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"All that is not perfect down to the smallest detail is doomed to perish."
-Gustav Mahler
"I'm not interested in having an orchestra sound like itself. I want it to sound like the composer. "
- Leonard Bernstein
How do you satisfy the conductor while still retaining your sanity?
Last week in "Working with the Conductor - Part I" we took a look at properly accepting the corrections from the conductor, and how the tone color could disrupt the balance and blend of an ensemble. Today we are going to discuss something along those same lines, properly interpreting what the conductor means.
The two quotes above explain a lot of what the role a conductor is. One of their top priorities is to make sure the ensemble they're conducting is immaculate. The other is to make sure they, as an ensemble, as properly portraying the composers thoughts and emotions.
Now that we can see past them just waving their arms and getting sweaty we get an idea of what all is truly going through their heads. With all of that on their plates, proper communication is key to make sure everyone is on the same page with them. Beyond that many conductors only every studied piano, and possibly one other instrument, which means the task of working with all the instruments may come with some small inaccuracies.
For example, just like how a conductor might keep telling you to play quieter and quieter, even though the problem was in your tone color. The conductor only heard a problem of someone sticking out, and their initial reaction is to tell that person to keep quieting down. It's not because they're are a poor conductor, but more likely that they aren't well-versed on your instrument.
Another common misunderstanding you'll probably run into is when the conductor talks about phrasing. For instance they might say, "Make the phrases more connected." To them this might mean that each note should be more connected giving each phrase a more connected feeling. Now a musician is more likely to interpret that comment in a way where they make sure not to taper between each phrase because the conductor never mentioned the word legato.
In the end that just means that, as a great musician, we not only need to be an outstanding player, but also have great communication skills. Understanding that not many people besides the few around you comprehend your instrument that as well as you do will hopefully clear up a bunch of confusion for the players and conductors alike.
Now that we can see past them just waving their arms and getting sweaty we get an idea of what all is truly going through their heads. With all of that on their plates, proper communication is key to make sure everyone is on the same page with them. Beyond that many conductors only every studied piano, and possibly one other instrument, which means the task of working with all the instruments may come with some small inaccuracies.
For example, just like how a conductor might keep telling you to play quieter and quieter, even though the problem was in your tone color. The conductor only heard a problem of someone sticking out, and their initial reaction is to tell that person to keep quieting down. It's not because they're are a poor conductor, but more likely that they aren't well-versed on your instrument.
Another common misunderstanding you'll probably run into is when the conductor talks about phrasing. For instance they might say, "Make the phrases more connected." To them this might mean that each note should be more connected giving each phrase a more connected feeling. Now a musician is more likely to interpret that comment in a way where they make sure not to taper between each phrase because the conductor never mentioned the word legato.
In the end that just means that, as a great musician, we not only need to be an outstanding player, but also have great communication skills. Understanding that not many people besides the few around you comprehend your instrument that as well as you do will hopefully clear up a bunch of confusion for the players and conductors alike.
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