I’m in a crazy travel, concerts, auditions this week and next week but I am working on some posts including:
Who are they?…..the audience that is…and who are they to us?
Playing all the movements….especially the environmental one!
A sustainable model for success, is it even possible?
Below the same video twice, what happens when a conductor loses his temper, and then the full video with aftermath….
As I expected there was some very interesting feedback from my recent conductor rants. Personally, I find the fact that the secret society of The Golden Baton didn’t send the Mahler Ninjas to disrupt my concerts last week quite surprising – whether that means that I’m just too small time to merit their attention is a subject for another posting. But back to the feedback – boy, there are still some serious Maestro Myths out there.
I’m an equal opportunity kind of guy. Since in my last post I called into question all those working conductors out there who don’t play their instruments anymore, I feel it’s only fair to look at another side of the coin – players who are driven to pick up the baton. I’m starting to feel like I’m breaking the Omerta code…
To go along with Drew’s Zen moment, presenting the silent Monks “singing” the Hallelujah Chorus. Click below, you will not be disappointed, brilliant!!!!…….
Having written in June about my love of conducting Ballet and with my recently announced appointment as Principal Pops Conductor with the Fort Worth Symphony one might think I’m trying to banish myself to the equivalent of Conducting purgatory. I beg to differ!……..
I remember in music school and even after the advice to be careful what a conductor agrees to do, and especially when it comes to Ballet because of the danger of being typecast or pigeonholed as a Ballet conductor! Sometimes it’s a good idea not to listen!…..
In tribute to the debut of the conducting robot Asimo by Honda (I drive an Accord which pretty much drives itself also!), I thought I would write a post about interpretation in response to a lively exchange over on Greg Sandow’s blog. Interpretation is one of the most overrated, over studied elements and at its worst can amount to the pre-meditated murder of music….
My teacher Jorge Mester taught me something vital from the start: focus on Conducting before focusing on a career in Conducting. It may seem obvious to do this, but when I served as a faculty member for a conductors workshop with Jorge a few years back, many of the students were more concerned with their resumes than with their downbeats! An article I read today took me back to the beginning when it first clicked…..