The finer points of baton technique

[Bert Coules]

I hope this does come under the general heading of "performance": a short video demonstrating various conducting techniques from someone who clearly studied the Adrian Boult/Reggie Goodall approach and then decided it wasn't for him. Wonderful enthusiasm and energy.

How to conduct Beethoven.

[Chris Newman]

He looks frighteningly like another child prodigy, Bert:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.classicalsource.com/images/upload/6170_3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_features.php%3Fid%3D6170&usg=__xVkmFGk-bB-EjdcwuSZin0o3ft0=&h=258&w=200&sz=14&hl=en&start=15&zoom=1&tbnid=as5hteGQtXRenM:&tbnh=148&tbnw=115&ei=M3pBTaeLJIm48gPpndU8&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlorin%2Bmaazel%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2RNWN_en%26biw%3D854%26bih%3D458%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C825&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=284&vpy=116&dur=1731&hovh=206&hovw=160&tx=86&ty=97&oei=53lBTaGFHtO3hAe-vI2_AQ&esq=2&page=3&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:15&biw=854&bih=458

[Uncle Monty]

I've been reading Michael Kennedy's book about Adrian Boult, and reportedly in his younger days Boult could grimace, writhe, and hurl himself around with the best of them

[Nick Armstrong]

I've seen many worse in tie'n'tails. Great fluid stick technique. Great clip!!!

[Cellini]

I saw an old clip of Bernstein conducting fom 1967 - R Strauss. I was really watching and listening to the leader's solos, but I noticed how good Bernstein's conducting was, at least for the first few minutes. But then he got rather over-enthusiastic and started jumping around. Pity, he seemed quite promising for a while ...

[Bert Coules]

Funnily enough, the moment I saw the clip I thought of Bernstein.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've been reading Michael Kennedy's book about Adrian Boult, and reportedly in his younger days Boult could grimace, writhe, and hurl himself around with the best of them

I saw Boult conducting VW London Symphony in Manchester in the early '70s and he was far less restrained than the mythology would suggest.

[Petrushka]

I saw Boult conducting VW London Symphony in Manchester in the early '70s and he was far less restrained than the mythology would suggest.

I think it was Rodney Friend, one time leader of the LPO, who said in a television interview that the audience behind Boult saw this English gentlemen but the orchestra could see he was foaming at the mouth.

[Cellini]

It is simply amazing that these stories about Boult are going the rounds.

All BS and could not be further from the truth.

As someone who sat within five feet of him most of the time, I can safely say all this talk is total rubbish.

[gradus]

Well what was the truth?

[Prommer]

My god, there's something there! Not just because he knows the music, either...!

[Bert Coules]

It is simply amazing that these stories about Boult are going the rounds... All BS and could not be further from the truth.

Then how did the story originate? When I wrote my post above and needed a second example of undemonstrative conducting for the joke, Boult came into my head without a moment's thought. It might be total rubbish but it's a very widespread belief. Perhaps it is a case of the audience's view giving a very different impression from the orchestra's, as Petruska reports.

[Cellini]

I can only tell the truth as I know it having done many rehearsals and concerts with him.

He only got slightly impassioned when someone lit a cigarette in a rehearsal, and then it took time to build, with the odd sarcastic comment. Of course we all got a lot of fun out of this and no-one would tell the player that Boult was referring to him about his cigarrete and then it would get to the minor explosion stage ...

His conducting was always calm, even when things went wrong as they sometimes did. He was always polite and had a wicked sense of humour which many people never got.

Even when he was exasperated with useless student conductors on a course he would still be polite and clam, only asking if a member of the orchestra could do better. I was very close to making a fool of myself, but luckily my better jusdgement kicked in, even though I was convinced I could start Beethoven 5 better than they had managed.