Haven't for years. And, at this advanced stage in my life, it's unlikely that I will...
Fly threads! This is a classic piece of classical music. In case no one else has mentioned it this is one segment of the musical "Fantasia" by Disney (they trimmed it down obviously). This is very likeable. For something more challenging try a string quartet by Bela Bartok. He wrote 6 of them and they inspired Robert Fripp in his middle period of King Crimson ("Larks Tongues in Aspic", "Red").
Even though I’m a hairy-arsed auld Scottish punk n I’d prefer to hear Dead Kennedys 😅- it’s cool to broaden your horizons Justin and it turns out I’m more familiar with classical music than I like to let on 👀 so I’m really enjoying this departure - respect ✊ My fav piece is also Beethoven , the beautiful passage ( adagio ? ) from his 7th symphony that most will recognise from that Nick cage movie “ Knowing “, so powerful and evocative - just saying 😅 👍🏴
I heard that piece on the TV when I was young, but I fell in love with it when I was it in the middle of the film Soylent Green. It was just an extract with videos of nature, but it was such a contrast with the rest of the film that it marked me forever.
Me too! First really heard it in Soylent Green and the morning song by Grieg was in that same part. I actually just watched it last week for the first time in decades
Great selection - if you want to do more classical, I strongly recommend keeping with the Frankfurt. Excellent sound engineering and videography (minus that very rare glitch in the first movement). A great selection of the 'canon' pieces as well as some lesser known older works and exploration of modern works too (like works by Martinu, Rautavaara). No commercials. Plus excellent playing and interpretation. Excellent performances by an excellent orchestra. There are some other German regional orchestras (like the Sud-West) that are of similar quality, but none have posted the sheer volume of work the Frankfurt has. Thanks!
This host, as he admits, knows little about western classical music. For instance, he seems to mis-identify an oboe as a clarinet. But at least he's listening to this music and seems to appreciate it. A lot of people I know seem to think music originated with Elvis. Keep up the good work, JustJP.
He was almost deaf when he wrote this. Imagine how it would sound if he could have HEAD it himself!! Also, this Symphony is in 5 Movements - but the 3rd, 4th and 5th are played without a break.
Just to refine my comment below that I edited. The best performance of Brahms symphony 4 I heard on youtube was Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. I wrongly thought it was Orozco-Estrada and the orchestra as in this reaction, though he may be ok in it. th-cam.com/video/blQA3S8tToQ/w-d-xo.html This performance has the same kind of still moments as in the slow movement or the end of the Pastoral here, where time seems to stop. And also great sound and balance so the transparency of instruments is clear. As I said before Brahms was seen as a successor to Beethoven and certainly if you want to continue down the symphony route it's one that shouldn't be missed.
Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" was a pivotal work -- I recently saw a really good dramatic portrayal in this 2003 film by BBC TV. It's loosely historically accurate, and I'm sure the musicians did not perform the work in its entirety without rehearsing it. But still a notable film. th-cam.com/video/UtA7m3viB70/w-d-xo.html
Just for your information Justin.. most symphonies usually consists of four movements. Beethoven is by far my favorite classical composer. My second favorite is perhaps Schubert. Try his Symphony #5!!
At a risk of becoming 'The Horn Trivia Guy': Wind instruments have an inconvenient tendency to accumulate water condensation from player's breath - so what you're seeing at 12:36 is the horn players dumping that out, which they need to do regularly, since the water can start interfering with the sound pretty fast. Now to be clear (I know many people get grossed out by this): that is not spit - it's literally clean, distilled water that condenses when the warm breathed-out air touches the cold metal walls of the instrument. EDIT: altough as I mentioned in my previous wall of text, they do use extention crooks to change the (natural) horn's key as well - but that is traditionally required at most between movements of a piece, not in the middle of one.
Ah! It's that one! Though I've heard most of the top 100 classical symphonies/concertos/pieces of music, I never remember which is which. I would have thought that this was a ballet - easy to imagine someone up on their toes dancing around to the first movement. 2nd movement is a bit duller but is evocative of lazing by a brook.. 3rd is obviously the dance remix but country dancing rather than ballet this time and 4th the thunderstorm - someone point me to the prog metal version of this please. There's bound to be one somewhere. Finally, we get the movement which was edited into the hit 7 inch single (well, it would have been if it had been released in 1978 rather than 1808) which is very familiar. I like classical music rather than love it but this symphony proves to me that Beethoven knew exactly what he was doing. PS - that was the conductor that left - the composer left a couple of hundred years ago!
To your question at about 12:44, I can answer with a maybe. Maybe they were pouring out saliva. (I seem to recall that some wind instruments have drain plugs. Saliva is probably just the way they joke about it, though. Condensed breath vapour is more likely what if would be if that's your answer. I seem to remember Danish orchestral comedian, Victor Borge had something about wind instrument spittle flow. (And if you're going to get into classical music, you might as well get into Victor Borge if you can.) OK, I couldn't find the spit drain sketch anywhere, so maybe it doesn't exist. He's more famous for one man operas like this one, anyway: th-cam.com/video/YPDnGi8ANnM/w-d-xo.html I think he's also famous as a conductor - that guy who tells the musicians when it's time to turn the page again.
I enjoy your comments so much! I am glad you read the “titles” Beethoven assigned to the sections of this symphony. Each section is portraying a specific feeling or event… The French horns in the first movement were, I believe, emptying the spit from the instruments.(I played French horn in high school…many years ago!) Your videos are delightful!
Like your comment. Just one note, that's not spit being emptied from the metal tubing by the horn players, but rather condensation (water) that gathers as the instrument is played. Same thing happens to most wind and brass instruments as they are played, with air passing through and the temperature of the metal or wood warming up, causing the moisture in the air flowing through to form condensation.
A few symphonic recommendations : *Carl Nielsen's 5th.* Premiered in 1922. Highly expressive view on post-war confusion, evil and good in contrast. Intimate, dreamy, meditative as in Talk Talk's "Spirit of Eden". Quite close to Yes' "The Gates of Delirium" as well. Talk Talk meets Yes --what a combination, eh. *Dmitri Shostakovich's 9th.* Premiered in 1945. Post-war sensation with an absolutely unique perspective. Briefly returns to the searing rendition of human devastation in composer's previous symphonies, yet overall feeling is bewildering, ridiculous, barking mad. In a 1966 broadcast of "Young People's Concerts" series, Leonard Bernstein introduces the symphony beautifully --complete episode available on this platform, "Birthday Tribute to Shostakovich". *Vasily Kalinnikov's 1st.* Premiered in 1897. Pastoral, lively, delightful --ideal "crowd pleaser". Lush orchestration reminiscent of Tchaikovsky, perhaps even surpassing.
My copies of Tchaikovski's 1812 and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue are collecting dust and need an airing. I love the big finishes and Elgar's triumphal Pomp and Circumstance is a good one too. No different to good modern music in the way layers are added to recurring themes leading to that big finish.
If you get a chance, check out the version of Beethoven's 6th in 'Fantasia'. The animators went with classical Greek mythology as the setting. Zeus throwing angry thunderbolts at the scurrying animals is an image I have carried all my life. (Also liked the centaurs bathing -- so gentle and a bit bashful.) The final images of dusk tossing her dark cloak filled with stars as Huntress Moon shoots her arrows. Hey, it rather awoke a Spirit of Paganism in me that eventually grew into something else. Just as a final thought, my parents played this music in the house. I was not forced to sit down and listen, but as I played with some toy, I would tell myself little stories that matched the music. Or pretend I was playing an instrument. I loved the pop music on the radio (Beatles!) but knew that this was the music for grown-ups. I was wrong. Even little kids can be enchanted by the emotions and visions that this music can give. It was the best gift my parents ever gave me.
Young girls these days love unicorns and flying horses. The Pastoral in Fantasia is full of those, and thus I got my granddaughter to watch it. She has watched it many times and thus knows the 6th symphony and will through her life. At first, her parents objected because they didn’t want so much screen time. I pointed out that they could tell their friends that their daughter sits quietly while listening to Beethoven. They thought about it and their objection ended.
Love the suit! 😁 And good on ya for digging into some deeper classical pieces. And I think this is also the farthest back you've gone so far (unless you listened to some Bach)? But I do hope you move into the 18th and 17th centuries at some point!
Delightful ! May be, I think right now, it could be fun for you, and us, to watch you react at some of famous orchestra pranks videos... Witnesses how talented it is required to be a classical musician and also have a good sense of humour. Cheers. TY.
You should react to the Danish Girls choir. They do some great classical pieces, a a lot acapella. They have 3 different age groups. Try Nunc Dimittis from the senior girls, White Winter Hymnal from the middle girls choir, or Any one of the kids choir for a fun choice. You could also be amongst the first to react to Lucie Horsch playing recorder. She is amazing. Pasona Kola is very good Andre Rieu is a Dutch conductor who often showcases young talent. Try Amira Willighagen singing O Mio Babbino Caro,with Andre Rieu, or Emma Kok singing VOILA You should also try Alma Deutscher and her violin concerto that she composed when she was 9. So many very talented classical musicians out there
The horn players in this orchestra play on so-called natural horns, as were common in Beethoven's time. In contrast to today's modern valve horns, the different pitches of natural horns are achieved by different lip tensions and the so-called stuffing technique with the right hand in the bell. Depending on the key of a piece of music, a bow in the respective key is inserted into the natural horn. Regardless of whether an old or new brass instrument is played, condensation forms in the instrument while blowing due to the temperature difference between the warm breathing air and the cold metal of the instrument. Every now and then this condensation, which may also contain some saliva, has to be removed from the instrument because an annoying bubbling noise can be heard while playing. Modern brass instruments have special flaps from which the liquid can be let out. With natural horns like those seen in this video, the attachment bows are briefly removed to let the liquid out, as they do not have flaps for this.
An amazing piece. Loved it since first hearing it on a school trip some 50+ years ago. And being in awe of the musicians at what was my first orchestral experience. * By way of further recommendations: maybe try, Mozart's Concerto No.7 for two pianos. And/or Bach's cello suite No.3. PS, loved that you dressed for the occasion :)
Cello Suite #3!!! I performed a transcription of it for classical guitar for my senior recital in college. My son played it last year on cello for his Junior recital. The Allemande is crazy on the classical guitar. Maybe my favorite piece to play although the Gigue is fun, too. All Bach is incredible on the guitar!
@@jaybird4093Serously impressive. And nice to hear, father and son bonding over Bach, and his amazing music. You really can't go wrong with JSB can you.
No, that's not what "progam content" means. It means he explicitly wrote and titled each movement to represent a scene (eg. M2 is "by the brook", M3 is happy and joyeous country folk, M4 they are interrupted by a thunderstorm, M5 is something about the storm ends and the sun comes out.
You look so nice in that suit 😎 not a big Beethoven fan, but the last movement is great. Next time it would be cool to try some short piece of more modern/contemporary music. Stravinsky , Prokofiev or Shostakovitch, or even composers of today. Classical music is not just 19th century music, there are lot of great composers in our time.
When you were reading about "allegro, andante" and so on, let me clear that up for you. Those are just time indications, the speed of the beat to put it simply. Presto is very fast Allegro is fast Allegretto is slightly slower than allegro Andante is slow Adagio is slower Grave is very slow
Classical piano is a must. Chopin is a good place to start-listen to some well reviewed, recent Chopin, then try to find a Pogorelich performance of the same piece from the 80s or 90s. It’s all in the interpretation when it’s piano!
The Pastorale is probably my favorite Beethoven symphony. Maybe partially because it doesn’t get the hype of the Fifth or the Ninth. But also, it feels like it’s not out to prove anything; it’s just meant to be enjoyed.
I feel it's more personal than some others that can feel more in a heroic/political mode. But it still has Beethoven energy unless a conductor kills it by making it sleepy.
Nearly flawless performance of a favorite Beethoven piece - one of the ones I have re-listened to countless times. I always listen to Ernest Ansermet's conducting of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, for all of Beethoven's symphonies, on London Records. I can't help but notice that the Third Movement sounds a little too rushed. This might be because the composer used the tempos set by Beethoven's written notes using a metronome. There has been some criticism by conductors over how fast the tempos are, and some have disregarded them and used a more natural, slower tempo where needed. Others criticized the metronome Beethoven used for his notes, and suggested maybe it got damaged from misuse and gave false readings, or maybe he purposely wrote it fast to test the skill of the musicians. Anyway, my experience has shown that composers of Beethoven's Symphonies benefited from not using Beethoven's tempos, and there are lots of recordings that will attest to it.
I agree that it seems a bit too fast. But as far as I know this is from 1807/1808 and the metronome was invented by Mälzel in 1815. Beethoven wanted a more precise definition than the usual Andante, Allegro etc.
@@maraboo72 - Thanks, I'm glad someone else thinks it's fast, if not for just giving a little pause in between the notes to make them easier to comprehend. I heard a performance of Beethoven's Ninth by my local orchestra on the radio, and I'm glad I heard it on the radio instead of the concert hall, because they used Beethoven's tempo notes, and it was played horrendously fast. There's a humorous story that Beethoven might have thrown that metronome across the room, and it might have affected it somewhat. Between that, and Beethoven's eventual total deafness and subsequent dimentia, it's hard to tell what caused those really fast written tempos.
It's impossible to form a clear and rational opinion about the Pastoral Symphony. It's so often the first LVB people ever hear - because it's either inflicted on you at school, or your parents play it for you when you're three or four years old, or if you're unlucky you get both. The reason it's so convenient a way to teach kids about program music (...insert the obvious missing sentence here) is also the reason it eventually starts to sound like a weak joke, and a self-parody on LVB's part...no matter how many themes firmly attach themselves to one's memory (and there's got to be at least one of them in each movement).
Always a treat to watch a great symphony, and a kick to see your first reaction to it. But truth be told, the 6th was never one of my favs by Ludwig. The 1st movement is stunning, up there with his best movements, but that puts it in the good company of a dozen or more others. The 2nd is lush, but a bit boring for Beethoven, not his best pastorale music for me. The 3rd is sweeping and glorious, but always strikes me as a worthy foreshadowing and foray into territory mastered and surpassed in the 7th, plus territory done better elsewhere, like the 3rd and 5th symphonies. I can see why he wanted a break after the stormy 5th, and that's no problem - some of his naturalistic slower shorter works are masterpieces of memorable and unique melody - but apart from the 1st movement, I don't find the melodies here among his more striking or memorable. A pleasant listen, but the 2nd and 3rd movements seem too mushy for Beethoven, and I don't find him shining here anywhere near as bright as the many gob-smacking heights of his catalogue. I see this symphony on the whole as a mostly successful experiment, but not a highlight for LVB.
Bad slow 'classic' performances have often made it mushy. But I like this performance as I feel it does make it move. I like that Beethoven did a non-heroic symphony. It all leads to that last movement which for me is one of his best symphonic finales. I wish Beethoven hadn't given descriptive titles because as he said it's about feeling and not visuals.
Many years ago, when I was a teen in the 1980's, I was home alone one day, and Beethoven's 6'th Symphony came on the radio. It may have been the first time I had ever heard this music; I don't know. I found myself transfixed. I was "overwhelmed by the beauty of the music," as silly as that may sound. I was breathless with tears welling in my eyes. It was though I had been granted a rare glimpse of Heaven. I've heard this symphony many times since then, and while it is still incredibly beautiful, it's never had such an overpowering impact on me as on that day. Perhaps I was just caught off guard, not realizing just how strongly brilliant music can conjure up our emotions. Of course, I was an overly-sensitive boy. I played violin in a youth orchestra, and the other kids would laugh at me because I would get teary-eyed during the really sad parts of music we played.
Approximately from the slowest to the fastest:
Larghissimo - extremely slow, slowest type of tempo (24 bpm and under)
Adagissimo and Grave - very slow, very slow and solemn (24-40 bpm)
Largo - slow and broad (40-66 bpm)
Larghetto - rather slow and broad (44-66 bpm)
Adagio - slow with great expression[11] (44-68 bpm)
Adagietto - slower than andante or slightly faster than adagio (46-80 bpm)
Lento - slow (52-108 bpm)
Andante - at a walking pace, moderately slow (56-108 bpm)
Andantino - slightly faster than andante, but slower than moderato (80-108 bpm) (although, in some cases, it can be taken to mean slightly slower than andante)
Marcia moderato - moderately, in the manner of a march[12][13] (66-80 bpm)
Andante moderato - between andante and moderato (at a moderate walking speed) (80-108 bpm)
Moderato - at a moderate speed (108-120 bpm)
Allegretto - by the mid-19th century, moderately fast (112-120 bpm); see paragraph above for earlier usage
Allegro moderato - close to, but not quite allegro (116-120 bpm)
Allegro - fast and bright (120-156 bpm)
Molto Allegro or Allegro vivace - at least slightly faster and livelier than allegro, but always at its range (and no faster than vivace) (124-156 bpm)
Vivace - lively and fast (156-176 bpm)
Vivacissimo and Allegrissimo - very fast, lively and bright (172-176 bpm)
Presto - very fast (168-200 bpm)
Prestissimo - extremely fast (200 bpm and over) (At this tempo, cut common time is often used)
Additional terms
A piacere or Ad libitum in Latin - the performer may use their own discretion with regard to tempo and rhythm; literally "at pleasure"
Accelerando - gradually play faster
Assai - (very) much
A tempo - resume previous tempo
Con grazia - with grace, or gracefully
Con moto - Italian for "with movement"; can be combined with a tempo indication, e.g., Andante con moto
Furioso or Furibondo - 'furiously'
Lamentoso - sadly, plaintively
L'istesso, L'istesso tempo, or Lo stesso tempo - at the same speed; L'istesso is used when the actual speed of the music has not changed, despite apparent signals to the contrary, such as changes in time signature or note length (half notes in 4/4 could change to whole notes in 2/2, and they would all have the same duration)
Ma non tanto - but not so much; used in the same way and has the same effect as Ma non troppo (see immediately below) but to a lesser degree
Ma non troppo - but not too much; used to modify a basic tempo to indicate that the basic tempo should be reined in to a degree; for example, Adagio ma non troppo to mean "Slow, but not too much", Allegro ma non troppo to mean "Fast, but not too much"
Maestoso - majestically, stately
Molto - very
meno - less
Più - more
Poco - a little
Rall. or "Rallentando" - opposite of Accelerando
Subito - suddenly
Tempo comodo - at a comfortable speed
Tempo di... - the speed of a ... (such as Tempo di valzer (speed of a waltz, dotted quarter note. ≈ 60 bpm or quarter note≈ 126 bpm), Tempo di marcia (speed of a march, quarter note ≈ 120 bpm))
Tempo giusto - at a consistent speed, at the 'right' speed, in strict tempo
Tempo primo - resume the original (first) tempo
Tempo semplice - simple, regular speed, plainly
So glad you did this one. Just watched today, a month later. The main reason this is an important symphony to listen to is because it's one of those pieces that literally shifted the symphonic world at the time. It was super thematic which wasn't really in the DNA of classical symphonies in previous (Baroque and Classical) eras. This was a paradigm shift that kind of "gave permission" to the emerging, more experimental and emerging composers of what would become called the Romantic era. HUGE impact on composers like Dvorak and even Holst and Chopin, both of whom you've listened to on your channel. Even if you don't want to do another whole Beethoven symphony, I HIGHlY recommend doing his Symphony 7, movement 2. It's less than 10 minutes and absolutely breathtaking.
Thanks so much facts :)
As someone who knows Beethoven's symphonies backwards and forwards, my favorite part about reaction videos is when the reactor talks about their feelings about the music etc. so just keep right on talking if you need to!
Symphony 7 is his best. It would be shocking to have no video reaction with this Symphony. But I know it takes time.
Imissed the first ten min !!!!
I eas delighted to see and hear this''::':Your dress os spot on and rractoon
Thank you from Cyprus 🥰🥰🥰🥰🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾
At 20:20, that's a flute and oboe dancing.
Any Beethoven symphony is well worth a listen but this is one of my favourites. Like many in my age group one of my first exposures to it was from the Disney film Fantasia. My generation owes a lot to “cartoons” that exposed us to a lot of fantastic music.
Gotta love a piece that features prominently in both "Fantasia" and "Soylent Green". 🙂
@@DavidTateVA I’d forgotten about Soylent Green.
It's my favourite Beethoven symphony.Its just stunningly beautiful
At first when i saw U with the cap i thought U were nuts!!!!
After watchinga few of your vibio,s i dot knoted ,
Ijust love your reaction to someof thebest music,,i must say this isoneof thebest
Love from Cyprus. 🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾❤️❤️
Hi Justin. Dave from Across The Ocean. Sorry, came to this a bit late, but thanks for the namecheck. My favourite Beethoven symphony, definitely. It also got me thinking of my late Dad, who was a big classical music fan, but a couple of years before he passed away, he told me he hadn't got a full set of Beethoven symphonies. so for Christmas I gave him the Simon Rattle/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra set, which I know he played a lot. I miss you, Dad.
I don't listen to a lot of classical, but I do generally like Beethoven and I really love this symphony. Watching the video it struck me how amazing it is that we have invented all these different instruments and someone can weave them all together to create this wonderful work of music. Thanks for doing this.
At the time he wrote this symphony, Beethoven had not yet gone completely deaf but he was close. This was an incredibly dark period in his life. He found solace out in nature. He would often go for long walks in the country.
The third movement is meant to evoke a raucous country dance -- think of it as the "hoedown" of this symphony... Followed by the thunderstorm of the 4th movement, and the calm after the storm for the 5th and final. The chord at 44:12 in the coda is one of my favorite moments in all of classical music.
Dapper! I like it 😀. Beethoven may well be my favourite composer and your reaction was delightful.
Mine as well. I appreciate the genius of Mozart but I feel Beethoven’s music more deeply.
My late Mother’s favourite piece of music was the Emperor Concerto.
Dapper. If that means courageous, you use a Dutch word.
@@robertpearson8798Beethoven takes you on a ride everytime. His symphonies are something else. The moments when he gets either chaotic or very grandios yet still keeps his composure are my favorite in al of music
The movement titles:
I. “Awakening of Happy Feelings on Arriving in the Country.”
II. “Scene by a Brook.”
III. “Joyful Gathering of the Country Folk.” striaght into:
IV. “Thunder. Storm.” straight into:
V. “Shepherds’ Song: Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm.”
Ty for the info mjc!
I am not even amazed that the movement titles listed here matched exactly with what I was thinking while listening. At the very beginning I see a horse and carriage trotting through the countryside with passengers. In the third movement I can see the townspeople in the village. They are dancing a raucous dirge. Thank you Herr Beethoven.
Another great reaction! This symphony is a balm to the senses and it leaves you with such feel good sensation by the end, right? Beethoven used to love to wander the forests and fields surrounding Vienna, and there are a few accounts of people who'd see him humming a tune as he strolled by, totally engrossed in whatever melody he was working. He used to always carry a makeshift score notebook and a carpenter's pencil with him so he'd scribble down whatever musical ideas came to him during his walks.
There's a moment towards the end of the 2nd movement in which the flute and clarinet sort of imitate the tweeting of birds. Some people say that's Beethoven writing down his own version of birdsong because by this point his hearing loss wouldn't allow him to catch those frequencies anymore, so perhaps he thought he could still have some birds tweeting in his life, albeit written from memory in the form of these little lines for flute and clarinet. Which is heartbreaking and bittersweet if you think of it🥺
In case you haven't watched this yet, you might want to check this historical recreation by the BBC of the first rehearsal of Beethoven's 3rd symphony "Eroica." All that happens in this recreation is backed up by historical data, letters, documents, and accounts of Beethoven's inner circle and colleagues by this time in his life, plus the sociopolitical context of Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, which heavily influenced this piece. Also, the orchestra are no actors but real musicians who are trained in playing on historical instruments of the time, so the sound you hear here it's much likely how it sounded back then. Leaving the link here for you, I'd love to see you react to it: th-cam.com/video/UtA7m3viB70/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gH5jWRD-Y7xRdGDp
I first hear this 60 + years ago in Fantasia (released in 1940) and they did such a great job of visualizing it that whenever I hear it, I see centaurs and pegasus.. Amazing piece as is all Beethoven.
This symphony is named the Pastorale, meaning of nature, the piece is supposed to evoke the idea of being on a river, with different currents and speeds, different eddies and drifts along the way, then a sudden thunderstorm and then the storm ending and beauty coming back into the world.
the flute and clarinet duos are supposed to represent birds along the way.
The second movement I heard suggests a stream in the forest, with the deeper sound when it is deeper. But it's the musical element that Beethoven concentrates on too. Like the 5th it uses motivic 'cells' and repetition to develop the music.
My favourite symphony. Up there with Tchaikovsky's 5th and Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, but this one just takes the cake.
Nice work JP!! No.6 is one of my favourite pieces - you should try the moody No.7 next 😀
The 2nd movement in particular is phenomenal.
The "Leonore" Overture (third version) would make a good reaction piece: it's dynamic, tuneful, and also a manageable 16 or 18 minutes or so.
Agreed. Symphony 7 is awesome!
I would also add that in 1970, Johnny Halliday recited Philippe Labro's poem on the 2nd movement of the 7th symphony, entitled "Poème sur la 7e"... a tremendous, dark and powerful text on heavenly music.
One cannot listen to that and be untouched. It is majestic.
Very glad you chose this performance of the Pastoral. Some 'romanticise' it and take it too slow, but the first movement here has plenty of energy.
I'm also glad you listened without the descriptive titles of the movements. As Beethoven said it's more about feeling than pictures. He based the structure of the piece on a much lesser known symphony by Knecht (much inferior to Beethoven).
As an oboe player, I always love the 3rd Movement which has that great solo.
Beautiful rendition, nicely done. One of my favorites of Beethoven. The 4th movement (Thunderstorm) is the peak of this amazing work. One of the best examples of this (IMO) is included in the soundtrack to “Immortal Beloved” (with Gary Oldman), conducted by the great Sir Georg Solti. The soundtrack is a good intro to Beethoven for the uninitiated, especially Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”. Gorgeous, timeless music.
Normally, talking during live classical performances drives me CRAZY!!! With you, though, on TH-cam it’s okay.
Movement 1: When I first heard this piece, the development section immediately connected. The polyrhythm of the triplets in the accompaniment with the duplets in the melody with the third relations in the chord progression… I was all in (8:23). The motifs (melodic chunks) being tossed around to the different sections throughout the movement is great, too. The French horn players were emptying their spit! Not all classical music is elegant. 💦
Movement 2: 6/8 time gets me every time. :) It’s actually 12/8 but that’s nit-picky. Just feel the subdivision of the beats into 3’s.
Movement 3: Another movement that grabbed me on a first listen. “So aggressive” like hard rock but with an orchestra. The cords on the sackbuts (trombones) are for decoration.
Movement 4: it sounds like a real thunderstorm. Great program music!
Movement 5: it’s unusual for a symphony to have 5 movements but Beethoven was never know for following the rules. 6/8 time again; you know I love it!
That sure was a satisfying way to spend time in a morning; sitting in a lazy boy with a fleece blanket and a cat on my lap while listening to and watching you. When listening to classical music, I found that understanding the form helped me to sit through longer movements. Pop music form is easy (intro, verse, chorus, v, c, bridge, v, c, coda). Many Symphonies use sonata form; theme, repeat, development, theme modified, coda. The complexities within each section can be hard to follow. I’ll see if can find a video for you to watch that might help.
Thanks for the great reaction, Justin. The suit looks good but it’s not you. Try cutting the sleeves off of it for the next classical reaction! :) 🤟 …and don’t forget the yellow shorts, too.
Finally. I found something more annoying than talking during a live classical performance, TH-cam advertisements during a classical reaction.
Looking SHARP JP !!! It's always good to make the effort and for this reaction it's very apt. Bravo! Love me a bit of Beethoven.
Ty CC👔
Programmatic music means that the symphony is describing a specific event with orchestral coloration and melodies where each movement besides having noted meter and effect like Allegro or Andante but also titles in the program book for the Pastoral Symphony for the pleasure of the general audience envisioning each scene hence:
1. Joyful Feelings Uopn Arriving in the Country
2. By the Brook
3. Peasant Merrymaking
4. The Thunderstorm
5. The Shepherds Song After the Storm
Excellent suit. I love that the. Thanks for an excellent morning listen
One of my three favorite Beethoven symphonies and one of the greatest pieces of music of all time.
Saw the Charlottesville Symphony perform the Emperor Concerto live on Saturday night, listening to this now on Monday morning. Seeing these classical works visually, vs. just audibly, always helps you single out each instrument when it's their time to shine.
What a beautiful way to start a Saturday morning. Thank you.
My favorite from Ludwig. Studied it in collège back in the 80s. Gorgeous symphony! The symphony of nature.
JP, Thank you for the name check, and excellent reaction. Dressing for the music was a nice touch too (even with that little touch of yellow-toned hilarity). On the one hand, I'd love to see you do more of Beethoven in the near future. I mean, there's a reason he's known as one of The Great Composers, and plenty more excellent music awaits you in that direction. And yet, classical music music is a relatively small part of your channel and there are so many classical genres yet to explore. The most obvious one you've yet to visit, in my mind, is baroque, including such composers as Bach, Vivaldi and several others, and keep in mind that, for example, Bach wrote orchestral music, clavichord music, organ music and choral music, perhaps others I've missed, and they are all like completely separate genres by the same composer. Actually, I'd maybe recommend Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" as a place to start, due to its popularity, or perhaps Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. But baroque aside, there are many other wildly varying composers of many classical genres from through the ages, too numerous to mention, and I'm happy for your journey to take you wherever it may lead. Have fun and take care!
Much appreciated John!
Eleventh like on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, of 2023, hmmm? Didn't think I'd see 63, but I'll take it, and Beethoven happily! Happy Saturday to all, Happy Birthday to me. Thanks for dressing up, the channel, and yourself J.P. Peace and Love, from the hairless hippie! (and son!)
The tympani was used in the 4th movement to represent thunder, aka the 'thunderstorm ' movement. The 3rd movement (shepherd's dance) segues into the 4th, If you're going to listen to classical music, this is as good anything to start with as Beethoven's Pastorale is very accesible to listen to.
Thanks a lot for doing that, and dressing up for the occasion. "Programmatic" in this context means it represents something, in this case nature, a storm etc, and has a clear narrative, not just a purely musical argument. Most of the cassical music you have listened to has been programmatic: the Planets, The Lark Ascending etc. The Chopin the other day was pure music - just a logical musical flow expressing emotion of course but otherwise nothing other than its own internal dynamics. I think you might be ready for Mahler's 3rd Symphony, with the children's choir it would be a great Christmas listen. Here's an excellent recent performance: th-cam.com/video/Pe4CRH2Q260/w-d-xo.html
The music starts after about six minutes. A tuxedo is mandatory, but you can keep your hat on!
Five stars for the accoutrements and for the music. I do love the 6th; it is very aptly dubbed The Pastorale. I am another whose knowledge of classical music was derived from Bugs Bunny cartoons up until my late 20s. I just re-listened to Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique" after seeing a piece on You Tube about origins of psychedelic music. Looking forward to our next outing, and great upload.
One of his best Symphonies, along with 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th. (Hard to go wrong with B)
I agree.
Hey, he only composed nine. Nothing wrong with the 1st two. They are in the Haydn-Mozart mold. But some of their symphonies are among the greatest. Beethoven's 4th, though a middle period work, seems to suffer from being wedged between the 3rd and 5th but it is also a very fine piece.
In a classical symphony there are usually 4 movements. This one is a little unusual as usually the fourth and final movement is where all the “fireworks” are with a loud sound to end the symphony but this one ends rather softly.
Now if you ever play a concerto (that features one instrument in front of the orchestra) it usually has 3 movements- usually fast, slow, fast.
Symphonic Saturday. Nice!
The Pastoral is lovely. That was nice.
My favorite symphony is Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. It's very dramatic. Great musical storytelling.
The suit was a very nice touch, one I could not pull off; I hate wearing suits (lucky for me, I served my Mormon mission in the tropics where a suit was not required...). I don't even own a suit. Haven't for years. And, at this advanced stage in my life, it's unlikely that I will...
Fly threads! This is a classic piece of classical music. In case no one else has mentioned it this is one segment of the musical "Fantasia" by Disney (they trimmed it down obviously). This is very likeable.
For something more challenging try a string quartet by Bela Bartok. He wrote 6 of them and they inspired Robert Fripp in his middle period of King Crimson ("Larks Tongues in Aspic", "Red").
Even though I’m a hairy-arsed auld Scottish punk n I’d prefer to hear Dead Kennedys 😅- it’s cool to broaden your horizons Justin and it turns out I’m more familiar with classical music than I like to let on 👀 so I’m really enjoying this departure - respect ✊
My fav piece is also Beethoven , the beautiful passage ( adagio ? ) from his 7th symphony that most will recognise from that Nick cage movie “ Knowing “, so powerful and evocative - just saying 😅
👍🏴
12:37 They were emptying the spit😆
I heard that piece on the TV when I was young, but I fell in love with it when I was it in the middle of the film Soylent Green. It was just an extract with videos of nature, but it was such a contrast with the rest of the film that it marked me forever.
Me too! First really heard it in Soylent Green and the morning song by Grieg was in that same part. I actually just watched it last week for the first time in decades
@@ram11198 I would like to see it again. Was it on a streaming platform?
@@sylvaindupuis5595 no it was on TCM
Great selection - if you want to do more classical, I strongly recommend keeping with the Frankfurt. Excellent sound engineering and videography (minus that very rare glitch in the first movement). A great selection of the 'canon' pieces as well as some lesser known older works and exploration of modern works too (like works by Martinu, Rautavaara). No commercials. Plus excellent playing and interpretation. Excellent performances by an excellent orchestra. There are some other German regional orchestras (like the Sud-West) that are of similar quality, but none have posted the sheer volume of work the Frankfurt has. Thanks!
This host, as he admits, knows little about western classical music. For instance, he seems to mis-identify an oboe as a clarinet. But at least he's listening to this music and seems to appreciate it. A lot of people I know seem to think music originated with Elvis. Keep up the good work, JustJP.
I appreciate that telephilia. I'm definitely very new to this genre, but im happily learning and enjoying the journey🙃
He was almost deaf when he wrote this. Imagine how it would sound if he could have HEAD it himself!!
Also, this Symphony is in 5 Movements - but the 3rd, 4th and 5th are played without a break.
Just to refine my comment below that I edited. The best performance of Brahms symphony 4 I heard on youtube was Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. I wrongly thought it was Orozco-Estrada and the orchestra as in this reaction, though he may be ok in it.
th-cam.com/video/blQA3S8tToQ/w-d-xo.html
This performance has the same kind of still moments as in the slow movement or the end of the Pastoral here, where time seems to stop. And also great sound and balance so the transparency of instruments is clear. As I said before Brahms was seen as a successor to Beethoven and certainly if you want to continue down the symphony route it's one that shouldn't be missed.
This and Symphony number 3 are my favorites symphonies by Beethoven. Thanks Justin
Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" was a pivotal work -- I recently saw a really good dramatic portrayal in this 2003 film by BBC TV. It's loosely historically accurate, and I'm sure the musicians did not perform the work in its entirety without rehearsing it. But still a notable film.
th-cam.com/video/UtA7m3viB70/w-d-xo.html
Wahooo Justin !! You're killing the screens ! Luv dat ! Let's go, Ludwig ! 💗💗💗
Just for your information Justin.. most symphonies usually consists of four movements. Beethoven is by far my favorite classical composer. My second favorite is perhaps Schubert. Try his Symphony #5!!
At a risk of becoming 'The Horn Trivia Guy':
Wind instruments have an inconvenient tendency to accumulate water condensation from player's breath - so what you're seeing at 12:36 is the horn players dumping that out, which they need to do regularly, since the water can start interfering with the sound pretty fast. Now to be clear (I know many people get grossed out by this): that is not spit - it's literally clean, distilled water that condenses when the warm breathed-out air touches the cold metal walls of the instrument.
EDIT: altough as I mentioned in my previous wall of text, they do use extention crooks to change the (natural) horn's key as well - but that is traditionally required at most between movements of a piece, not in the middle of one.
I find it helpful to have a Horn Trivia Guy :D Helps a lot as I learn (and likely ask the same questions over and over lol) Thanks pjkorab!
When they clap at the end it means its over like if you finish a song at a live performance same thing
Ah, this is a good one. I often forget the names of some of the symphonies.The original prog music.
Ah! It's that one! Though I've heard most of the top 100 classical symphonies/concertos/pieces of music, I never remember which is which. I would have thought that this was a ballet - easy to imagine someone up on their toes dancing around to the first movement. 2nd movement is a bit duller but is evocative of lazing by a brook.. 3rd is obviously the dance remix but country dancing rather than ballet this time and 4th the thunderstorm - someone point me to the prog metal version of this please. There's bound to be one somewhere. Finally, we get the movement which was edited into the hit 7 inch single (well, it would have been if it had been released in 1978 rather than 1808) which is very familiar. I like classical music rather than love it but this symphony proves to me that Beethoven knew exactly what he was doing. PS - that was the conductor that left - the composer left a couple of hundred years ago!
To your question at about 12:44, I can answer with a maybe. Maybe they were pouring out saliva. (I seem to recall that some wind instruments have drain plugs. Saliva is probably just the way they joke about it, though. Condensed breath vapour is more likely what if would be if that's your answer.
I seem to remember Danish orchestral comedian, Victor Borge had something about wind instrument spittle flow. (And if you're going to get into classical music, you might as well get into Victor Borge if you can.)
OK, I couldn't find the spit drain sketch anywhere, so maybe it doesn't exist. He's more famous for one man operas like this one, anyway: th-cam.com/video/YPDnGi8ANnM/w-d-xo.html
I think he's also famous as a conductor - that guy who tells the musicians when it's time to turn the page again.
Jason and Ludwig. Finally. What a delight.
I enjoy your comments so much!
I am glad you read the “titles” Beethoven assigned to the sections of this symphony. Each section is portraying a specific feeling or event…
The French horns in the first movement were, I believe, emptying the spit from the instruments.(I played French horn in high school…many years ago!)
Your videos are delightful!
Like your comment. Just one note, that's not spit being emptied from the metal tubing by the horn players, but rather condensation (water) that gathers as the instrument is played. Same thing happens to most wind and brass instruments as they are played, with air passing through and the temperature of the metal or wood warming up, causing the moisture in the air flowing through to form condensation.
@@parissimons6385 thanks.
When I played in high school, believe me, there was spit!
@@donnasmith8139 lol - I believe you.
Thanks so much Donna!!
A few symphonic recommendations :
*Carl Nielsen's 5th.* Premiered in 1922. Highly expressive view on post-war confusion, evil and good in contrast. Intimate, dreamy, meditative as in Talk Talk's "Spirit of Eden". Quite close to Yes' "The Gates of Delirium" as well. Talk Talk meets Yes --what a combination, eh.
*Dmitri Shostakovich's 9th.* Premiered in 1945. Post-war sensation with an absolutely unique perspective. Briefly returns to the searing rendition of human devastation in composer's previous symphonies, yet overall feeling is bewildering, ridiculous, barking mad. In a 1966 broadcast of "Young People's Concerts" series, Leonard Bernstein introduces the symphony beautifully --complete episode available on this platform, "Birthday Tribute to Shostakovich".
*Vasily Kalinnikov's 1st.* Premiered in 1897. Pastoral, lively, delightful --ideal "crowd pleaser". Lush orchestration reminiscent of Tchaikovsky, perhaps even surpassing.
What a fun concept! Well done! Bravo!
Ty Mongoose! Happy you enjoyed!!
3rd Movement is one of the best pieces of music ever!
You really gotta see Disney’s movies Fantasia. Full of classical music and great animations.
A fun way to watch and listen to this piece is Disney’s Fantasia. I think the original music video.
My copies of Tchaikovski's 1812 and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue are collecting dust and need an airing. I love the big finishes and Elgar's triumphal Pomp and Circumstance is a good one too. No different to good modern music in the way layers are added to recurring themes leading to that big finish.
Yes. Clapping only comes at the end. Never during a piece of music.
If you get a chance, check out the version of Beethoven's 6th in 'Fantasia'. The animators went with classical Greek mythology as the setting. Zeus throwing angry thunderbolts at the scurrying animals is an image I have carried all my life. (Also liked the centaurs bathing -- so gentle and a bit bashful.) The final images of dusk tossing her dark cloak filled with stars as Huntress Moon shoots her arrows. Hey, it rather awoke a Spirit of Paganism in me that eventually grew into something else.
Just as a final thought, my parents played this music in the house. I was not forced to sit down and listen, but as I played with some toy, I would tell myself little stories that matched the music. Or pretend I was playing an instrument. I loved the pop music on the radio (Beatles!) but knew that this was the music for grown-ups. I was wrong. Even little kids can be enchanted by the emotions and visions that this music can give.
It was the best gift my parents ever gave me.
Young girls these days love unicorns and flying horses. The Pastoral in Fantasia is full of those, and thus I got my granddaughter to watch it. She has watched it many times and thus knows the 6th symphony and will through her life. At first, her parents objected because they didn’t want so much screen time. I pointed out that they could tell their friends that their daughter sits quietly while listening to Beethoven. They thought about it and their objection ended.
Glad you had the pants, though I think those would get you banned from the "dress circle" seats 🤣
Love the suit! 😁 And good on ya for digging into some deeper classical pieces. And I think this is also the farthest back you've gone so far (unless you listened to some Bach)? But I do hope you move into the 18th and 17th centuries at some point!
Thanks Yes Head! :)
Master Beethoven, you must listen to some W.A. Mozart he was a genius also .
Delightful !
May be, I think right now, it could be fun for you, and us, to watch you react at some of famous orchestra pranks videos... Witnesses how talented it is required to be a classical musician and also have a good sense of humour. Cheers. TY.
You should react to the Danish Girls choir. They do some great classical pieces, a a lot acapella. They have 3 different age groups. Try Nunc Dimittis from the senior girls, White Winter Hymnal from the middle girls choir, or Any one of the kids choir for a fun choice.
You could also be amongst the first to react to Lucie Horsch playing recorder. She is amazing. Pasona Kola is very good
Andre Rieu is a Dutch conductor who often showcases young talent. Try Amira Willighagen singing O Mio Babbino Caro,with Andre Rieu, or Emma Kok singing VOILA
You should also try Alma Deutscher and her violin concerto that she composed when she was 9.
So many very talented classical musicians out there
Nice, "Whistle", Justin. As usual with me with classical music, a lovely, relaxing piece which I am familiar with, but without ever knowing the title.
When given more energy like this I feel it's moving rather than just relaxing. It's one of Beethoven's greatest finales to close it out.
Looking FINE!!! 💖
Wonderful music 🎶🎶🎉
The horn players in this orchestra play on so-called natural horns, as were common in Beethoven's time. In contrast to today's modern valve horns, the different pitches of natural horns are achieved by different lip tensions and the so-called stuffing technique with the right hand in the bell. Depending on the key of a piece of music, a bow in the respective key is inserted into the natural horn. Regardless of whether an old or new brass instrument is played, condensation forms in the instrument while blowing due to the temperature difference between the warm breathing air and the cold metal of the instrument. Every now and then this condensation, which may also contain some saliva, has to be removed from the instrument because an annoying bubbling noise can be heard while playing. Modern brass instruments have special flaps from which the liquid can be let out. With natural horns like those seen in this video, the attachment bows are briefly removed to let the liquid out, as they do not have flaps for this.
Pity the custodial staff who have clean the floor under all the horn players after a full concert! 🤮
Great performance of a great musical work.
I didn't recognize the tune from the title. All I needed was the first few notes though. Ah this one. : ))
An amazing piece. Loved it since first hearing it on a school trip some 50+ years ago. And being in awe of the musicians at what was my first orchestral experience. * By way of further recommendations: maybe try, Mozart's Concerto No.7 for two pianos. And/or Bach's cello suite No.3. PS, loved that you dressed for the occasion :)
Cello Suite #3!!! I performed a transcription of it for classical guitar for my senior recital in college. My son played it last year on cello for his Junior recital. The Allemande is crazy on the classical guitar. Maybe my favorite piece to play although the Gigue is fun, too. All Bach is incredible on the guitar!
@@jaybird4093Serously impressive. And nice to hear, father and son bonding over Bach, and his amazing music. You really can't go wrong with JSB can you.
No, that's not what "progam content" means. It means he explicitly wrote and titled each movement to represent a scene (eg. M2 is "by the brook", M3 is happy and joyeous country folk, M4 they are interrupted by a thunderstorm, M5 is something about the storm ends and the sun comes out.
You look so nice in that suit 😎 not a big Beethoven fan, but the last movement is great.
Next time it would be cool to try some short piece of more modern/contemporary music. Stravinsky , Prokofiev or Shostakovitch, or even composers of today. Classical music is not just 19th century music, there are lot of great composers in our time.
Good choice. Well Done!
Greattttt！
Good choice, both in music and clothes.
Love the suit. And the backwards baseball cap absolutely sells it.
Haha ty ty😉
Do you have suit pants on or shorts? Great review.
When you were reading about "allegro, andante" and so on, let me clear that up for you.
Those are just time indications, the speed of the beat to put it simply.
Presto is very fast
Allegro is fast
Allegretto is slightly slower than allegro
Andante is slow
Adagio is slower
Grave is very slow
That was a rapturous reading of the 6th!
Classical piano is a must. Chopin is a good place to start-listen to some well reviewed, recent Chopin, then try to find a Pogorelich performance of the same piece from the 80s or 90s. It’s all in the interpretation when it’s piano!
to me his best composition... not one note out of place, moving through out
The Pastorale is probably my favorite Beethoven symphony. Maybe partially because it doesn’t get the hype of the Fifth or the Ninth. But also, it feels like it’s not out to prove anything; it’s just meant to be enjoyed.
I feel it's more personal than some others that can feel more in a heroic/political mode. But it still has Beethoven energy unless a conductor kills it by making it sleepy.
You should watch fantasia the animation is absoulty mind blowing
The suit WITH the backwards cap…
I’d walk a mile
For your sense of style
And that Florida tan
For Ludwig Van?
It’s just too much
?
Nearly flawless performance of a favorite Beethoven piece - one of the ones I have re-listened to countless times. I always listen to Ernest Ansermet's conducting of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, for all of Beethoven's symphonies, on London Records.
I can't help but notice that the Third Movement sounds a little too rushed. This might be because the composer used the tempos set by Beethoven's written notes using a metronome. There has been some criticism by conductors over how fast the tempos are, and some have disregarded them and used a more natural, slower tempo where needed. Others criticized the metronome Beethoven used for his notes, and suggested maybe it got damaged from misuse and gave false readings, or maybe he purposely wrote it fast to test the skill of the musicians. Anyway, my experience has shown that composers of Beethoven's Symphonies benefited from not using Beethoven's tempos, and there are lots of recordings that will attest to it.
I agree that it seems a bit too fast. But as far as I know this is from 1807/1808 and the metronome was invented by Mälzel in 1815. Beethoven wanted a more precise definition than the usual Andante, Allegro etc.
@@maraboo72 - Thanks, I'm glad someone else thinks it's fast, if not for just giving a little pause in between the notes to make them easier to comprehend. I heard a performance of Beethoven's Ninth by my local orchestra on the radio, and I'm glad I heard it on the radio instead of the concert hall, because they used Beethoven's tempo notes, and it was played horrendously fast. There's a humorous story that Beethoven might have thrown that metronome across the room, and it might have affected it somewhat. Between that, and Beethoven's eventual total deafness and subsequent dimentia, it's hard to tell what caused those really fast written tempos.
I don't like Beethoven's symphonies played too slow though. That's been more of a problem with the Pastoral.
@@joebloggs396 I can see how slowness would be a problem with the Second Movement, where its relatively slow tempo is made even slower.
Small orchestra, fast tempi... Nice performance!
It's impossible to form a clear and rational opinion about the Pastoral Symphony. It's so often the first LVB people ever hear - because it's either inflicted on you at school, or your parents play it for you when you're three or four years old, or if you're unlucky you get both. The reason it's so convenient a way to teach kids about program music (...insert the obvious missing sentence here) is also the reason it eventually starts to sound like a weak joke, and a self-parody on LVB's part...no matter how many themes firmly attach themselves to one's memory (and there's got to be at least one of them in each movement).
What are you talking about?
Always a treat to watch a great symphony, and a kick to see your first reaction to it. But truth be told, the 6th was never one of my favs by Ludwig. The 1st movement is stunning, up there with his best movements, but that puts it in the good company of a dozen or more others. The 2nd is lush, but a bit boring for Beethoven, not his best pastorale music for me. The 3rd is sweeping and glorious, but always strikes me as a worthy foreshadowing and foray into territory mastered and surpassed in the 7th, plus territory done better elsewhere, like the 3rd and 5th symphonies. I can see why he wanted a break after the stormy 5th, and that's no problem - some of his naturalistic slower shorter works are masterpieces of memorable and unique melody - but apart from the 1st movement, I don't find the melodies here among his more striking or memorable. A pleasant listen, but the 2nd and 3rd movements seem too mushy for Beethoven, and I don't find him shining here anywhere near as bright as the many gob-smacking heights of his catalogue. I see this symphony on the whole as a mostly successful experiment, but not a highlight for LVB.
Bad slow 'classic' performances have often made it mushy. But I like this performance as I feel it does make it move. I like that Beethoven did a non-heroic symphony. It all leads to that last movement which for me is one of his best symphonic finales. I wish Beethoven hadn't given descriptive titles because as he said it's about feeling and not visuals.
That suit is better suited for certain ZZ Top song.
just to let you know: the composer is dead. the guy/gall in front is called conductor.
Huh?
I prefer this to be a little slower. Maybe its just what im used to
Played on period instruments too
You need to do No.7 now for which you will need a mosh pit.
I love that you also do classical music!! My favourite is this from Bruckner: th-cam.com/video/skkK5QM2oZw/w-d-xo.html
Those are natural horns, no valves, and incredibly difficult to play well. kudos to the musicians.
*oboe