Yes, this was a joke to amuse a master class. Do you think his accompanist, much less students would be cackling like this to his face if it wasn't intentional?
"Heifetz gets unconfident while shredding for laughing students" -- not at all! It is a satire on how many beginning students sound in this concerto. What is amazing that he is able to sound so hysterically bad - it is actually very hard to do on purpose! Brilliant satire.
ViolinClass That's what I figured. Lots of those mistakes sounded like they were done purposefully... That would be incredibly difficult to do because you're doing everything you were taught not to do. He must have an excellent sense of humor to play tricks like this.
Yes he knows that, what he means is that you must be a master to play that king of bad so easily and actually go on with the piece. He is serious about the shit he hears every day and is tired of correcting. As well as he is serious about playing outstanding music. You can see his expression on masterclass when a "wrong" sound is coming of the violin, anything out of order. Even by his own master class, he has the same exact expressions when HE makes mistakes too (must look hard to actually hear). This was his 5 minutes expressing that and humouring his students in the process. The "gods fiddler" was a perfectionist with a bad appetite for anything that doesn't sounds just spot on. Whatch his performances and look for changes in expression. Then pause and hear that part again, you will find that something isn't JUST right.AND HE KNOWS IT,you can see he does!! And what wouldn't he give to go back in time and correct it. That is both the reason he was so good, and why he was named the gods fiddler. And the little footage we have from him is a view to behold and listen to, even with the mediocre audio of the time.
@@mrsblue9509 _ Is it your idea that he was making fun of a particular student? I don't think so. if he was, I doubt if anyone knew who it was. So maybe you are the one who lacks humor.
3:39 Making the chromatic crawl out of tune - he nailed it. But the octave itself, the relationship between the fingers is pretty much perfect. Mr. Heifetz feigned defects well, but was never capable of playing truly out of tune. You can't conceal perfection.
Context: "Here's an imitation of an audition I had to hear. It's an exaggeration, but not too much....not too much.." The last few words are what we hear in this video.
Miss Orange Hi, I think David Garrett is a great violinist, he's one of the best in my opinion. Could you explain or show me a video or recording where he plays sloppy and slides wrong?
Jesse Ji Why do you think I'm not chilled? It's the first time I've heard someone saying Garrett is a mediocre violinist, so I asked why. Apparently no reason.
One of my favorite things about violin is that"the better I get the worse I can sound" because I understand better how to kill the sound. I'm sure lots of other violinists would agree with me
The title and subtitle is misleading. This is obviously a caricature, he laughs before starting. The violist William Primrose, who played with him, tells that Heifetz used to play jokes like this to amuse his friends (and students, like in this case). He is great even in his acting as a "great soloist"!
Pointing out the errors he probably heard all day from his students. It's a good way to teach, with laughter and examples. For such a perfectionist, at the end of a teaching session he probably had to play a piece beautifully just to restore his equilibrium.
My grandpa studied under him for a year in his master class. He said this is an example of how funny Heifetz was, not Heifetz screwing up. He was just about flawless till he died.
This is purely a joke performance. Probably to highlight bad playing? He's probably heard it all, but this was hilarious! His interpretation of a "butchered" performance.
i love the nose wipe at 3:58. classic. the only problem with this is that he's using too much bow. an actual student nervous enough and untalented enough to play like this would be using 4 inches in the middle of the bow. still, probably the funniest thing i've ever seen. you have to be an experienced violinist to get it.
The greatest of them all deliberately playing badly for the benefit of these students, who just love it. He does this so impassively that it makes this all the more funnier and proves he had a wonderful sense of humor.
Unbelievable: you REALLY think that he was insecure??? Do you know what HUMOR is???? This is a very well known way for musicians to joke... Please change your title!
thank you very much! It's so incredible to see and hear this master of all times play like a debutant! With a big humor, what an incredible man he was!
it is amusing that his bow technique is still just amazing and he makes no attempt to correct the bad intonation over longer notes (which anybody who is actually "trying" to play the piece in the first place would*)
Peter Rabitt heavenly music from my fav classic composer. seriously. and notice I am an amateur violinist, not a pianist. unffortunatelly those pieces are out of my league. way too hard. Anyway, I love to listen to them.
You have NO idea how hard it is for someone like him to play like this. He is playing the imperfections of puts-playing with the same perfection he played everything else.
@rarecellos He probably never heard such an audition. Heifetz was well-known for doing such parodies, prefacing them with "This is something I had to listen to." He would then stand there deadpan and produce the most annoyingly scratchy music, typical of the sounds that a beginning student would make.
Regardless that the "students" are quite accomplished themselves, there are bound to be nerves in a filmed "master class." I'd say that Heifetz did a marvelous job of offering a break for that stress to remind the students to play, instead of trying to play. That's a master teacher as well as a master musician. There's a Heifetz and Jack Benny skit I found on this page that appropriately had Heifetz playing straight to Benny's gag meistership. Same straight faced persona of a master who knows how to disarn an audience - and work well with others. I'd like to envy that talent but... even that envy is belittling from one with so much less.
This is a "serious person" do funny things, it will make people laugh more happy. I have burst into tears laughing. He is so gorgeous!!! Although he is making "noise", but the sound is not harsh. Not as irritating as the noise made by beginners. You can listen and laugh all the time.
His humor is all the more affecting because he can be so funny and never once smile, himself. Also the imitation is so-o-o much the polar opposite of his own playing, that you cannot help but laugh.
Paul Harris In an interview, Heifetz was asked why he never smiled on stage. His answer was something like this: "There are two reasons for a violinist to smile on stage. One, he is playing brilliantly and completely satisfied with his playing, which I never am. Two, he is playing so poorly, he is thinking about how nice it will be when it is all over, which also never happens with me". The people I have met who knew him said he was warm, witty, and a gentleman.
Always the straight face on Heifetz, even when being a master comedian! I was surprised he could force himself to do that noise for over 5 minutes to the delight of his students.
You're not getting it. He was hamming it up. He was in total control of EVERYTHING. Sets a good and light mood for the students to be in when things get serious.
The *best* part is watching Heifetz try not to laugh. He almost lost it a few times there, but I'm thinking that was part of the act. I've been looking for this video for a long time, out of curiosity. Thanks for posting it!
I'm a high schooler who plays an instrument at a high level (For example, I've gone to Aspen Music Festival, and if you don't know what that is, you shouldn't be saying that you are an expert on classical music and your instrument) and I certainly know something about the music I play. Heifetz is considered one of the UNDISPUTED greats on the violin. It does sound to me like you are young enough that you argue with anything that disagrees with you viewpoint, even if that viewpoint is wrong.
Hello everybody. I am 10 years old and am learning the violin, too. And Heifetz is a hero for me, I don't know why they all are laughing at him he is doing his best I bet and one should pay respect for that. I hope I can play one day the same way as he does. This simply is beautiful, I can play it a little, too, but not the same good of cause.
RE --- "He performed making well-understood errors, ....... serious student of violin would immediately recognise...... absolute favorite moment is when he pauses to make a swipe at his nose!" ...I AGREE 1000%...!!! The person that labeled this as,....."(Rare!) Heifetz gets *?*NERVOUS*?* and shreds"... ...Is definitely NOT a musician.!!!
