Speaking Soundly: Carlos Kleiber changed my life
OrchestrasThe latest guest on David Krauss’s show is the conductor Joshua Weilerstein.
He talks about joining a youth orchestra to make friends, being told to toughen up if he wanted to conduct and discovering the one conductor who made the biggest difference of all.
Listen here.
Such a cutie, don’t know who is better, him or Viotti?
Aww… use your ears and brain too, little Ted.
Haha! Conductors are all so overrated in importance I think they may as well be good to look at at least!
The only thing I agree with you is this exaggerated importance of conductors in todays world. They told us 20+ years ago that “music is not for earning money”. But nowadays conductors are driving Porsches, living in three cities, flying with business class tickets and have a courage to tell that they are “Music Servants”. C’mon guys, your impact too the world (music world as well) is so tiny that even in US they don’t know whom Bradley Cooper portrayed.
Joshua Weilerstein is not alone in the influence of Carlos Kleiber. As a graduate music student, I first heard Kleiber conduct Beethoven’s 7th symphony. Its power, immediacy and grandeur of the opening were stunning. Carlos Kleiber was one of the great conductors of the 20th century.
Couldn’t agree more. I heard him conduct the famous LSO concert for which he received a bad review from an eminent London critic and vowed never to conduct a concert in London again. My recollection, possibhly faulty, is that he jumped in at the last moment for a sick Karl Böhm. He was true to his word. I also heard him lead a stunning performance of Otello with Domingo, a late replacement for a new production of Andre Chenier. In 1976 I attended the centenary Bayreuth Festival and enjoyed a beautiful production of Tristan. Kleiber was in the pit – I didn’t know who he was!
Pure family politics made this kid’s career and sadly he has none of Kleiber‘s talents.