Time and motion: what exactly does an orchestra conductor do? A classical music critic explains
- A conductor’s tasks include keeping time and controlling the volume and expression of the players
- Classical music critic Anne Midgette explains the intricacies of the art
Classical music isn’t always welcoming to newcomers. People who dare to ask questions about the genre tend to preface them with a lot of apologies for their own ignorance and for how stupid they assume their question is going to sound. But once we get past that, there’s one question that’s heard again and again.
It’s not a stupid question. Plenty of people ask it. Whole books have been written on the topic, such as John Mauceri’s recent Maestros and Their Music, one conductor’s smart and engaging view of the art. Musicians joke about it – warning colleagues not to look at a conductor they dislike, since his podium antics may prove a distraction to playing the music.
Then there are orchestras that play without conductors, including the New York-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Such groups sound very good, but when I hear them play with a soloist, I often come away feeling that something is missing.
No figure in classical music is more iconic than the conductor, or more misunderstood. The authoritarian figure on the podium, waving his arms and demanding that everyone follow him, is the embodiment of the worst sides of patriarchal classical tradition. Yet the conductor also is the ultimate communicator, the person charged with bringing the best out of 100 musicians to create compelling music. No job in music is harder to quantify, and no job is, when it’s done well, more important.