Customer Reviews

Keeping Score: The Making of a Performance - Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first saw parts of this DVD on PBS and was so intrigued with it, I went immediately to the web site and ordered it. This has to be a 'must purchase' for anybody who is wanting to learn what it is like to prepare for a large concert of a major work.

Michael Tilson Thomas brings the viewer much insight as to what he is trying to achieve from his interpretation of this very familiar piece. Little things such as suggesting a different bow movement makes a huge difference in the presentation.

An excellent educational tool, for those who want to learn more of the background of this piece plus a look at the various instruments that are 'featured' in this piece.

I highly recommend this and hope this is only the first in a series. 'Twould be nice to see other orchestras doing this with other presentations as well!

Well Done MTT & SFO

L J White

New Westminster BC

Canada

I can't praise this DVD highly enough for those who are curious about how a conductor and orchestra prepare and put together a performance of a symphonic work, in this case the magnificent Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony. We get a very generous -- and at times humorous, and always genial -- narration by Michael Tilson Thomas as he prepares a performance with his orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony (which is surely one of the country's great orchestras although it is not generally listed, wrongly so in my opinion, with the so-called Big Five American orchestras). We also focus in on several of the individual players to find out how they prepare for the rehearsals. There is also a scene in which the orchestra talks with a group of children about how the orchestra works, and this includes a funny moment where the piccolo player discusses how nervous she gets playing that incredibly difficult solo in the the Tchaikovsky Fourth's third movement. The rehearsal scenes are then followed by an exciting and fully satisfying live performance of the piece in San Francisco's marvelous Davies Symphony Hall. Sound and video are first-rate.

I've attended many rehearsals of orchestras and this DVD certainly catches the feeling of this intricate and complex team project. I think it would be very enjoyable for anyone interested in this general subject.

Recommended.

Scott Morrison

I really enjoyed this documentary. Ever wonder what musicians think or what Tchaikovsky was going through when he wrote music? This video helped me understand the powerful emotions of music and why classical music is important. Michael Tilson Thomas is brilliant as a guide through this music genre and the story he tells is compelling and very entertaining. There is also a terrific website at www.keepingscore.org

Within the first few minutes of the "documentary" section of this DVD, I felt like groaning. Michael Tilson Thomas is driving his car through San Francisco, saying things like "Music is all around us. The honking of horns...the bells of a church..." (etc. etc.). I had expected more than a grade-school approach to explaining symphonic music.

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded. The docu does take a genial and somewhat light approach to explaining Tchaikovsky's amazing 4th Symphony, as well as the preparations a conductor and his orchestra go through to create an inspired performance. But it is not aimed at young kids. They'll enjoy it, definitely, but adults, even musicians like myself who have performed this piece, will have enough to chew on as well.

There is no in-depth analysis here, but MTT does explain very well the emotional, interpretive side of preparing to conduct the piece. He gives the composition a context by explaining some of Tchaikovsky's life, not shying away from the fact that the symphony was an expression of his fears and conflicts over being gay.

My favorite aspect is probably the behind-the-scenes insight of watching how a professional orchestra prepares for a concert: We see the concertmaster going through the score with MTT, helping the conductor to find the proper bowings and articulations to bring his vision to life. We see the orchestra librarians marking all the parts with these bowings and other articulations/comments/etc that MTT's interpretation has formulated. After the first day of rehearsal, MTT and the solo oboist work to shape the famous solo in the 2nd movement. Throughout, several orchestra members share their thoughts on the piece and the role their instrument plays. We also see footage of MTT meditating before he walks on stage, and striding happily to meet his orchestra backstage after the performance.

MTT proves to be an engaging narrator. He doesn't have to pander or "act" enthusiastically to make this topic exciting, because he so clearly lives for these performances and loves every minute of what he does. His joy in music-making is infectious and clearly has spread to his orchestra; this is a pleasant contrast to watching the stolid faces under Karajan's baton, for example. He's not Leonard Bernstein and he's not trying to be, though that comparison will inevitably be made. He does this his own way and he succeeds. But though he's different I have no problem considering him Bernstein's 21st century counterpart in "classical music outreach." Nobody else is really doing this sort of thing right now on MTT's scale, and he does it as well as one could hope for.

Overall this documentary finds a pleasant middle ground that is hard to nail in this sort of endeavor - its touch is light enough for anyone to enjoy, but offered enough substance to sustain my interest. Those looking for serious analysis should look elsewhere; that's not what this aims to provide, but it succeeds at its intended purpose.

The accompanying uncut live performance, while not really one of my favorites of this piece, is still quite good and will prove very satisfying for those who have enjoyed the insights given in the documentary.

Michael Tilson Thomas and members of the San Francisco Symphony show us the immense preparation for their performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony #4. We are given a rare look at how the interpretation of the conductor is communicated to the musicians and some individual musicians' problems as they prepare to be a part of the wonder that is Tchaikovsky's 4th. The live performance of the 4th is an entrancing look at conductor and orchestra at work. This album is part of the excellent "Keeping Score" series with MTT and the SFO Symphony.

This DVD has 2 main pieces. One captures the artistic process of setting up a reading of Tchaikovsky's 4th through the mind of Michael Tilson Thomas. The other piece which is the jewel of this DVD is a carefully videographed live performance of Tchaikovsky's 4th. What is unique about the filming of the live performance is that they placed several cameras focusing on soloists which they would be able to cut to based on the notes being played. So there are 100's of cuts to show you the performer and soloist when that soloist is basking in the glory of the music. There are also some cool camera dolly type methods which fly by the orchestra. The performance is energetic and MTT's enthusiasm is infectious. It is a glorious event. I liked this DVD a lot. There is some self-advertisement and glorification of the San Francisco Philharmonic. I have no problems with this, except in the "Making of" section, the air time given to thsi gets in the way and takes up time that could be used for a more detailed explanation and analysis of the symphony I was looking for. There is also a bit of time wasted in general commentary on what Music is, MTT driving in a car and explaining very generic stuff. I wanted him to get to the symphony and spend more time analyzing it in detail. There is time spent in showing how MTT thinks about culture, music and how he makes his markings then sends it to the San Francisco philharmonic librarian to copy these
notes onto the several score parts for the orchestra members. I suppose for the lay man who is very new to classical music, this is very interesting; but as someone who is conversant with the genre, I wanted to get to the meat and potatoes - musical analysis, how Tschaikovskly came to write such and such a phrase, some biographical trivia along with this, etc

On the bonus features, there is again an advert for San Francisco Philharmonic which is fine. And there is a nice gem of a slide show narration of Tchaikovsky's life and his 4th symphony. For me the live performance section was worth the price of the DVD. Most classical music DVDs just have the performance; I could consider this DVD being a live performance DVD with a big bonus in terms of the "making of" section. Although the 'making of' should have been the centerpiece of this DVD, for the me the live performance became the centerpiece, since the analysis piece (making of) is more over the surface. Don't get me wrong, all in all this is still a great DVD to own. I loved the live performance.

I live in San Francisco and have had the pleasure of attending many concerts by the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas ("MTT" is what we call him in the Bay Area). The concerts I've enjoyed the most were his Mahler, Berg and Beethoven performances. However I have to add this performance of the Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony. I was in the audience the night this was recorded, and all I can say is WOW! As in so many things, you just had to be there. The sonics of this recording are excellent, but of course they don't capture what I and the rest of the audience heard that night. That is the magic of live performance.

On a side note, the Tchaikovsky was not on the program for the evening of this performance. It was supposed to be the Schumann First Symphony, and the change in program was announced at the very last moment, literally 8:00pm that night. Much as I love the Schumann First, I certainly did not feel cheated as I left that evening.

I do wish to put in a plug for MTT and the San Francisco Symphony's efforts to educate as well as entertain. There have long been very active efforts on their part here in the Bay Area, including visits to school classrooms and children's concerts. MTT has a natural - and infectious - talent for communicating the joy of symphonic music, and the goal of the Keeping Score series is to bring this to the larger national audience. The future of the Western musical heritage of the past 500 years depends on efforts such as this. Many American symphonies today have either declared bankruptcy or are experiencing financial difficulties. Hats off to MTT and the San Francisco Symphony - and all others - who are doing their part to keep it alive.

Michael Tilson Thomas has taken up the educational reins from Leonard Bernstein in the 21st Century. This introduction to the Fourth is great in every respect. From backstage with the orchestra, to the full uninterrupted DTS 5.1 concert, I highly recommend both this title and all of the Keeping Score DVDs. Thomas is easy to listen to, the intro and background of the piece is fascinating and it is all put together in a great package. If you would like to introduce someone to classical music, try any of the Keeping Score discs. They are great!

In Keeping Score we get to see Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony from a few angles MTT is approaching this work as conductor. Unlike other conductor DVDs, this one directs one's attention more to the meaning of the work as revealed by the composer (via notes or life details) than to the effort of the conductor to reach some desired note or musical effect. It is as if MTT were reaching for the meaning, not for the note, at least not beyond what the orchestra members normally have to offer. In reality, conductors do have to reach for both and things cannot be so separated; MTT makes no exception. I should add that MTT has been with SFO for a long time and they most probably know each other musically and otherwise quite well by now.

How well MTT goes about revealing the details of Tchaikovsky's 4th is anybody's judgment. I think he could have done more/better, and feel this DVD is honest yet cursory in its approach. I could describe it as the 24-dollar output of an affable (American) conductor. For the music connoisseur is a nice to watch, for the beginner is a nice to have.

Despite receiving replacement copies of this and The Rite of Spring, all were defective. None of the four DVD's received would play properly in my otherwise perfectly functioning DVD player.
The content seems to be pretty good but so what if you can't see it?