Monday, October 8, 2012

Beethoven was a terrible conductor, though entertaining to watch.

"Though he was not a gifted conductor, his perpetual motion of extravagant, eccentric gestures on the podium was colorful to witness. In a diminuendo passage he indicated the most gradual decrease possible, by crouching down on his knees as low as possible during the pianissimo.

To the contrary, during a crescendo he would rise up gradually into the air, so that on a fortissimo he would stand on his toes and reach up with his arms to their full extent. Beethoven often gave a downbeat on the false accent of the bar, and frequently lost tempo with the orchestra, so that he was forced to find his way back by observing the bowing of the strings."

"Little wonder then that musicians would tremble at the thought of partaking in a performance with Beethoven, who was not only deaf and eccentric, but also stubborn, absent-minded, forgetful, and spiced with a volatile temper."

Davies, Peter J. The Character of a Genius: Beethoven in Perspective. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002.


"Among the violinists was the composer Ludwig Spohr (1784-1859), who was astounded by Beethoven's conducting style, noting how he used "all manner of singular bodily movements. As a sforzando occurred, he tore his arms, previously crossed upon his breast, with great vehemence asunder. At piano he crouched down lower and lower to show the degree of softness. If a crescendo entered he gradually rose again and at a forte jumped into the air."

Drummond, Ron “Aperçu of Apotheosis.” Program Notes. Northwest Sinfonietta: All Beethoven. Town Hall, Seattle, October 3, 2003.

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