My current schedule in the last few months leaves me with little time to be able to follow all interesting publications. During some hasty breakfasts, I quickly browse my RSS-feeds to get at least a glimpse of what I am missing. While two conducting colleagues on their blog give their respective opposite - but both evenly interesting to read - experiences on conducting Mahler's 5th Symphony. Obviously as a Mahlerite myself, I do find it worthwhile to read critics of his music, most of all to take once in a while a distance and reflect on my own position towards his compositions. So far for the light reading: A couple of days ago, suddenly articles appeared on Gilbert Kaplan's Mahler's 2nd performance in New York. Having known Mr. Kaplan's devotion to Mahler's 2nd Symphony for a couple of decades, this was not quite new to me, until I glanced over a few comments going with the respective articles...
What caught my (professional) attention, was the large variety of different opinions, especially from professional musicians, on conducting itself. To repeat all the pros and cons from the whole discussion would be too boring, I guess, but with some amusement I do read the most fervent argumentations. What most strikes me, is that when thinking about the whole discussion, and if taken out of context, many arguments are evenly be applied to any other conductor. Mr. Kaplan's non-professional conducting background is highly being criticised (I must admit, I never had the chance, seeing him perform myself). Yet, all the described "faults" and critique could be used at many professional colleagues conductors, who (thus) are supposed not to make such mistakes... a contraire. Many professional conductors should never have gotten into this business, but circumstances decided otherwise - and it was obviously not always their excellent talent nor skill.
This makes perhaps this job of being a conductor so mysterious: aside from the point who got the job, if taken a truly great Maestro under the magnifying glass; none of them resembles the other... There's never (and never will be) a universal recipe how to be a good conductor, and even the greatest maestros have orchestra members in front of them, who will never like them. It's not about beating time, it's not about being an eloquent charismatic generalissimo leading them to the battle.
But after all; isn't it fun to have so many flavours? Imagine a world with a uniform time beating robot... Let's give room to all the available variety. And what a joy to realise that the composing conductor Gustav Mahler himself is unleashing such interesting discussions.
regards
MS
Some links:
Slipped disc
New York Times
Abu Bratsche
Sticks and drones
What caught my (professional) attention, was the large variety of different opinions, especially from professional musicians, on conducting itself. To repeat all the pros and cons from the whole discussion would be too boring, I guess, but with some amusement I do read the most fervent argumentations. What most strikes me, is that when thinking about the whole discussion, and if taken out of context, many arguments are evenly be applied to any other conductor. Mr. Kaplan's non-professional conducting background is highly being criticised (I must admit, I never had the chance, seeing him perform myself). Yet, all the described "faults" and critique could be used at many professional colleagues conductors, who (thus) are supposed not to make such mistakes... a contraire. Many professional conductors should never have gotten into this business, but circumstances decided otherwise - and it was obviously not always their excellent talent nor skill.
This makes perhaps this job of being a conductor so mysterious: aside from the point who got the job, if taken a truly great Maestro under the magnifying glass; none of them resembles the other... There's never (and never will be) a universal recipe how to be a good conductor, and even the greatest maestros have orchestra members in front of them, who will never like them. It's not about beating time, it's not about being an eloquent charismatic generalissimo leading them to the battle.
But after all; isn't it fun to have so many flavours? Imagine a world with a uniform time beating robot... Let's give room to all the available variety. And what a joy to realise that the composing conductor Gustav Mahler himself is unleashing such interesting discussions.
regards
MS
Some links:
Slipped disc
New York Times
Abu Bratsche
Sticks and drones
No comments:
Post a Comment