World's smallest baton
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wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 16:12 last edited by
I really like most of Shostakovich's symphonies. All except numbers 2 and 3. Even Shostakovich admitted they were failed experiments. But, I recently watched this performance of the 4th symphony which is an intense work.
Link to video
I was struck by the conductor, Valery Gergiev, using which must be the world's smallest baton - a toothpick! I wonder whether the brass and percussion sections can even see it. -
wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 16:21 last edited by
Interesting - I wonder what the (pardon the expression) point is?
Rozhdestvensky was known for using a freakishly long baton.
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wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 16:36 last edited by
Then there was Leopold Stokowski, no baton.
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Interesting - I wonder what the (pardon the expression) point is?
Rozhdestvensky was known for using a freakishly long baton.
wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 16:39 last edited by@george-k said in World's smallest baton:
Rozhdestvensky was known for using a freakishly long baton.
Probably also drove a flashy sports car.
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wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 16:39 last edited by
@axtremus said in World's smallest baton:
Then there was Leopold Stokowski, no baton.
He was post-op.
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wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 17:26 last edited by
From this study, the answer is that conductors do make a difference
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wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 17:40 last edited by
@taiwan_girl Conductors matter, batons do not. It’s one of the most ridiculous pretensions of the orchestral world.
Sure, there’s a theory and a technique, and you can take four years worth of classes to learn the techniques but ultimately they mean nothing. Most musicians can’t even see the baton in stage lighting. Choral directors don’t use them and can be much more effective with various hand gestures.
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wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 17:53 last edited by
You know what they say about conductors with small batons...
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wrote on 24 Mar 2021, 18:04 last edited by
@klaus said in World's smallest baton:
You know what they say about conductors with small batons...
Small gestures?