Focus (Live) : Hamburger Concerto part 1 

When Focus came to Bristol in 2005, I managed to speak to Thijs afterwards & he kindly signed my 1974 programme from the UK Hamburger Concerto tour. I remember saying to him that I always felt that the Hamburger Concerto track was perhaps the best piece of music I had ever heard by anyone because it contained so many different styles of music & built up to a fantastic finish. He was pleased to hear that, I recall!

Hey Kv, it's incredible, I've watched the other postings hundreds of tomes of this live version of the H.C. and yours is immaculte, this is the first time I SEE IT, thanks, thanks but thanks Man FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO GOOD AND TIMELESS MUSIC on RU-vid, this version live is so good, it's just perfect, very very good quality and the sound is just as if it was yesterday !!!!!!!

these guys are great. i loved hearing Hamburger Concerto on Live 365 and had to get the album. I love the Rock Organ and the band as a whole for this version. Focus is a great band

Wow ..!!Thank you and audio is vey good , what memories

That's my opinion, too, the Hamburger denomination derives from Brahms. Two interesting facts: This theme was written by Haydn and it is in fact based on an older song, named St. Anthony Chorale, which was a hymn sung by pilgrims. And there is, after the main theme, a hint to Ode to Joy, a piece of Beethoven's 9th. I really love this album. Been listening to it since it was released, and still surprise me in each audition :)

The song is called "Hamburger Concerto", from the Hamburger Concerto (1974) album.

Van Leer is a genious!

You almost never see bands of today write such epic composition!

One of their best!

I was 17 when I first listen to this fantastic song, I was frying my brain on LSD. Great experience!.

Hamburger Concerto...A Perfect Composition...

better than the version they did on the album

Focus - голландская прогрессивная рок-группа , образованная в Амстердаме в 1969 году клавишником, вокалистом и флейтистом Тийсом ван Лиром , барабанщиком Хансом Клевером, басистом Мартином Дрезденом, и гитаристом Ян Аккерман . За свою историю группа претерпела множество формирований; с декабря 2016 года в него вошли ван Леер, барабанщик Пьер ван дер Линден , гитарист Менно Готджес и басист Удо Паннекит. Они продали миллион альбомов, сертифицированных RIAA в Штатах. После присоединения Аккермана к рок-трио ван Лира в конце 1969 года группа назвала себя Focus и сначала работала в группе для голландской постановки рок-мюзикла Волосы . Их дебютный альбом Focus Plays Focus (1970) привлек мало внимания, но следующий альбом Moving Waves (1971) и его главный сингл «Hocus Pocus », заработал международное признание группы. Их успех продолжился с альбомом Focus 3 (1972) и Hamburger Concerto (1974), первый из содержал их второй хит-сингл «Sylvia ». После записи двух альбомов с разными музыкантами, включая гитариста Филиппа Кэтрин , певца П. Дж. Проби и барабанщики Колин Аллен , Дэвид Кемпер и Стив Смит , Focus распались в 1978 году. Они ненадолго соединились в 1990 и 1997 годах. В 2002 году ван Леер реформировал Focus с новым составом, в котором ван дер Линден вернулся в группу в 2004 году. Альбомы Focus 8 (2002), Focus 9 / New Skin (2006) и Focus X (2012) были хорошо приняты, и Focus продолжает работать во всем мире . Их последний альбом - Focus 11 (2018). К ним возобновился интерес после того, как Nike использовала «Hocus Pocus» в своей рекламе чемпионата мира по футболу 2010 Write The Future . Focus остается одной из самых успешных и влиятельных рок-групп Нидерландов.

Masterpiece.

Jan came up with the main theme while eating a hamburger.

epic!

Good album, got it when it first came out

See part 2 too!

Incomparável.

You are *so* close, my friend!!! I believe it's based on a piece called "Variations on a theme by Haydn" which was written by Brahms. And Brahms was born in Hamburg, making him a Hamburger and that inspired the album/piece's name : ) As for its first performance of the orchestral version of "Variations", it was given on 2 November 1873 in Vienna by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Brahms's baton.

@Orf - I've never thought about that, and I'm not sure, but I found that the Concerto is based on a variation of a theme written by Haydn, which was premiered in Hamburg.....

Why Hamburger? Jan Akkerman was on tour in the US, eating one, when the idea came to him (pun on Brandenberg concertos). The story is in the Randall biography. John Leonard

Yep. It is indeed a theme by Haydn. Brahms also composed a great variations on the same theme in 1873 (op. 56a)

Good question and i found the answer search in you tube on variations on a theme by haydn brahms. The first piece of this nice classical work is used by focus.

1:38 Abbey Road Beatles Record Riffs and 2:21 too :) Focus Genius.

It wasn´t premiered in Hamburg - sorry. But Brahms composed his "Haydn Variationen" on just that theme and Brahms was born in Hamburg. But I sincerely doubt that this is the reason.

Rends is correct, meaning splits apart as in 'I shall rend the heavens', renders means something entirely different, in fact several meanings depending on context: A substance similar to stucco but exclusively applied to masonry walls; Cause to become; Provide or furnish with; Give an interpretation or rendition of; Give or supply to, and a few others more obscure. So, unless you meant 'it gives an interpretation ...' you are correct. A grammarian grandfather fan of Focus ;-)

someone should reoupload this as one video

O bom e velho rock alemão

¡¡¡¡the E key in the lower Hammond is failed!!!! (weakened spring)

Whats the song called?

the beginning of this piece is similar to "Jerusalem" from ELP :P

Word play, so essentially both of you are 100% right?

3:00

The drummer looks like Hillary Swank :D

Why Hamburger? Jan Akkerman was on tour in the US, eating one, when the idea came to him (pun on Brandernberg concertos). The story is in the Randall biography. John Leonard