@joasia.sochacka: 50 Greatest Conductors of All Time: 4️⃣8️⃣ Leopold Stokowski - one of the most theatrical and visionary conductors in history. Leopold Stokowski transformed the role of the conductor into something almost cinematic — shaping orchestral sound with dramatic gestures, free movements, and an obsession with color. 🎼 In this rehearsal footage from 1968, an almost 86-year-old Stokowski conducts Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 with the American Symphony Orchestra in New York — the ensemble he founded himself in 1962. The clip appears in the 1970 TV documentary. What makes the video extraordinary is the energy. Even at nearly 86, Stokowski conducts with intensity, elegance, and complete authority — proving that musical imagination can outlive age itself. He believed orchestras should not merely play notes, but create atmosphere, color, and drama. Few conductors changed the sound of orchestras as radically as he did. • 50 conductors. 50 legends. See who’s next! Leopold Stokowski • Beethoven • Leonore Overture No. 3 • American Symphony Orchestra • conducting history • orchestral sound • rehearsal footage #50greatestconductors #leopoldstokowski #beethoven #conducting #classicalmusic

Pam1 :

Conductors always have supersonic hearing 😑

Banazir :

The clarinets were EXACTLY with his beat. 🙄 Even at .5x speed they change right with him. This is the type of conductor who shows up to rehearsal knowing in advance what they're going to say, and they say it whether you're actually wrong or not.

Archer☻☻ :

passion looks like anger to the uninformed

cwongnl :

Current generation Z would start complain that this is too strict and complicated. 😂😂

shaybbtx 🤘🏼🌈🤠🌊🎶 :

OMG! I'm having flashbacks to high school!!! 🤣🤣

poiuylion :

Bugs bunny do it better 😂

Hanglemez Pallaccini :

Dude should chill and understand that 99% of the audience wouldn't notice any difference.

joasia.sochacka :

1️⃣ A master of reinvention Leopold Stokowski was born in London in 1882, but for years people debated where he was “really” from. He carefully cultivated an air of mystery around himself — even altering details of his accent and biography. A true artist of self-mythology 🎩 ⸻ 2️⃣ The “Stokowski sound” He became famous for creating a lush, deeply expressive orchestral sound — rich strings, glowing brass, enormous dynamic contrasts. Musicians and critics even spoke about a distinct “Stokowski sound.” ⸻ 3️⃣ He conducted without a baton One of his trademarks was conducting with bare hands instead of a baton. His gestures looked almost sculptural, as if he were shaping sound physically in the air. ⸻ 4️⃣ Disney’s Fantasia Stokowski became internationally famous far beyond classical music thanks to Disney’s Fantasia (1940), where he collaborated with Walt Disney and conducted Bach, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and others with the Philadelphia Orchestra. For millions of people, he became the face of classical music itself.

MickMcCullough :

I am amazed how a classical conductor sees and hears the entire orchestra in real time. Simply brilliant.

Franz Carriel :

Ramesh (Music & Memory) :

And I remembered my conductor, Davies. "I want the fastest trills.. not enough... more more.. !"

￴ ￴￴ :

poor first violin 😢

Rockman Tricampeon💙💛🦅⚽ :

Bugs boony parodio a el

matthiasarran :

people really underestimate what a conductor has to do. You're taking what is written on the page and making all these moving parts meld into a perfect sound that brings emotion to those who are listening to it. that demands both a technical and emotional mastery that most people just don't have

C_zHg :

Le-le-le-Leopold!!

CesarMagnus :

Leopold, Leopold, Leopold, Leopold...😂😂😂

philo :

Thank you so 🙏🙏🙏 ❤️💙💚💜🧡

ghargoo :

Palpatine is a conductor?

. :

joasia.sochacka :

5️⃣ A technological pioneer He was obsessed with recording technology and acoustics. Stokowski experimented with stereo sound, microphone placement, and orchestral balance decades before many conductors took recording seriously. ⸻ 6️⃣ Founder of orchestras He didn’t just conduct orchestras — he created them. In 1962, at almost 80 years old, he founded the American Symphony Orchestra in New York to make concerts more accessible and adventurous. ⸻ 7️⃣ Champion of modern music Although associated with Romantic sound, Stokowski strongly supported contemporary composers. He conducted premieres and promoted music by Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Ives, and many others. ⸻ 8️⃣ An incredibly long career His conducting career lasted over 70 years. Even in his late 80s and 90s, he continued rehearsing and recording with astonishing energy. ⸻ 9️⃣ A legendary personality Everything about him felt larger than life: the flowing hair, dramatic gestures, poetic speech, and magnetic stage presence. He understood that conducting was not only musical leadership — it was theatre. ⸻ 🔟 Death Leopold Stokowski died in 1977 at the age of 95, leaving behind one of the most recognizable legacies in conducting history.

THE GREAT SOPRANO :

Attirude si lolo

Siyabonga Bota, MLS :

😭 At 86? I'm 36, I'm still trying to figure out Carmen 😂

Aiden ✝️ :

Tarisai Shoko :

Excellent music immersion by the conductor.

Sankt Nimmerlein :

So even expert musicians need to be encouraged to not be shy on the fp