classical music videos: a gimmick or an innovativ way to attract new crowds

[levdeych]

Here is a link to yet another narrative music video set to a classical piece. What do you think about this new tendency?

[mjames]

A gimmick used to attract to new crowds. Not really innovative when you consider the fact that the classical music industry is several decades late.

Though to be honest, I consider video recordings of performances as musical videos too, and imo they are way more valuable than the hollywood/sony vegas styled stuff. I mean, I don't think that serious music lovers aren't all that into watching musicians act poorly. lol

[levdeych]

Useful for whom? For other musicians? What does a lay person tale from watching hands movements and facial expressions of a musician? And in this particular case, I wonder  whom did you mean by "acting poorly musician"

[compline]

I actually liked the video. Thank you for introducing me to this piece.
 

[cuberdrift]

Actually, I have an idea about this.

Most, if not all of you, know about Lang Lang's exaggerated facial expressions/hand gestures.

Well, I propose a new, alternative way of interpreting a classical piece; the video only shows a person's face. JUST the face. There is NO background whatsoever behind the face (maybe make it all-white or all-black).

The face interprets the music using facial expressions. The person frowns at the angry parts of the piece, smiles at the happy parts, grimaces, scowls, etc. depending on the music.

What do you think? 

[dcstudio]

I really like the idea--and who doesn't love this piece... but  let's hope if this trend continues that they hire people to make better videos.  This is worse then MTV vids in the 80s

[levdeych]

I wonder what exactly you did not like about this particular work? I did watch MTV in 60th so have no idea what you are talking about. And given that I was kinda involved in producing this video, I would very much appreciate a more constructive criticism, if this is, of course, not too hard.  I would also appreciate a comment about this other piece

[dcstudio]

ooops....apologies...   

   

[pianoman53]

I kind of like this idea. The problem is that we're not very good at it.

It's like the producer thought "What does the audience like?" or "hmm, let's make something deep!". It tends to be the same when classical musicians tries to play pop. Most of us thinks it's easy, and then we play it like crap.

[pianoman53]

And to underestimate people is also not good. This piece is about so much more than a girl who's wondering around in the woods. Because to make music videos, without telling a story, or telling a far to vague story, is not good.

If you want to do music videos, I'd suggest you to update yourself a little, in how they are made.

check this one!

[levdeych]

I liked the video you quoted, thank you for bringing it up. It was made much more expensively than ours, but first, I do not think it is fare to compare them directly. Campanella is a dance, and so it is much more straightforward to come up with a story line - show people dancing. I am not saying it to disparage the video - I liked the look of it, the style, etc. I think that setting it in a old style movie theater is a nice touch, but it is a little bit too much to your face, in my opinion. To create a story to a prelude, which is a very abstract musical form is a completely different story. You do not want to make your story too concrete - a lot of people vehemently oppose to it, and I, partially, agree with them. What you want, in my humble opinion, is to find a visual representation for feelings that the performer has for the piece of music. And the girl in this video is just one layer. On a different level this girl represents the feeling of loss, the feeling of longing for something ephemeral, which disappears once you almost caught it.  I see quite a few shortcomings of this particular video -mostly in the girl's performance, and the piano bench could have been decorated better, but it also has a lot of strengths: story line, editing, beautiful cinematography, and, of course, the work of the pianist. I am always thankful for criticism, but I prefer it to be much more specific and less patronizing. I do not think that this Campanella has something to teach us, which we did not already know.  

[pianoman53]

I very much disagree with you. Why make a video, if you don't want to show something? To just show a very vague picture won't add anything. It's abstract only in the way that there is not only one truth to it. I see it somehow as a sort of homesickness to something that never existed.
That could easily make a 3 minute short film, without being too concrete.

If you have your story, I would do so much more than you. If it represents loss, it could be that no one sees her. It's like telling a joke; If it needs to be explained, it's either not for the right audience, or it's simply not a very good joke.

I didn't get the feeling of loss at all, in this video.

Either, I think, you should really tell your story (not just a general one) or you should go for the beautiful scenery. I would not go sort of in the middle, because it wouldn't tell anything.

[levdeych]

Let me quote for you a comment left on Youtube for another video, which I helped to produce (

):

"I am vehemently against this current trend of making a literal "story-line" narrative and imposing it upon an abstract piece of music. It is antithetically against the intent of what abstract pieces of music are for. (This is a current popular fashion, even a bit trendy in the lesser branches of musicology.) It is all part of a general trend toward a LITERALISM which is absolutely murderous to creativity, whether in the making of music or in the listening to it. That trend is abhorrent."

The person who left this comment is a prominent member of the piano forum community. I am just saying that there are quite opposing views on the issue. My view is that by making your story line too concrete you limit the broad field of meanings, which a listener could have given to a piece of music. The opposite extreme is just the traditional form of presenting music and is not really appealing to MTV generation. So, I do think that it is worthwhile to try to find a middle path, the one, which helps listener to connect with music without limiting his imagination too much. At least this was the goal for this video and the previous one.

[dcstudio]

ok...  I didn't like looking at the old piano and hearing a concert grand---I didn't understand the purpose of the little girl either. 

if you're gonna make a vid to attract crowds....  then make something exciting--something that will get people to watch.

I mean no offense---  it would have been nice if you had indicated in the OP that this was your production,

[dogperson]

On a personal level, I am not fond of the concept, as I find the videos distracting from the music.  On the other hand, I, as well as everyone on these forums, enjoys (loves) listening to and playing classical music without any video accompaniment.  I don't think we can make that statement for the general public.  Where I live, attendance at symphonies is, sadly, an older crowd.


Therefore, if this trend inspires more people to think that classical music has something to offer to them, and become interested in the genre, it is not just a 'good thing' it is a 'great thing' to have these videos.   Who knows -- they may find a recording and now give it a chance.  

[sabtan]

Did anybody say they want something exciting??

How about Josh Wright playing an exploding piano ( with paint and fireworks ) on one of Chopin's Etudes??

[/youtube]

[levdeych]

This, I believe, a meaningless gimmick. On the other hand, it an etude, and by definition does not have much of musical content, right? It is a show off piece to impress people with how fats your fingers can run. But may be it is not, may be Chopin did express something in this music, which goes beyond pure virtuosity. Then, it would be nice to have video to reflect it somehow.

[pianoman53]

How about the Disney movie Fantasia? Clearly puts a story on abstract music. Though, I haven't heard anyone who complains about that...

[levdeych]

Fantasia is a wonderful cartoon, but it was made ages ago...

[pianoman53]

Classical music on the other hand...?

I don't quite understand your reasoning though. Can you show me a really good pop video (or whatever you have in mind) that is great, without telling a story?

[levdeych]

I am not sure I understand your question. I am not an expert on pop videos, but some that I saw did not really tell any stories at all. Which story does this video tell (randomly found on Youtube)?

. As far as classical music is concerned, my reasoning is that the story cannot be too concrete, it must leave some room for listener's imagination and interpretation., while at the same time it should visualize interpretive ideas, which a performer has with regard to the pice of music they play.   Here is an example of what I have in mind: I like this video even though it was made with virtually no budget and could have been approved should its creators had more resources:

Another video, which I posted two topics below, the one on the Klein's Lullaby, does tell a very concrete story, but this is a special case. To me it is more of a short film with music as a soundtrack rather than a music video.

[pianoman53]

my question came from the idea that you need to have some inspiration. Or did you just come up with music videos, out of the blue?

That's why I wanted to see a video that you enjoyed, so I could understand the idea. I know there are many "abstract" videos, but I don't know what you have in mind... which makes it difficult to give advice.

[levdeych]

my question came from the idea that you need to have some inspiration. Or did you just come up with music videos, out of the blue?

It comes from assumption that every peace of music is a story told my a performer, which might be defined only in very general terms, and which follows from interpretive ideas the performer might have. Obviously not every musician can cast or recast their interpretation of music in the form of visualized story, so the format of music videos is not for everyone. But if it is it comes from the musician. Director just help him/her to turn into a sensible video story.

And I did you examples of videos I like to different degrees, but which illustrate the general idea.