Gangnam-style conductor turns 80
mainWe’ve had one dose of fun with Yuri Simonov this week, ahead of his 80th birthday next month.
Here’s the video that made his fame in parts of the world other conductors cannot reach.
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Good gracious how does he get work?
Here’s the original sound:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR0D_ylqTF2HlwycO0DApI14u4Vjjk86ETnqVuj1ZxUqSjl7v0LUR1_Qbos&v=kmJnM6ZnyzI&feature=youtu.be
Strangely enough, Simonov has been invited to conduct two concerts with the orchestra of the Bayerische Staatsoper this month, April 26th and 27th as a result of a player on the orchestra’s board seeing him conduct and asking why they had not invited such an outstanding artist to conduct them previously.
Why is Joe Biden featured on your humane society ads Norm? Animals not pitiful enough??
“GANGAM-STYLE CONDUCTOR TURNS 80”
It’s “Gangnam”….
I had to google “gangnam style”, and I am sorry that I did.
Preussen bleibt humorlos.
The face is similar to Mark Elder? Not the calisthenic conducting style. Thank heavens.
I hope I still can move like Yuri when I’m 80.
Just not in public. Nor whilst leading an ensemble.
Well, maybe a saxophone ensemble.
When musicians join in the fun! Yuri Simonov conducts Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPSt2aSk25c&feature=emb_rel_end
Thanks Daniel. It is good fun.
He has a good reputation, he knows what he is doing and so does his orchestra!
This is funny!
I’ve always been impressed with how things sound when he conducts; hadn’t actually laid eyes on him until this past week, with these videos. It’s a bit … more than I was expecting, but whatever works.
I saw him in concert with the LSO in the eighties. The whole thing was very underwhelming in spite of the histrionics (in fact I remember the two front-desk violinists exchanging sarcastic glances every now and sgain as Mr. Simomov jumped about the podium whilst conducting a very uninspiring Symphonie Fantastique).
Interesting. Was it the conductor’s style or the orchestra’s uptight attitude (typical Brits) that made it uninspiring?
Today’s research challenge: Gangnam-Style; career of Yuri Simonov. Both brilliant, in their very different ways. Thanks to SD for directing us to so many diverse musical matters.
Dear Norman, Thanks for dredging this spoof video up for Mo. Simonov’s 80th birthday. He was Mravinsky’s assistant and preferred successor with the Leningrad Philharmonic before becoming the first Soviet to win an international Conductor’s competition (Santa Cecilia, 1969). After that the Bolshoi Theatre invited him to conduct ‘Aida’ following which thay appointed him Chief Conductor. He remained there until 1985 – their golden period. He led the company on tours to New York, Paris and elsewhere. Sol Hurok was so impressed with him that when Simonov returned to the Grand Hotel after a performance at the Opera he found he had been upgraded to a suite. His London concert debut replacing Abbado with the LSO required him to learn ‘Die Erwartung’ overnight. The LSO were so impressed they engaged him for a 7 – concert Tchaikovsky series the next season. This is also the man who taught at the Moscow Conservatoire for decades. He has been Chief Conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic for 23 years and has raised them to a first class ensemble. So his style may be graphic but don’t be deceived. He is in his way one of the great conductors. PS. Don’t forget to trot out ‘Gangnam’ for his 90th birthday.
There’s a YouTube video of Simonov conducting a rehearsal of Bartok’s 2nd piano concerto with Zoltan Kocsis. It looks crackers, but my goodness it gets brilliant results!!