Videos in Google Slides LINC-405: Assignment #4 Peter Y. Chou November 8, 2022

Arturo Toscanini NBC Symphony Orchestra

Conducting Beethoven's 5th Symphony First Movement: Allegro con brio

Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) was an Italian conductor. renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, & his eidetic memory. Appointed the first music director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937-1954). Postage stamp: Italy 948 (3-25-1967), United States 2411 (issued 3-16-1989)

2. Leonard Bernstein Conducts Beethoven's 5th Symphony (1990)

Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic

Bernstein Conducts Beethoven's 5th

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American conductor to receive international acclaim. His West Side Story (1957) blends "jazz, Latin rhythms, symphonic sweep and musical-comedy conventions in groundbreaking ways for Broadway". Film won 10 Academy Awards. Appointed music director of the NY Philharmonic in 1957, until 1969 when he was appointed "Laureate Conductor". Bernstein's Analysis of 5th Symphony.

Eugene Ormandy Philadelphia Orchestra

Ormandy conducts Beethoven's 5th

Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. his 44-year association with the orchestra is one of the longest enjoyed by any conductor with any American orchestra. Under Ormandy's baton, the Philadelphia Orchestra had three gold records and won two Grammy Awards. Eugene Ormandy's box set of "Nine Beethoven Symphonies" is on sale at amazon.com for $47.31.

Seiji Ozawa Boston Symphony Orchestra

Ozawa conducting Beethoven 5th CD

Seiji Ozawa (born 9-1-1935) is a Japanese conductor known for his advocacy of modern composers and for his work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra where he served as music director for 29 years. He won two Emmy Awards in 1976 and 1994. He conducted Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" at Nagano Winter Olympics opening ceremony (1998). Received Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording (2016). Ozawa's Audio CD "Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67" is on sale at Amazon.com for $4.01.

Herbert von Karajan Berlin Philharmonic

Karajan conducts Beethoven 5th

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. Generally regarded as one of the greatest conductors of 20th century, He was the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, having sold an estimated 200 million records.

Gustavo Dudamel Los Angeles Philharmonic

Dudamel conducts Beethoven 5th

Gustavo Dudamel (born 1-26-1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Dudamel made his US conducting debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LAP) at the Hollywood Bowl on 13 September 2005, In April 2007, next music director, effective with the 2009-2010 season. His most recent LAP contract extension, announced in January 2020, is through the 2025-2026 season.

Beethoven (1804) by W.J. Mahler	The most famous four-notes in music— Opening of Beethoven's 5th Symphony

Marvin Minsky's paper "Music, Mind, and Meaning" (Computer Music Journal, Fall 1981, Vol. 5) cited Beethoven's opening of his Fifth Symphony as the most famous four notes in music. It's unforgettable once you hear it. This exhortation of "Wake up!" is not waking up from sleep to our ordinary daytime activities. It is waking up to Buddha (The Awakened One) or Cosmic Consciousness. Mandukya Upanishad (circa 500 B.C.) delineates four states of consciousness: waking, dream, sleep, turiya. This "fourth state" turiya or Pure Consciousness, symbolized by OM or AUM, is the essence or substratum of the waking, dream, and deep sleep states. It is unchanging & timeless. Beethoven who was familiar with The Upanishads may had this in mind when he composed the opening of his Fifth Symphony with the distinctive four-note "short-short-short-long" motif: "dun-dun-dun-DUN!". I believe the last long and louder note represents the fourth state of consciousness— Beethoven is telling us to "WAKE UP!" to Enlightenment! 1) Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (1808) "Wake Up! Wake Up!" 2) Poem: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (3-20-2009) Notes

© Peter Y. Chou, Wisdom Portal P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039 email: (11-8-2022)