Chin Ting Chan | composer
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Conducting

5/16/2010

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Carlos Kleiber, one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, is really my favorite conductor. Note how he shapes the sound with his baton and his whole body. He doesn't simply beat time; indeed, none of the great conductors beat time. The orchestra reflects every movement Mr. Kleiber does on stage, and vice versa ----- it's a two-way communication thing. A conductor is the spiritual leader of an orchestra or ensemble; at times, he needs to be an educator, "traffic police" (as Ozawa puts it...) and technician, but most of the time, he is a musician who makes music.

By the way, can you count how many circles Mr. kleiber has drawn? Every music teacher tells you that circular motion is the most natural movement you can draw with your body, but it is not the only way to conduct, of course. Try drawing squares and see what kind of sound you get! (okay, it's awkward...) Conducting teachers tell you to move smoothly and gradually like feeling the resistance in water for a legato, bounce at the top of the beats for a staccato, raise or lower your left hand for crescendo and decrescendo... let me tell you, it doesn't matter as long as you can convince the musicians and communicate with them clearly with your gestures. Every conductor is different, just like every pianist is, in their movements, musicality, personalities, relationships to the orchestras ------ every little thing in them affects the SOUND. It is what makes conducting so fun for me. I like to find out what kind of sound I get from interacting with different musicians.

One thing though, Carlos Kleiber always seems to lack eye contact. Maybe I am wrong because I never played for him obviously, but he does seem a little zoomed out. He doesn't correspond his eye contact with his baton and his phrasings. In Mr. Kleiber's conducting, the sound of the full orchestra is shaped simultanously, while some other conductors cue and pick on every little details. So, which conductor lacks eye contact? Check out Karajan, who closes his eyes all the time, even in rehearsals. If you want to see what real eye contact is, check out Fritz Reiner; he stares at you mostly...

This is the best recording I could find of Brahms' fourth symphony ---- I prefer it than the one he did with the Vienna Phil. To some extents it's because of the video. I think music can be seen. That's why we go to performances!
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    Patrick Chan

    Welcome! Please feel free to leave some comments. Also, check out the music page and many full audio samples!

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    @ IRCAM ManiFeste 2013

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  • Home。主頁
  • About。簡介
  • Music。音樂
    • Large Ensemble >
      • Deform and Reform
      • Qing Ming
      • Dust Devil
      • Untitled
      • Falling Stars
      • Shadow Play
      • time, unfolding
      • Veiled Light
      • Apparitions - a fantasy for chamber ensemble
      • Fanfare for Brass and Percussion
      • Symphonic Movements
    • Chamber >
      • flying ink, fainting light
      • Fracture
      • fuse V
      • fuse IV
      • fuse III
      • fuse II
      • fuse
      • In-pulse
      • Don't Look
      • Ictus
      • (dif)fused
      • Double Exposure
      • Flying Ink
      • Fractals
      • Double Waves
      • Drift
      • reaching up, touching down
      • Friction
      • Cross-strings
      • Thread
      • Axis
      • Mirage
      • re[sou]nding
      • Crosswind
      • Anemoi
      • ...and see it vanish
      • Icebergs
      • Moments
      • Haengma
      • Acoustic Field
      • Five Songs of the Von Seggerns
      • Saxophone Quartet
      • Elegy for Clarinet and Piano
      • Transfiguration
      • Caprice for String Quartet
      • Duo for Two Flutists
      • Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Marimba
      • Trio for Horn, Cello and Piano
      • Woodwind Quintet in C
      • String Quartet in A minor
    • Solo >
      • Ripple
      • Insight I
      • Flare
      • Postcards
      • Central
      • ...remembering Glenn
      • Cross-currents
      • Flurry
      • Shape of Wind
      • Shattered Wind
      • Five Etudes for Solo Piano
      • Suite for Solo Cello
      • Fantasy for Solo B-flat Clarinet
    • Electroacoustic >
      • 52 Blue
      • Mirror Sculpture
      • Shadow Objects
      • Stutter
      • Reel
      • Elements
      • Moment Studies
      • Static
      • Rituals
      • tempora mutantur
      • Whispers of Time
      • time, forward
      • Katachi IV
      • Stargaze
      • Katachi III
      • Katachi II
      • Katachi I
      • Awakening
      • Improvisations
      • Oceanus
      • Zone 23
      • Of Metals and Electrons
      • Three Episodes
  • Listen。聆聽
  • software。程式
    • mapping
    • matrixes
    • multiplication
    • pitch sets
    • set variants
  • Gallery。畫廊
    • NYC, Staten Island, Coney Island
    • Boston, Portland, Acadia
    • The Streets of Valencia
    • The Streets of Paris and the Palace of Versailles
    • The Smokies 2014
    • West Coast Summer 2013 Road Trip
    • Grand Canyon National Park
    • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    • The Smokies
    • Guilin (桂林), Yuangshuo (陽朔)
    • Zhangjiajie (張家界), Phoenix City (鳳凰古城)
    • Old Pictures
  • Contact。聯絡