From what I observed I thought that Kleiber’s Baton Technique was easy to follow but at

times a little aggressive. It impressed me that he was able to be stiff and rigid with his bataon,

but at other times hold it so loosely I thought he might drop it, on command. I thought that he

talked a little too much during the rehearsal. Klieber showed dynamics by increasing the size of

his conducting pattern but also he would pull his arms closer to his body for piano and further

away for forte. I thought that his pattern for forte was too large, because he would conduct over

his head sometimes.

Kleiber communicated well to the orchestra, and gave clear directions on what he wanted

and sometimes what technique he wanted to use --mainly for the violins. There were times where

he gave too many things to think about within just 6 bars, and I would definitely get

overwhelmed with the amount of parallels he drew. Kleiber was very professional throughout the

whole rehearsal, and even made small jokes in passing to lighten the mood of the ensemble. He

gave the ensemble time to rest as he spoke, but he never gave them more than a few minutes as

he was talking.

Klieber knew exactly what points he wanted to hit during his rehearsal. It seemed like he

had an outline for the rehearsal and knew exactly what sections he wanted to work on. His

attention to detail really impressed me; Klieber even told the percussionist playing the bell to

take it and move it further back to get the right effect he wanted.Since the bell was moved back it

gave the effect of a tower in the distance that really added to the character of the piece. The

ensemble responded well to all the little details Klieber told them. There was one point in the

rehearsal where the oboe was playing a line that needed to be heard, and he asked the violins,

and flute players to make the staccato in the accompaniment softer to give the right effect again,

and immediately the whole orchestra changed just that. Klieber also knew exactly what
articulation he wanted for each section of the piece. It gave each section its own unique character

and he would put up with it being done incorrectly. He also was picky about the dynamic of a

staccato, and during staccato sections he would demand a quieter release.

I thought that his conducting was really harsh at first, but as the rehearsal went on and at

the end when I saw the performance I saw that his conducting was very relaxed.