The art of conducting : Valery Gergiev on Prokofiev's Scythian Suite

[pangaia]

8. It was stunning, but not at all surprising.

I have heard him conduct several times in the past..in St Petersburg..

I have a couple friends in the orchestra.. there were 2 rehearsals, actually,,
There is no question the man is brilliant....Inner voices which when brought out change everything, balance...articulation in strings...pacing... creating such a long arch, especially in that particular one..it's really difficult........nothing unusual about the concept, BUT, how he hears is what makes the difference..

it was the first time I had heard the Rott Phil live. it is really a stupendous band...
By the end of the second rehearsal it was a different piece. He hears things few conductors hear.

I heard all 3 concerts.. Rotterdam, Concertgebouw and Rotterdam..

There was another short rehearsal before the Amsterdam concert. Mostly adjustments for the hall. Both halls have excellent acoustics, but of course Het Concertgeboouw is special...and one doesn't have to work at all to get the sound to fill it...

I've also sat in on rehearsals with Myung-Whun Chung... THOSE.....THOSE were really special..with Seoul Phil and Tokyo Phil