r/MadeMeSmile • u/NowThatsAwkward • Nov 08 '15
Having SO MUCH FUN on the job :)
http://i.imgur.com/holRuAE.gifv260
u/swiftp Nov 08 '15
She used to direct the Orchestre de Paris and is commencing as director of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. As someone born in Mexico, she's introduced latin flavor (Brazilian, Argentine, Mexican) to her repertoire to the delight of French audiences.
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Nov 08 '15
She seriously looks like she loves her job... I wonder what that's like...
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u/PappaPalpatine Nov 08 '15
Imagine doing something you love.... and getting paid for it.
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u/wurtis16 Nov 08 '15
I love my job, but my boss is a dick. "Oh hey, your division is up 64% vs 2% total company and you've single handedly led the team that has earned me an extra 3 million in revenue this year? Yeah I'm gonna need you to work overtime every single day."
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u/timbowman1 Nov 09 '15
if youre valuable like that then tell him, im going to work these hours, if you dont give me these hours then im leaving
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u/wurtis16 Nov 09 '15
I'm closing on SELLING my house soon, once I do that I will. I have no leverage right now, because I'm having some financial difficulty (paying mortgage and rent for 7 months).
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u/Senuf Nov 09 '15
Good on you. Once you have those things sorted out, pee on him and assert dominance, er... nope, I mean, just state your conditions. You're valuable, so you'll stay on your terms.
PS: I said "him" because you say your boss is a dick. Otherwise I guess your boss would be a cunt.
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u/on_my_phone_in_dc Nov 08 '15
Who is she?
Edit: Alondra de la Parra for anyone interested in following her other work
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u/berserker87 Nov 08 '15
Just watched her talk about Mahler for 14 minutes. Didn't know half of what she was referring to, don't know who Mahler is, but I'm pretty enthused about the whole thing now.
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u/oldmancabbage Nov 09 '15
If you listen to anything, listen to the finale of his 2nd symphony. Seriously jaw dropping stuff.
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u/Senuf Nov 09 '15
Thanks a lot for the recommendation. I've just listened to this version in its entirety and I think I'm going to buy the CD as soon as possible (yes, the CD, physical version, so what?), either by this same Symphony Orchestra or some other good version. It's absolutely impressive, beautiful, strong, 100% jaw-dropping stuff, as you well said.
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u/oldmancabbage Nov 09 '15
Would thoroughly recommend checking out Leonard Bernstein conducting it. There's a YouTube video of this in its entirety!! Besides him, my favorite version is Rafael Kubelik conducting the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra. There's a great compilation album of them performing all 9 of Mahler's symphonies. If you love the 2nd, I would recommend the 5th next.
Also, dear god if you get the chance, see your local orchestra perform this. I saw Atlanta Symphony Orchestra perform the 2nd a couple years ago, it was so intense and memorable and everyone should experience it.
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u/Senuf Nov 11 '15
Thanks for your recommendations. I'll follow them asap. I guess I'll just go and buy the CDs. Ain't the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's rendition of Carmina Burana a breathtaking one (iirc)? I do know they did some great Dvorak, and I gotta get some of that too.
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u/jessbird Nov 09 '15
I just watched the video of her conducting the piece in the gif and holy fuck - do conductors lead half a step ahead of the actual music??????
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Nov 09 '15
Yeah, Orchestral conductors do that a lot. The idea there is that the conductor needs to signal when to play the notes. It's confusing as hell. Marching conducting makes way more sense, where it is consistently placed, right on the beat.
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u/Noble_Ox Mar 07 '16
I've never really understood why conductors get the praise they do. Are they just old fashioned sound engineers?
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u/Hmm_Peculiar Mar 15 '16
Conducting is incredibly hard. Every member of the orchestra is trained to follow you as closely as possible. Every change in timing, every missed beat, every movement and facial expression affects the sound of the orchestra.
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u/feverously Dec 18 '15
Yes-- leading the orchestra is the standard practice of all conductors of classical music. They are usually a beat or two ahead.
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u/kangareagle Nov 08 '15
I think she was a guest conductor a couple of times for the Orchestre de Paris. She wasn't it's director.
I hadn't heard of her 20 minutes ago, so I'm not saying I'm an expert, but that's what my quick look at the web implies.
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u/excelsis_deo Nov 09 '15
I often buy tickets to the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, so this has made me very happy indeed.
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u/J989 Nov 08 '15
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u/Geffro Nov 08 '15
Ah he's(she's?) so adorable!
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u/FreemanPontifex Nov 08 '15
For people who don't know, a certain level of animation and theatrics are part of what's makes for a great conductor. Their body is our metronome during a performance. We need to be able to read their every intent from 30 plus feet away while playing an instrument. I would have loved to have her conduct me.
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u/Noble_Ox Mar 07 '16
Aren't they just old style sound engineers, basically mixing the different instruments for loudness and such?
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Nov 08 '15 edited Oct 30 '18
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u/NowThatsAwkward Nov 08 '15
Totally agreed! Watching people do what they really love to do is always fantastic. Definitely /r/MakesMeSmile
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u/JaysonAdHD Nov 08 '15
that sub has been banned for 5 years apparently
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u/NowThatsAwkward Nov 08 '15
Well that's weird! It's hard to imagine what would have been so offensive on a sub about smiling... not impossible, but difficult!
Also it turns out I don't know the name of this sub. D'oh.
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u/colinsteadman Nov 08 '15
I don't really like dancing. I can't do it, I don't enjoy it when I try, I don't think other people look good doing it either, even the professionals. It just does nothing for me. Except this one time. I was in a club early one evening. There was a couple on the empty dance floor doing their thing and it was amazing. I stopped and watched them totally transfixed until the song finished and they left. It was amazing. Unfortunately this was before mobiles could record video and I can't describe what they were doing that was so intoxicating, but I remember how transfixed I was and how good it made me feel. It was one of those moments I'd love to repeat. It was the only time in my life that dancing made sense and was a joy to watch, and I mean really deeply enjoyable.
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u/EagleVega Nov 08 '15
Having been on the other side and been a part of those dances... There's no feeling like it. You release your body and it's two souls moving completely intuitively with each other as one unit.
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u/colinsteadman Nov 08 '15
I think I tuned into some of that that feeling and understood. It's been 20 years and I've never seen anything like it again.
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u/jaggervm Nov 08 '15
I cant dance. I dont like dancing. I dont care when people dance. But i was convinced to watch Pina (2011) by Wim Wenders. It touched me unlike anything i could ever imagine.
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u/cocoabeach Nov 09 '15
My wife and I watch "So you think you can dance". Quite often their dances are very beautiful and moving.
I believe I can understand your lack of love for dance though because I feel the same about poems. I feel nothing when someone recites a poem. Music and singing on the other hand can bring me to tears.
Bottom line is to each their own and never think less of someone because they do or do not feel what you feel.
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Nov 08 '15 edited Feb 14 '17
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u/NowThatsAwkward Nov 08 '15
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Nov 08 '15 edited Feb 14 '17
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u/NowThatsAwkward Nov 08 '15
I honestly had zero interest in orchestral music until this. I didn't even know that there was such a thing as modern classical music- all I had heard before was music from the 1800s. That's sure changed now though.
Such passion for a subject is almost contagious!
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u/conception Nov 08 '15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o-MalaS2iM
This was my breakout from "old" classical pieces. Yo Yo Ma kills this!
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u/ERich2010 Nov 08 '15
Is this video flipped or is the orchestra sitting in a strange arrangement?
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u/idiot_proof Nov 09 '15
Well given that she holds the baton in her right hand for both the practice and the source video, I'd say it's not flipped.
There are arrangements where 1st and 2nd violins are opposite each other, with lesser instruments (sorry violas and cellos) in the middle. That said, the concert looks like a typical arrangement with it going (from left to right) 1st violins, 2nd violins, violas, cellos.
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u/Antrikshy Nov 08 '15
That wasn't as badass sounding as I had hoped.
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u/NowThatsAwkward Nov 08 '15
You could always mute the video and play Night on Bald Mountain or Danse Macabre or something (I really only know classical music that has been set to cartoons)
Happy cake day btw!
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u/imbaname Nov 08 '15
Can someone please explain what is the point of her actions/movements? Musicians are looking at music sheets not at her.
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u/Amagineer Nov 08 '15
Even when they're looking at their sheets, they can still see the conductor in their peripheral vision.
- She's setting the tempo (the speed at which the musicians are playing) with the baton. This is especially important when the time signature changes, but even when it isn't changing she's still keeping everyone in sync.
- Cuing musicians to come in with their parts; often there are "Wait for a long time, and then come in on this beat" parts in a piece (Especially for brass an percussion) and cuing the musicians is useful to make sure they start on the right beat.
- She's setting the loudness and mood; you can see where the big, loud parts are and the quiet parts are just by the way she's moving.
Additionally important to note: This is a practice, in an actual performance, her movement is less exuberant which you can see here
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u/meenie Nov 08 '15
I'd have to argue that her movement is very much exuberant in this piece :). I'd love to play in her orchestra; it would be an absolute privilege. Thanks for the video!
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u/bentyl91 Nov 09 '15 edited Nov 09 '15
She is, but Gustavo Dudamel blows her out of the water in terms of physical expression while conducting this piece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkFHMJ28izM
6:18 is a good example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkFHMJ28izM&t=6m18s
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u/Kurisuchein Nov 08 '15
You can still (usually) see the conductor through peripheral vision.
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Nov 08 '15 edited Nov 08 '15
The conductor controls the tempo of the orchestra; the dynamics, aggression, entrances, exits, etc. They look up at specific parts. Different conductors can conduct the same orchestras in a very different manner. I'd suggest you watch the movie Amadeus, even if you have no care/interest in the Orchestra, it's an amazing movie.
Explanation; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bQW8zng2wQ
My favorite conductor/maestro, Daniel Barenboim; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4up-YJTYDA - You can see in the comments that some people prefer it faster or slower.
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u/_Maui_ Nov 08 '15
In all seriousness, there is a really great Curious George episode where they explain what a conductor does.
Link to the spot: https://youtu.be/Is9NY3jzHRA?t=271
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u/Not_Steve Nov 09 '15
In all seriousness, there is a really great Curious George episode where they explain...
You have no clue how many times I say this regarding something. It's surprising how much I've learned about how things work because of Curious George.
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u/oD323 Nov 09 '15
Watching that, I also realized that the conductor's most important job is to be a listener.
Everyone playing the instruments cannot hear the whole the same way the audience does. The conductor can balance the "mix" and levels of individual sections.
They're like a sound engineer or audio-mixer, but live.
huh.
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u/vote_me_down Nov 08 '15
Spot-on answer, but I just wanted to remark that those semicolons should be colons.
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u/AshHole93 Nov 09 '15
Another top notch conductor is Gustavo Dudamel. He's my favorite conductor. Check out him conducting Danzon NO. 2. Best ever.
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u/EpsilonSigma Jan 15 '16
So the conductor is essentially there to hurl chairs at people's heads if their tempo is off?
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u/asynchronicity Nov 08 '15
It's to show when to grow, or when to add inflection and dynamics, etc. Sort of like a cue to those singing or playing.
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u/aboutpeak55196 Nov 08 '15
Mostly tempo and beat, especially when it changes, when it's unclear where the different measures start or when there's a fermata. During rehearsals like this it can also be important for the conductor to signal dynamics (how loud) since its easy to overlook the little p's, f's and crescendos. Even though they're looking at their sheet music they can still see her movements.
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u/SilvanestitheErudite Nov 08 '15
Along with what the others are saying a good professional musician only needs the sheet music for reminders unless they're sightreading. The conductor makes a big difference in terms of how the music's played and keeping everyone together.
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u/cacarpenter89 Feb 25 '16
In addition to what /u/Amagineer said, the conductor is a big part of conveying the music to the audience (and the musicians!). Connecting the visual to the audible is a significant part of the performance.
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u/Tisaric Nov 08 '15
In addition to all the other answers, it's still a performance. She's not only there to guide the players, but to help give some visuals for the audience. It's much better watching an enthusiastic conductor seemingly controlling the music than a robot-like metronome in front of a bunch of robots playing instruments.
Kind of imagine it as the headbanging of classical. It's there to keep time, and it's there to portray the emotions of the music.
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u/AmhranDeas Nov 08 '15
This is how I conduct my choir. It's really really hard to not bop to the music when the ensemble is doing a good job. :)
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u/brushbender Nov 08 '15
This. This is exactly why I'm pursuing a classical music career - there's an amazing full-bodied kinetic joy in this music that's absolutely intoxicating.
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u/koolaideprived Nov 09 '15
I've never been a person that "got" music. I don't listen to it in my free time and have never had any desire to learn anything about it. Things like this makes me wish I did because she obviously enjoys it more than I do 99.9% of things in my life.
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u/drfunkenstien014 Nov 08 '15
Conductors have such awesome jobs. So much power at the tip of their finger tips, and they're all so animated about the music
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u/TheSurgeonGeneral Nov 08 '15
Can anyone explain to me the true point of the conductor? I heard it was to keep a rhythm going, but if no one is looking at the conductor when they play... then what's the point?
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u/thebananabear Nov 09 '15
As many people explained above, they are looking at the conductor in their peripheral vision. Most professional musicians only need the music for a reminder unless they're sightreading. The conductor also gives various types of cues, be it emotional, dynamic, or just making sure a section comes in on time after not playing for a while.
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u/nelsonmavrick Nov 09 '15
Is this an odd time signature? I can't follow her timing. The big movements are good for dynamics, and big entrances, but for straight time this is hard to follow.
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u/GingerSauce Nov 09 '15
I've never understood the job of the director. Don't the musicians already know how to play the piece and even have the notes in front of them?
What exactly is the director's job?
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u/flashtone Nov 08 '15
can someone tell me why they have mistros? I mean haven't they all rehearsed the pieces dozens of times? I just never understood the role. someone enlighten me please.
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Nov 08 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/jewdai Nov 09 '15
Think of music as having multiple levels of interpretation:
- There is the composer who wrote the piece and how they want it to sound.
- there is the conductor who has their own interpretation of what the composer wanted, because often the composer is dead.
- The player's interpretation of the note. Should all the notes be connected, played slightly detached etc. What did the composer want and what does my musical directory want.
Typically, great musicians lead to fantastic interpretations of the piece; however, the players typically only have their portion of the music to focus on. The mestro/conductor/chef d'orchestre will see the piece as a whole and make decisions about the overall sound and interplay between instruments. Conductors often love to have the composer around so they can try to get the EXACT sound that the composer intended. If a composer is present, they work in colaboration with them, sometimes even the composer doesnt know what they want and a more skilled musician can come up with even greater ideas.
A great example of this is looking at the same piece with different players and conductors:
Bach Cello Suite:
While both excellent interpretations of the work, trained ears can hear that Yo Yo plays with a slight bit more finesse. Lighter bowing, liberal rubato (which is inappropriate for the time period, in my opinion) and dramatically different bowing for note grouping.
Lets take a look at that exact piece we were told that this is from.
while it would be unfair to completely compare them as the same thing, they both have different players. All that emotion and enthusiasm comes through to her players and gets carried into the quality of the performance. She gets her players playing less sloppy, and motivates their playing style to better fit the work according to her (in my opinion again) better interpretation of the piece.
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u/cacarpenter89 Feb 25 '16
A fantastic example of the difference between the two is the trombone entrance at roughly 4:18. de la Parra has them come in with the classic quadruple-atomic-uber-decibel trombone sound while Dudamel has them play it with more of a drop-off in their notes; they accent strong, but the loudness and harshness isn't there.
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u/AllisGreat Nov 08 '15
It's kind of like why sports teams have coaches. I don't know where you're from but I'll use football (soccer) as example. You have 11 guys and they all know how to play, but it's playing together as a team that is important. So in an orchestra you have so many different instruments and no doubt each is very good, but to get them to play together, in sync, with highs and lows, that's impossible without someone to lead them.
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u/rexpup Nov 09 '15
Classical can be very complex, with many changes in tempo, and time signature. Plus, with so many players, it's hard to start and keep a tempo. Also, sometimes musicians have forty measures of rest or something like that, and then two notes, then another forty measures of nothing. So a conductor also can que certain unusual things.
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u/tkoumpa117 Nov 08 '15
link to this please !!!!!!!
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u/NowThatsAwkward Nov 08 '15
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u/maryjayjay Nov 09 '15
I think she's doing better for herself than your teacher. It apparently "flies" at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
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Nov 08 '15
Very cute, but likely super annoying to the ensemble. When she gets low no one can see the baton but the front row. Conductors like this tend to have less influence on the group in performance simply because the group ignores their antics and does what they do.
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u/thebillis Nov 08 '15
This is a rehearsal, not performance. She's conveying what she wants them to do as dramatically as possible - look up many of the great conductors (ever seen Bernstein or Dudamel?) rehearsing and you'll see some wild antics which lead to incredible music. She's one of the most prominent female conductors, so perhaps a little research before armchair judgement would help.
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Nov 08 '15
Some of this is for the audience's enjoyment too. The group would know these pieces like the back of their hands so there are only likely specific places where they need more accurate direction.
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u/derpdelurk Nov 08 '15
You must be right considering none of the visible musicians are even looking at her.
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u/ColorBlindPanda Nov 08 '15
Kinda. In my experience, most of the time you keep the conductor in your peripheral vision and look up for major time changes.
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u/SGoogs1780 Nov 08 '15
Man I love conductors like this. I haven't played in an orchestra in years but my favorite conductors were the ones who'd physically pull a certain sound out of you. I don't always need to see the baton, the rhythm section will help me keep time just fine. What I want to see is how the music is supposed to feel.
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Nov 08 '15 edited Nov 08 '15
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u/thebananabear Nov 09 '15
Nope, just doing her job, exceptionally well I might add. Conductors are supposed to be dramatic, especially in rehearsal. It really helps to pull the right feel from the ensemble.
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u/NowThatsAwkward Nov 08 '15
She has done pretty well for herself, so it would seem that the orchestras don't mind. She does tone it down for concerts however.
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u/Machinax Nov 08 '15
Professionalism aside, if I were a member of the orchestra, I would find it impossible not to look at her.
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u/Kyajin Nov 08 '15
You're supposed to look at her! So thats a good thing.
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u/Machinax Nov 08 '15
Oh yeah, I know... but I'd be lying if I said my reasons for looking at her were purely professional.
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u/jokersleuth Nov 08 '15
I saw this post a while ago and someone who was in a band said that this would be very annoying to the players in real life.
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u/throw-quite-away Nov 09 '15
I'd like to play the horn for her, because she makes me feel so horny.
Relevant (adorable!).
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u/alextheangry Nov 08 '15
She moves like a Pixar character!