Conductors of Symphony Orchestra Concerts

Ron Resnick

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What, exactly, do the conductors of symphony orchestra concerts do.

In addition to commencing and ending the concert, how do the conductors motions and gestures change how the musicians are playing during the concert from however the musicians would be playing in the absence of those motions and gestures?

How would the same classical piece played by the same musicians in the same concert hall at the same time sound different when conducted by different conductors?

Once the concert is commenced by the conductor could the musicians continue playing on their own without a conductor on the stage?
 

853guy

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Aug 14, 2013
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What, exactly, do the conductors of symphony orchestra concerts do.

In addition to commencing and ending the concert, how do the directors motions and gestures change how the musicians are playing during the concert from however the musicians would be playing in the absence of that direction?

How would the same classical piece played by the same musicians in the same concert hall at the same time sound different when conducted by different conductors?

Hi Ron,

If a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe this video will save me typing ten thousand.

One of my all-time favourite conductors, and for some reason, often overlooked when the greats are mentioned.

Ferenc Fricsay rehearses and conducts Smetana's Moldau

Hope it answers some questions for you.

Best,

853guy
 

LL21

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I dont think it is just what conductors are doing during the actual performance...my understanding is the conductor typically has a vision of how the piece should be played. And it is this for which they are known.

For example, some of them read voluminously about the composer, think about the historical context, size of the original orchestra that the composer would have been using...and then also come up with their own interpretation of how it should sound/be interpreted. This then gets communicated to the orchestra during rehearsals where the interpretation/sound gets honed and refined.

during the performance, I imagine the conductor is meant to be keeping everyone together towards that interpretation, and if you look...you will see that musicians often will look up at the conductor while they are playing. I do often notice that he makes eye contact as well, and is communicating louder/softer, when to stop/start, etc.
 

Ron Resnick

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Thank you, Steve. That certainly is a nice conceptual expression of what a conductor does, but ihow does that help us answer the specific. operational questions I raise above?
 

astrotoy

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The vast majority of what a conductor (normally the music director) does is not the actual conducting of the orchestra at a performance. At the performance, he (and increasingly it is also she) is responsible for determining the tempos and dynamics of the orchestra as well as the overall line of pieces being played. Most important, the conductor keeps the orchestra together, from the beginning to the end of the piece. The conductor will know the piece better than any of the individual musicians in the orchestra, who are basically responsible for their own parts. Many will essentially know every note each of the 100 members of the orchestra is playing, and if anyone plays a wrong note or enters at the wrong time. Different conductors may have very different views on how a piece is to be played, even to the degree of how the orchestra is seated. For example some conductors prefer for the second violins to sit next to the first violins, and some prefer the second violins to sit on the opposite side of the orchestra from the firsts.

Behind the scenes, among the many things a conductor/music director does is choose the pieces that will be played, taking into consideration the mix of old and new, well known vs unknown, strengths and weaknesses of the orchestra, any soloists who may be engaged, and how to balance all of the considerations with the economics of the orchestra's budget. Assisting with money raising is another important role for a good MD. Most music directors who have a decently long tenure, will be responsible for hiring and promoting, and sometime demoting and nudging out members of the orchestra. The conductors, both MDs and guests will also rehearse the orchestra - usually 2 or 3 time, so that by the time of the performance, the orchestra knows what to expect from the conductor.

Conductors have their own strengths and weaknesses, both in terms of repertoire and management skills. Most last a few years (8 years is a pretty long term for a major orchestra, 3 is a very short term) as MD of a major orchestra. Those who last a really long time are very rare - Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) of the SFSO is approaching 25 years as MD (he will retire in 2020 at age 75). Other really long term MDs of major US orchestras have been Seiji Ozawa in Boston and Eugene Ormandy in Philadelphia. I think that is about all of them. Al most all conductors who are MDs also guest conduct. We have heard MTT conduct in London where he has been a guest conductor of the London Symphony for many years. There a large number of young conductors who do not have an MD position and they basically spend their lives looking for an MD position, apprenticing with a major orchestra (as assistant or associate conductor) and guest conducting.

Larry
 

Ron Resnick

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Well let me turn it around and ask you what you think the purpose of the conductor is

On stage during a performance I would think a conductor makes gestures to sections of the orchestra to speed up a bit, slow down a bit, play a bit louder, play a bit softer, to set the pace, etc.

Thank you 853guy and Larry!
 

miniguy

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It’s pretty simple. The conductor shapes how a particular piece is presented. This takes place in rehersal. During the performance he gestures to various sections of the orchestra as a reminder of what they learned in rehearsal.
 

Ron Resnick

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Thank you miniguy!
 

ack

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It’s pretty simple. The conductor shapes how a particular piece is presented. This takes place in rehersal. During the performance he gestures to various sections of the orchestra as a reminder of what they learned in rehearsal.

Starting with the basics, he hires and fires musicians. Then, he interprets the score and directs how it will be played, as you said. Said otherwise, the same piece will probably be orchestrated differently between conductors, from the tempo, to where the various instruments sit, to how loudly it will be played, to how hard strings will be bowed, etc. He's also usually responsible for the orchestra's repertoire.
 
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Kal Rubinson

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Starting with the basics, he hires and fires musicians. Then, he interprets the score and directs how it will be played, as you said. Said otherwise, the same piece will probably be orchestrated differently between conductors, from the tempo, to where the various instruments sit, to how loudly it will be played, to how hard strings will be bowed, etc. He's also usually responsible for the orchestra's repertoire.
I suggest that there are better words to be used in place of 'orchestrated' since that generally refers to the redistribution of notes/passages among groups of instruments. How about 'shaped' or 'interpreted?'
 

GaryProtein

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I think people may find this article interesting:

For Conductors, Is Tyranny a Thing of the Past?

https://www.wqxr.org/story/162423-conductors-tyranny-thing-past/
 

DaveyF

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Starting with the basics, he hires and fires musicians. Then, he interprets the score and directs how it will be played, as you said. Said otherwise, the same piece will probably be orchestrated differently between conductors, from the tempo, to where the various instruments sit, to how loudly it will be played, to how hard strings will be bowed, etc. He's also usually responsible for the orchestra's repertoire.


+1

Plus, the conductor is in charge of the one variable that the orchestra— or band/ symphony for that matter, has to adjust to...and that is the overall cohesiveness of the presentation..does that make sense?
 

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