Carlos Kleiber. The late conductor, Carlos Kleiber, is one of the orchestral leaders that I most admire. When he came before any orchestra, and he knew the music cold! He needed no score… As you watch the videos below, you will see that this conductor’s body is like a ballet dancer, and the players get to feel the style that he wants… Style is so important in music, and it is up to the leader to communicate the desired style to the players. The key is to have players understand how to control the silence between the notes! Let me illustrate with some examples: First, here is Carlos Kleiber in a rehearsal for the 1992 New Year Concert in Vienna:
And next, here he is in the overture to Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus”. The music of Johann Strauss was a specialty of Kleiber’s. He knew how to achieve the elegance and the Waltz swing of this music! Watch carefully, and you will see that Kleiber never conducted from a score!
Carlos Kleiber’s father, Erich Kleiber, was also a very well-known conductor in his day, and he did not want his son to follow a musical career… Music won out in the end, and Carlos became one of the World’s most admired musicians. Next, here is the “Neue Pizzicato Polka, Op. 449”, with Carlos Kleiber conducting the 1992 New Years concert from Vienna:
Traditionally all of these annual concerts always ended with the so-called “Radetzky-Marsch, Op. 228”. Here is this music for you:
