Look Ma No Hands! Leonard Bernstein at his best...

[zoltan-tamasi]

“The art of conducting consists in knowing when to stop conducting to let the orchestra play.”
— Herbert von Karajan

[abrahamlincoln]

"I'm a conductor."

"Your FACE is a conductor!"

"hmm"

[CorantinSegal]

For those that say his job is basically useless then: he's in charge of the tempo and keeping everyone synced, which is actually hard even when you're an excellent musician because you often can't hear all the instruments properly from your position in the orchestra. You need to rely on the conductor to adjust emotion, rhythm, tempo, etc. Even facial expressions can send those messages if you're someone like Lenny here.

[hb]

To people saying he isn’t conducting and/or he’s not necessary:
1) I can assure you the musicians are watching his facial expressions and adjusting accordingly. Tempo is not all a conductor needs to indicate, but the emotion of of the music as well.
2) Pieces by Haydn, and of this period particularly, are generally a constant tempo. This symphony featured little rubato, meaning the conductor did not need to constantly wave and indicate tempo.

[leoklintman]

For those saying that "then he's not necessary" I can assure you that 95% of the conductors work is done in the rehearsals

[RafaelR-F]

really the musicians are incredibly in sync

[johannsebastianbach]

I wish my relationship with my gf in bed was like the one bernstein has with this orchestra.

[stephenhuntsucker]

It's a pity that someone so passionate about life and music, so full of energy, so full of living had to leave us.

[darylmichael]

I used those same expressions on girls in high school and got expelled.

[guitarfan]

To all those who say that Bernstein is not conducting... well, here he is conducting! The facial expressions are suggesting the atmosphere of the music.

[johnnytheyoungmaestro]

This really proves a point that Leonard Bernstein was, in fact, one of the greatest conductors of all time, as well as one of the greatest musicians. No matter what you do, the musicians have to follow along with what's being asked. May he rest easy. I know he's conducting Heaven's orchestra.

[secularstagflation]

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this video is that people assume just because Bernstein isn't waving his arms around, he isn't conducting. If you watch him and the orchestra around him, there is clearly strong communication throughout the work. He may not be consistently beating out a strict rhythm, but he is communicating emotion, tone, colour, volume, and often adjustments in tempo and rubato through his face, body language, and eye contact.

I am not personally a huge Bernstein fan, but it is clear that the connection he had with his orchestra was second to none - to the extent that he could do something like this and deliver a dynamic and interesting performance.

[maximem]

Bernstein is, for me, a great conductor in a way that he communicated with the orchestra and wasn't leading it like Karajan. For Karajan, music was the most important thing and the orchestra didn't matter. But There were few conductor who were able to communicate with the orchestra like Bernstein, Kubelik, Ozawa. They give the human sensitivity to the music and, at the same time, the orchestra itself ! That's the most wonderful way to lead an orchestra. To be able to communicate with each person in order to make the ultimate masterpiece❤

[Marcus_Berger]

There we have it. The great austrian Vienna Philharmonics are just flawless and a perfect match for Bernstein. My musicteacher back then in school worked with him for a few years. She had to move to the US for that period. Lots of exciting stories she could tell about him.

[vladoh]

Reminds me the French comedian Luis de Funes...

[guyredfox]

Usually by the time of performance the orchestra has rehearsed so much that they can play without the conductor, but the conductor is essential during rehearsal before hand.

[barbarafuglein]

Er war ein exzellenter Dirigent!Ganz zu schweigen von seiner lebhaften Mimik zur Musik.Grandios !!!Als Kind sah ich ihn und war begeistert!!!😊

[AustrianJager]

This was clearly in the "Golden Hall" of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.

[writeract]

That's right Lenny, YOU got the point right, music is felt in the soul & spirit & is then conveyed to the orchestra via ur entire body - u did it perfectly RIGHT.

[ataconazi]

it's an very simple haydn symphony and this just shows bernstein had the utmost confidence they already know how to play it exactly as he wants it from the rehearsals