Well, by that age Mozart had created say half of his masterpieces. And Glenn Gould graduated from the Royal Conservatory when he was 12, with the highest marks ever.
Mahler Symphony no. 2 is titled "Resurrection." One day everyone will really wake up, and then comes the judgement day of man. I hope people will be found in Jesus.
Why are you a former trombone player? Why not play again? I was a former clarinet player for 21 years, then picked it up after some prodding. Many good community bands to get involved with.
Joe Heid - could not agree with you more. I am a current trombone player in a 60+ piece wind assemble. This Mahler excerpt brings chills and a tear accompanied by a renewed focus to work towards playing the instrument with skill. The emotions on the faces of the people in attendance is one reason every instrumentalist should strive to perform at their best. It is a privilege.
No such things as former musician, once you picked it, forever it will dominate your destiny. Time to pick it up and practice. You are just temporarily lost, may you find your way back to the Path soon.
In reality, the percussionist is actually EXHALING just before he has his Cymbal solo. You can tell this by the way his CHEEKS and lips move OUTWARD... thereby, signifying an exhalation. You can prove it to yourself if you model both an inhalation and an exhalation... because your mouth cannot move like his does if you are inhaling. NONETHELESS, his strike is PICTURE PERFECT !!!
@@mcswato1 You are CORRECT... One can see it clearly at 0:50 as he inserts into the left ear FIRST and then the right ear. Remember, he is the one who gets the full BLAST of the cymbals when he strikes them... and they are supposed to be GRANDIOSE !!!!
Retired orchestral trombonist here. This work is a favorite of mine. I’ve been lucky enough to perform it a number of times. What a marvelous rendition by the RCO. I'm particularly drawn to how magnificently the tuba player maintains the balance throughout that initial crescendo. Well done, well done!
Former orchestral trombonist here. Magnificent! The soloist seems impressed by the horns. We once played a Bill Conti film score show. They hired in five additional trumpet players, all of them with Broadway chops. We were seated immediately in front of all eight of them. I could rarely hear myself or my section mates. I’d like to see the vocalist’s reaction in that situation!
For those of you wondering about the lady in blue at 2:07, she is bowing to her natural instinct to move away from the horns, as it can get extremely loud behind a horn section going full-bore! She should really be wearing earplugs, but it's rather difficult to put them in and take them out, as a soloist. Very cute reaction, though!
The FIRST chord is just the BEST !!! It is CLEAR that all of the trombonists have not only practiced this, but are on the exact same wavelength for this most majestic of entries.... giving us PERFECT harmony in PERFECT unison in ALL ways. Without a doubt, the Tuba completes the ensemble as he gives us the pedal notes for that necessary FOUNDATION of sound. BRAVISSIMO for probably the BEST performance available in modern times.
Imagine sitting in that crowd, being blown away by this incredible force. And it’s all right in front of you. A wall of this deep, dark sound just pushing you out of your mind, giving you the chills, putting you on the edge of your seat. The bass rumbling the floors, the harmonies filling the air.
Best sound, most power, perfect tempo, amazing concert hall, huge consistency with brass, choir not smiling. This is the most perfect recording I’ve heard of this. I definitely see why Royal Concertgebouw is considered the best.
@@rubenchama7401 Smiling is for performances of Strauss and makeup commercials, this is serious music for the bigbrains out there. I see you smiling over there, violist, wipe that shit off your face, you're lucky you're even allowed in an orchestra. Stop crying. The Generalissimo is in attendance.
@@Kitties_are_pretty Personally I don't know how they could listen to this and not cry their eyes out from such a powerful and moving portion of the masterfull Symphony.
Absolutely. And can we get a round of applause for the tuba player. Just one dude and he's filling the hall with his sound. So warm. Just brings a smile to my face
Amen. The power of the grand old sackbut. These trombones are the most powerful instrument in the orchestra. All that power and yet listen how softly they can play too. A lessor orchestrator might have given that brass choral to the horns because they can play softer but it is the tone of the masculine trombone that Mahler wanted here. Even playing soft the trombones are projecting power.
But it's the Trumpet that sounds all and is referred most in the Bible, not trombone. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
This is brass playing of the highest quality.I’ve compared other you tube performances,including the New York Philharmonic and it knocks them into a cocked hat.The depth and richness of tone is nothing short of sensational,combined with the ear splitting accuracy of the Portuguese principal trumpet .It doesn’t get even better.No wonder they are ranked the best orchestra in the world,with principal flute and double bass from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
When the melody comes in for the first time (at @) , it is the 1st and 2nd trombone only carrying the melody (watch their slides), pitted against a triple fortissimo orchestra, the other two trombones are in harmony. I am a horn player and love this section as Mahler indicates for the horn players to raise their bells up which is always very dramatic to see and hear, and it helps make us a bit louder too. When we first play during this section at @, our dynamic is triple fortissimo but when the trumpets provide the echo statement at @, the trumpets play under a mezzo forte dynamic so they will balance the horns (Mahler the master knew which instrument was louder) but when the trumpets play later while the trombones are carrying the melody, they have fortissimo dynamics because Mahler knew they would balance better with each other. Also worthy of note is that the Concertgebouw orchestra trumpet section is playing American style B-flat or C trumpets instead of the rotary valve F trumpets for which Mahler actually scored. - interesting. As an orchestrator, I love the way Mahler used the two trombones to cover each other with stagger breathing. This goes to prove what so many orchestration books say about the trombone as it is the most powerful voice in the orchestra or band. Trumpets come in close second. Those two trombones are overpowering 6 trumpets and the 6 horns as well as the other trombones, tuba and percussion. Good thing that vocalist in blue wasn't sitting in front of the trombones - WOW! But wait, what about those poor clarinet players? Maybe they had ear plugs. Horns can play at peak around 106 decibels before the risk of overblowing. The trumpet is closer to 120-124 decibels while the trombone can go above 130 decibels. Trumpets and trombones can cause you to go deaf over time if sitting in front of them without earplugs. As for horns, not so much, even while sitting behind them, their tone is more refined. We give up that raw power for that more refined tone. BTW, the Concertgebouw orchestra tubist is one of the finest I've ever heard, what power in his own right. Of course all of this is balanced by the conductor but Mahler helped with his masterful orchestrations and attention to dynamic detail. If you can, get a copy of the score and follow the music while watching the score, it's amazing what you'll see. Ever see a trombone solo at mezzo forte morph seamlessly into four horns as they continue with the decrescendo to mezzo piano, morphing on down to the cello section at piano-pianissimo. You will never see this in Mozart or Beethoven, Brahms or Tchaikovsky. Modern film score composers do it from time to time. I wonder where they got it? Gustav Mahler is one of if not the greatest orchestrator ever.
You, my friend, made one great analysis of what Mahler's genius intended to express in his score during his amazing 2nd symphony. I may be factious, but considering he's my favorite composer, I completely agree on what you said about him: one unsurpassed genius in orchestration and on composing symphonies! He was TOO ahead of his time, even Bülow criticized him, yet nobody remembers him while Mahler's masterpieces still shine in their glory!
Tchaikovsky is my personal favourite composers. When i compose, I use dynamics assuming that the players will adapt to their surroundings for example, the trombones play F while the oboes play an F as well despite the trombones being much louder. This ladies and gentlemen, is real music.
The first time you ever hear this bit, it blows your bollocks off. I was at the Royal Albert Hall for a Proms concert. Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa. I was up in the gallery. I'd never heard the piece before, and then this bit happened, and I swear I practically broke down in a gibbering wreck. An absolutely magnificent couple of minutes of music.
You can see the first oboist at least doing a double trill. The C-D trill is the only trill on the oboe that has two easily accessible trill keys so that you can trill incredibly fast while moving your fingers slow. 🤩🥰
Every instrument, including the human voice, has it's own beauty and all the musicians know it. I doubt any other instrument would cause some kind of insecurity -- especially for a renowned operatic singer. She's probably just enjoying the performance
I have listened to this about 20 times at least over the last several weeks. I can’t get enough! I have also listened to at least twenty other versions of this by other orchestras (NY Phil, Berlin, Philadelphia, Chicago, Utah, LA, Boston, etc., etc.) and, in my opinion, there is none better.
After about the 50th time I have started my day playing this for not only myself but also for my students. It still gives me goosebumps. I might be stretching it but I believe all of these players enjoy each others playing and company. A rare understanding of why collegiality is so important to the listener's musical experience. Thank you for expressing beauty through music.
I've performed this symphony, at the time on the contrabassoon. Let me just say, this chorale is nothing without that beautiful buzz added to the buttery-smooth sounds of the brass.
May 2020 has been in my calendar for years and now it is just months away. All of Mahler symphonies in consecutive order played in this venue by orchestras that at one point have been conducted by Mahler. Tickets for all evenings have been in my possession for a year now, lodging has been booked since May 2019. This is a personal gift to myself in the year that I turn 50 and I have a feeling it is going to be life changing.
The 10 Day Mahler Festival that would have been held in May is officially cancelled, like all the concerts in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam up to early June 2020. To be honest I can't see how they can put on concerts in the big hall unless they are small ensembles and with the audiences 1,5 metres apart (which is the guideline right now).
Sadly not anymore as all concerts in the Concertgebouw have been cancelled up to the end of May / early June and possibly even longer due to the Corona / Covid 19 crises.
I had the great privilege of attending a concert of the RCO back in 2010. The angle of my seat in the balcony approximated that of 1.21 in this video. It is the most beautiful concert hall I have ever seen and the acoustics are flawless. The perfect home for that great orchestra. Bravo to those wonderful Dutch!
Bravo to crash cymbal guy for peeking at the concertmaster at his big moment (1:15). Trust the concertmaster over the conductor in those moments to bring you home safely!
my goodness... even better than New York- that is no small feat friends!! The clarity and purity of sound captures the very essence of Mahler's inner state upon conception of this ethereal work. BRAVISSIMO!!!!
It is at this point in the C minor symphony that Mahler finally gives us a triumphant C major harmony, representing the gates of Heaven opening up and angels coming to the earth to summon the dead out of their graves which is depicted in the next section which is a percussion showcase and following march. This section is frightening at first but it transforms into a glorious, lively march full of cheer before it gets interrupted with another frightening moment.
At 0:35 when the most heart wrenching bowing of the violins comes in, it gives me the chills every time. Only Mahler can do this to me so many times in one symphony.
RCB has always had one of the beefiest brass sections on Earth and this is primo. It inspired my 12 year old students who said "play it again!!".. that's saying something.
The brass is most definitely phenomenal...wow..but also huge credit to the strings..man that violin and viola section has some incredible tone...rich, clean, and round.
Ooof a lot of brass sections tend to be a bit ´winded´ at this part in the symphony (which is understandable) but not here. This was crystal clear like a Canadian brass Christmas album. Love it.
What a magnificent work of Mahler. It contains everything on the earth both emotional and spiritual. One comment please. Most tympanists around the world play sitting down such as these members. In the words of the most recognized and greatest tympanist of all time the late Everett Firth of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a discussion with him on the art of tympani, he stated that Timpani must be played standing up in order to play it effectively with the best sound. That’s not a quoted verbatim but that’s what he told me one day backstage in Symphony Hall. I was always very impressed by his outstanding performances.
You know that feeling when,you know that Christ has resurected and won against Satan and all dark principalities... In this chorale I see and feel moment of rejoice and celebration of that...when all Heavens and Earth rejoice and singing...especially at the culmination.. Cheers and hail to collegues from Royal Concertgebouw tbone section..You guys are fantastic!...apsolutely glorious play!!! Much respect and love from Croatia! Bass trombone player here..God Bless you all!:)
