Comments on: Ravel in a train station

Ravel in a train station

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:44:16 -0800

Ravel's Bolero in Copenhagan train station. that is all

By: Salvor Hardin

Salvor Hardin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:50:45 -0800

Wonderful!

By: biffa

biffa — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:51:37 -0800

Where are the skaters?

By: Foci for Analysis

Foci for Analysis — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:55:48 -0800

Amazing. More concerts should be performed like this: amongst people and in the public.

By: furiousxgeorge

furiousxgeorge — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:55:51 -0800

Ravel's Bolero in a massive space battle. that is all.

By: ts;dr

ts;dr — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:59:12 -0800

I hope they timed it so no train was leaving during this. I would totally miss my connection...

By: tomswift

tomswift — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:03:20 -0800

Few flash whatevers bring a smile now-a-days, but this one did..... thanks!

By: finite

finite — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:14:48 -0800

I hope they timed it so no train was leaving during this. Considering that the video is nearly five minutes long and more than 1,450 trains leave the station daily, it seems unlikely.

By: unsupervised

unsupervised — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:18:26 -0800

Oh, what a world we live in.

By: Kabanos

Kabanos — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:23:42 -0800

I want to see the large trench coat from under which those tympani appeared.

By: Runes

Runes — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:30:26 -0800

Another reason to move to Denmark...

By: Jode

Jode — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:40:41 -0800

That was fabulous. I'm imagining how bogglingly awesome it would be in person. I would definitely give them a krone.

By: Sternmeyer

Sternmeyer — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:43:51 -0800

Wonderful.

By: argonauta

argonauta — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:49:02 -0800

I want to see the large trench coat from under which those tympani appeared. YES. I want to see it, and then marry its owner. or at least buy him a Carlsberg or something.

By: basicchannel

basicchannel — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:55:30 -0800

I feel like the choice of song was important. An immediately accessible, exploding, serpentine dance in celebration of whatever it is that put that smile on your face.

By: eggtooth

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:00:35 -0800

I agree, basicchannel....it builds perfectly

By: BrashTech

BrashTech — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:03:29 -0800

I love Bolero for the same reason that I love the 1812 Overture: it's tacky and loud and just made of pure awesome, and never fails to put a huge smile on my face. Thanks for making this part of my day, eggtooth!

By: eggtooth

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:08:14 -0800

Hey, BrashTeck. For me, somehow, it always came to mind when I was digging in a ditch.

By: winna

winna — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:08:28 -0800

I'm trying to think of other pieces that build and build like that so that you can legitimately have just a couple of instruments at first and then end with a whole orchestra. I boggled with delight when I saw they had actually lugged in a harp!

By: naplesyellow

naplesyellow — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:52:42 -0800

breathtaking!

By: deborah

deborah — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:19:14 -0800

One day I will be in a place where a flash mob happens and I will be happy.

By: jet_silver

jet_silver — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:33:52 -0800

This was brilliant. All the fuss about how classical music isn't accessible is here proven to be half the problem of the orchestra hall itself, which - when it is removed from the equation - makes the music and the orchestra charming. The orchestra members were clearly and obviously having fun, and I hope it inspires much more of the same.

By: Max Power

Max Power — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:43:10 -0800

Good ad.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:49:52 -0800

With Bolero, Ravel was experimenting with layering orchestral instruments on top of another, all playing the same (to some, excessively repetitive) phrase and rhythm, in order to create a "new instrument". He repeats the phrase and rhythm over and over again, but with different combinations of instruments, which in turn make new sounds. The piece is also notable for including saxophone, which is rare in orchestral arrangements.

By: leslies

leslies — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:56:15 -0800

This just made my day after dealing with flooded basement and other assorted crap - the look of glee on the performers' faces and the sheer wonder of it - harp! tympani! and even sneaking in the conductor's platform! Delicious!

By: eggtooth

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:57:15 -0800

I thought the King of Spain commissioned a piece and that this was Ravel's mocking response. One theme, repeated with each orchestral section, building to a (in this example) mocking crescendo (the trombones) with the whole orchestra. or, is it just me?

By: idiotking

idiotking — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:06:59 -0800

Thanks for a great post.

By: theBigRedKittyPurrs

theBigRedKittyPurrs — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:27:21 -0800

That was delightful. I especially liked the moment early on in the video when the father sat down with his children, settling onto the floor to enjoy the music. Seeing this has made my night.

By: Nick Verstayne

Nick Verstayne — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:35:53 -0800

I was in that concert hall - oops, sorry, train station - about 25 years ago. That gig just made my memories of it even more awesome. It was great to see the performers in their street clothes too, not in evening wear. Great post - made my night.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:45:58 -0800

Things to love about that video: The seemingly endless influx of musicians All the parents with their kids and how they're interacting with them about the music The intensity with which the players are playing How once it's over, the orchestra just disappears This was outstanding, and put a giant smile on my face for the evening. Thanks so much for posting!

By: eggtooth

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:50:25 -0800

Oh, hippy, I think I love you

By: letitrain

letitrain — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:53:33 -0800

I loved all of it, but especially the confused elderly woman at the end. WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:53:44 -0800

Well, you'd better, because I just MeFi Married you.

By: jpolchlopek

jpolchlopek — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:55:49 -0800

I think if I had seen this in real life I would have sat down on the floor and cried for joy. Out of all the terrible things in the world, to see a crowd of professional musicians playing something so immediately accessible and beautiful for no reason other than they can fills me with hope. No forewarning, no audience, per se -- just a throng of humanity witnessing something extraordinary. Isn't it wonderful to be alive, sometimes?

By: eggtooth

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:57:02 -0800

"because I just MeFi Married you." uh, ok, good.... what does that mean, por favor!

By: hippybear

hippybear — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:00:35 -0800

It means I added you as a contact, but made sure to click the "spouse" button. It comes from the Great Metafilter Enspousening of 2009.

By: eggtooth

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:06:42 -0800

Oh Oh..... I Think I just shit myself......

By: hippybear

hippybear — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:08:34 -0800

goodness! I hope that's out of excitement and not terror!

By: eggtooth

eggtooth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:12:54 -0800

I think necessity jihad something to do with it.

By: MissySedai

MissySedai — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:29:21 -0800

I love this piece so very much. I heard it for the first time in 1984, when Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean skated to it in the Sarajevo Olympics. My 14 year-old self was fascinated and a little obsessed with the piece after that. I'm 41 now, and never have quite gotten over the thrill of hearing the glorious wave after wave of music.

By: nooneyouknow

nooneyouknow — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:34:15 -0800

I'm 41 now, and never have quite gotten over the thrill of hearing the glorious wave after wave of music. If you aren't moved by Bolero, there's something wrong with you and you should see a doctor to get it fixed.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:35:30 -0800

FWIW, this is a pretty condensed version of the piece. Apparently Ravel said the piece lasts about 17 minutes as written and the average performance lasts about 15 minutes.

By: Ruodlieb

Ruodlieb — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:36:30 -0800

Previously: Fragments of La Traviata in a Spanish fruit market

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:39:59 -0800

Wonderful! This reminds me of the Philadelphia Opera's Flash Mob performance of Brandisi (The Drinking Song) from La Traviata at the Reading Terminal Market in 2010. You'll recognize the song immediately I love bringing high art out onto the street where it belongs. I watched this video of Bolero with my 2.5 year old in my lap and his response was the same as if I way playing The Clash -- clapping, fist in the air, and screaming at the end.

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:41:36 -0800

Wow, synchronicity. I like the Philadelphia one better, more crowded, with more PA schlubs.

By: theplotchickens

theplotchickens — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:58:31 -0800

This video went around on a harp forum I'm part of. We were all wondering EXACTLY how did that pedal harp get transported in and out casually? The timing was perfect, for me anyway, as I'd just earlier that week been advocating for a harp flash mob. My notion had been dismissed out of hand by the more experienced harpists because "harps don't flashmob". Seriously, pedal harps are heavy! And not too hard to topple, which can be potentially fatal for both the harp and any bystanders... I still contended it could be done. Then, lo and behold, this video shows one in action! I watched the video several times, and still didn't figure it out. *sigh* I suspect unseen harp roadies.

By: arsey

arsey — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:03:12 -0800

Looks like it could've been pretty heavily edited. So great, regardless! Reminds me of a similar bit of subway classical

By: JujuB

JujuB — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:26:29 -0800

Bravo!

By: swift

swift — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:14:41 -0800

I first learned about Bolero from Zbigniew Rybczyńsk's amazing Stairway to Lenin and will forever associate the two.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:22:48 -0800

I first learned about Bolero from Zbigniew Rybczyńsk's amazing Stairway to Lenin and will forever associate the two. Oh. Dear. God. "The Orchestra" That damn thing haunts me so hard.... I have a VHS of it someplace, and still drag it out to torture friends on occasion. I seriously need to get a DVD copy if such a thing exists. I also seriously need to make a FPP about it. To share the haunting.

By: Conductor71

Conductor71 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:27:49 -0800

My step-grandmother hated the Bolero. Too pop for its time. Thankfully others of my heroes loved and co-opted it.

By: mstokes650

mstokes650 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:39:37 -0800

I also seriously need to make a FPP about it. To share the haunting. Please do! Because I seriously need some context for...whatever it was that I just watched when I clicked that link. WHO WAS PHONE??

By: I love you more when I eat paint chips

I love you more when I eat paint chips — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:36:49 -0800

And to think I had to watch some jackass with a mutt play the spoons (which he had no formal training for) while begging for a dollar. Oh yeah this kicks ass. *This does kick ass, I'm just grumpy because I can neither play the spoons nor the French Horn*

By: gompa

gompa — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:20:12 -0800

That was truly lovely. But I have to confess I'm such a giant transit/train geek I found my mind wandering to all the great trips I've made out of or through Copenhagen's lovely, efficient central station. (There's this little Asian noodle fast-food joint just around the corner from the performance space where my daughter discovered the whole idea of Chinese noodles and then we took the train together to Legoland. Another time I left my notebook on top of one of the payphones and came back like 2hrs later and it was still there and I was so delighted I hopped the Metro back to Christianshavn for another drink. My first free city bike ride, just out those doors over there . . . I'm sorry. Ravel. Yes. Lovely.)

By: scrowdid

scrowdid — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:51:22 -0800

Definitely heavily edited. I'd love to see the more accurate version, to get a better idea of what it'd have felt like to be there, and because Bolero just isn't Bolero if it's under five minutes long.

By: Harald74

Harald74 — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:29:29 -0800

I don't know why, but I love watching classical performances in street clothes.

By: MartinWisse

MartinWisse — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:57:36 -0800

Sooo. Can't watch the video atm, but am I the only one who has gotten the bolero stuck in their head just reading the blurb? Less highbrow, here's what happened in Brussel Central Station last year when a flashmob of musicians descended to play "Bicycle Races".

By: Elizabeth the Thirteenth

Elizabeth the Thirteenth — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:27:55 -0800

Where are the skaters? Sarajevo '84 ?

By: MissySedai

MissySedai — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:29:57 -0800

If you aren't moved by Bolero, there's something wrong with you and you should see a doctor to get it fixed. Hee! Well, there's "moved" - which I very much am, chills, goosebumps, the whole shot - and then there's "completely distracted by it to the point of inability to get anything done til it's over". Which I ALSO very much am. I was just watching the video that Elizabeth the Thirteenth so kindly posted, and my son remarked "Mother, put down the Bolero, you have things to do." He'll cheerfully tell you about the time we were visiting Chicago, and I dragged him down a corridor in the Music Mart because I heard Bolero. Turned out to be a high school orchestra rehearsing for a performance, and I was completely transfixed. He teases me about it, but indulges me as well - for Mother's Day last year, he gifted me with tickets to the local symphony's performance of a number of sensual pieces, including Bolero. Heaven!

By: speicus

speicus — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:46:00 -0800

Yeah, the editing and/or logistics of this is kind of mind-boggling. There are clearly a bunch of cameras and mics in the space but you never even see them! Plus the aforementioned mysterious sudden appearance of large instruments like the harp and timpani. I too would love to see the full performance, especially because they left out my favorite bit (where the horn and piccolos and celesta play in fifths).