Conductor really needed?
- Thread starter Broughtonblue
- Start date
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vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
....or for a magical performance?
Yebbut that's a wand not a baton.
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
Unless it's French, in which case it's a baguette, which leads us strangely back to bread...
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Sara_H
Guru
Hmm. A famous quote from my MIL's french friend, when presented with a sainsburys 'baguette" whilst visiting Blighty, "Eeet iz nice, but eeet iz not baguette."
swee'pea99
Squire
Man, I've seen some ifs in my time, but...
swee'pea99
Squire
"I think conductors are completely over-rated anyway, because if you love music, why not play it? Why wave around and get off on some ego shoot? I don't think the audience give a shoot about the conductor. Not unless they've been pumped full of propaganda from classical music writing or something. I mean," he rants on cheerfully, "no one normal understands what the conductor does. No one knows what they do! They just wave their arms out of time."
...says that nice Mr Kennedy
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/30/nigel-kennedy-interview-conductors-overrated
...says that nice Mr Kennedy
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/30/nigel-kennedy-interview-conductors-overrated
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
Might I asked, what in particular prompted you to ask this question having watched the first occasion in 118 years on which a woman conducted the event ?
mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
I think it gets asked every year to be honest.
And to My Kennedy - it's a different skill, and one you may not find as easy as you think.
And to My Kennedy - it's a different skill, and one you may not find as easy as you think.
Dayvo
just passin' through
- Location
- 59° 50′ 5.55″ N, 10° 47′ 41.89″ E
Andre Rieu (or is it James May?) is always smiling. And he never uses a baton.
Mind you, it is HIS band!
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNcS2ccDtXA
Mind you, it is HIS band!
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNcS2ccDtXA
Dayvo
just passin' through
- Location
- 59° 50′ 5.55″ N, 10° 47′ 41.89″ E
Stuff! No, you're not meant to stuff it! You're meant to eat it!
Prawn cocktails and EAT!
Get it?
jazzkat
Fixed wheel fanatic.
- Location
- The Cumbrian Riviera
At the highest levels a conductors job is not just to get everyone to play together or to balance volumes, the better players will do that anyway.
In a professional orchestra (band/choir etc) the job of the conductor is to shape the performance. Yes by instigating subtle and almost imperceptible changes in tempo, volume, increased accents of certain notes etc the performance can sound so much better (or worse! lol).
It's also true that pro players 'up their game' when a charismatic and experienced conductor lifts the baton, a bit like when everyone is on their best behaviour at work when 'the suits' come down to see you.
All the players will be able to see the conductor over the top of their stands. You also know where the important bits of music are and you tend to look more at the conductor at those points.
Being a conductor is an amazing musical experience. Instead of just being one cog in the machine, you are driving! It's not just ego, but being in control of the whole performance is daunting and thrilling in equal measure and allows you, as a musician, to stamp your interpretation on the performance in the way that solo performers can.
In a professional orchestra (band/choir etc) the job of the conductor is to shape the performance. Yes by instigating subtle and almost imperceptible changes in tempo, volume, increased accents of certain notes etc the performance can sound so much better (or worse! lol).
It's also true that pro players 'up their game' when a charismatic and experienced conductor lifts the baton, a bit like when everyone is on their best behaviour at work when 'the suits' come down to see you.
All the players will be able to see the conductor over the top of their stands. You also know where the important bits of music are and you tend to look more at the conductor at those points.
Being a conductor is an amazing musical experience. Instead of just being one cog in the machine, you are driving! It's not just ego, but being in control of the whole performance is daunting and thrilling in equal measure and allows you, as a musician, to stamp your interpretation on the performance in the way that solo performers can.
hopless500
Trundling along
- Location
- not-as-flat-as-you-think Norfolk
Conductor is essential. The people playing are watching every twitch of that baton believe me.
U
User169
Guest
Essential in big works, but smaller stuff can be more exiciting without - I think this is really what Kennedy was getting at. I've played under enough dodgy conductors, in fairness largely students and semi-pro aspirants, to know that they're sometimes best ignored at which point you hope that the leader knows what they're doing.
My favourite orchestral moment was a dispute between an oboist and conductor. The rehearsal ground to a bit of a halt when the oboist called the conductor a "nincompoop" - the only time I've ever heard anyone use that word. I've just googled them both and the oboe dude is now a philospophy prof in London and the conductor did actually make it as a pro.
My favourite orchestral moment was a dispute between an oboist and conductor. The rehearsal ground to a bit of a halt when the oboist called the conductor a "nincompoop" - the only time I've ever heard anyone use that word. I've just googled them both and the oboe dude is now a philospophy prof in London and the conductor did actually make it as a pro.
