For Halloween:
I've been saving this outstanding video for the day before Halloween (which I'm glad is on a Friday). It is one of my favorite live musical performances of all time (although it is tied with several others from Poland). It is truly a lot of fun, both to listen to AND to watch.
IMPORTANT: You have to click my link above the thumbnail. They only allow the video to be viewed on YouTube.
Danse macabre Op. 40 (Camille Saint-Saëns)
Kamerton Orchestra, Koszalin, Poland
Polish Nationwide Music Schools' Symphonic Orchestras Competition, 2014
I had never even heard of "Dance Macabre Op. 40" nor Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) prior to January 21, 2017. It is only my immense admiration for the youth orchestras of Poland that made me want to watch it. They are as good as or better than most adult orchestras. My admiration for Poland's "Akademia Filmu i Telewizji" (Academy of Film and Television), which films these performances, is nearly equal to that of the orchestras. Seeing the xylophone, marimba, vibraphone and orchestral bells in the thumbnail provided me with further encouragement to watch it. They made it seem as if it might be a fun one. That is a huge understatement. The Kamerton Orchestra of Koszalin, Poland, makes an otherwise "heavy, spooky" piece sound infectiously and wonderfully upbeat. No adult orchestral performance of this piece that I watched afterwards comes even close to being as fun and inspiring to watch as this one is.
I've been watching videos on the "Akademia Filmu i Telewizji" channel for at least four or five years. One thing that I've noticed is that
most (not all) of the audiences
seem bored and/or apathetic, no matter how outstanding and moving a performance is. Maybe that isn't how they feel in real life, but that's how it seems from my perspective.
What's my point? When this performance of "Danse Macabre Op. 40" ends, the audience is noticeably impressed. In fact, one man even shouts, "Bravo!" which is something I've never heard anyone do in any of the other videos on this channel (so far), even when many of the orchestras truly deserve standing ovations.
A few viewer comments:
•The finest recording of Danse Macabre I think I have ever heard. Such precision, such vitality.
•I was spellbound! This recording moved me to tears .... and those percussionists....wow!!!!!!!!! Bravo!
•Wow, talk about sound and picture quality. Seeing the right instruments at the right time AND to be able balance that small high pitched xylophone against the sound of the entire orchestra and still hear it so clearly. Excellent!
•Bloody HELL - what an amazing orchestra ... all the more so as they are all so young!
•This is the clankiest, clackiest, most downright fun performance of this piece I expect to see this side of the grave! I'd love to congratulate all the performers by name, except that I'm afraid I'd choke on my own tongue and wind up IN that grave!
•So what makes it so "macabre"? Yes, I do imagine a bunch of skeletons dancing in my head, but they all look happy, and it is just so nice and cute.
•Five and a half years after this was published, it's GREAT. This is what "Music Education" in schools is all about. These young men and women are not only talented, but determined. I wish here in the United States our schools were bringing back this sort of education, but unfortunately, they are not. I am so glad that this sort of education, and these sort of students still exist somewhere on our planet. My deepest thanks to all of you!
•My favorite Saint-Saens. So beautifully played by a superbly educated orchestra. Excellent all around. And that percussion section! Countless hours of practice and coordination. So fantastic those folks. I hope they won.
•Danse macabre's best version ever! Amazing use of xylophones instead of violins. 
