The joy of playing with a great conductor
It’s amazing how much fun it can be to play under a really great conductor. What makes a great conductor? Well, maybe to a listener, it’s their interpretation, or their showmanship. But to me as a performer, these are the things that set apart a great conductor from an average one:
- He (or more rarely, she - but that’s a discussion for a different day) very clearly and crisply indicates at least the important beats, such as right before a tricky entrance. Players don’t get confused about where the beat is.
- A corollary to the previous point - the position of his hands (or baton) clearly show what part of the measure you’re in. For example, the downbeat, and only the downbeat, coincides with direct downward motion.
- While his beats are easy to follow, he does more than just mark the time. His gestures contain a wealth of information and feeling that players can instinctively respond to. The size of the gestures help players know how loud to play, but that’s just the most obvious example. There’s also cues - and a conductor doesn’t have to point to you to give a good cue. Good eye contact can be enough. It’s all about communication.
- He can really convey a passion for the music, and get the players excited about playing it.
- He is able to clearly articulate what he wants from the orchestra, when gestures alone aren’t enough.
- He can efficiently and effectively rehearse the orchestra. This includes enough time spent on mastering tricky passages without totally neglecting supposedly easier parts (you don’t want that feeling at the concert of “have we played this before?”)
- And of course, a certain charisma or charm can make it a lot more fun. I might still enjoy playing music under a dictatorial conductor, if they were good in all other respects, just for the love of making good music, but a truly great conductor shouldn’t have to be a tyrant. Neither should they be wishy-washy: confident, friendly, and energetic is best.
