Klarinet Archive - Posting 000555.txt from 1996/10

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Berlin Phil clarinetists?
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 14:11:08 -0400

George,
I can tell you from bitter experience that all too often it is
very confusing to look at a conductor. The bad ones have unreadable
and/or confusing beats and ours in Annapolis Symphony (Maryland) often
gives bad or wrong cues (when she remembers to give them at all). So it
is not surprising that musicians don't look at the conductors.Frankly, I
belive that 99% of what conductors do is for their own benefit, as they
have to
SOMETHING to keep occupied. With top orchestras, the musicians have played
most of the music many times and are quite familiar with it. They don't need a
conductor to play together. They play with each other. So why look at
him? It is only a distraction. They will look up at the right moment
when there needs to be a "traffic cop" and hopefully the conductor will
be there. There is a very delicate balance between
being helpful and getting in the way and only the best conductors
understand that concept enough to do the former and not the latter. Any
conductor who has an orchestra looking at him alot is either an
egotistical idoit who wats to be watched or
is conducting a very inexperienced group of players. Pros don't need much
from a conductor and to make them look at one will only detract from
their full concentration on making beautiful music.

Fred Jacobowitz
Clarinet/Sax Instructor, Peabody Preparatory

On Tue, 22 Oct 1996, George Lin wrote:

> Is this a desirable thing to not have the orchestra look at the baton of
> the conductor? I always thought you need to look up avery once in a while...
>
> George Lin
>