Klarinet Archive - Posting 000750.txt from 1996/10

From: "Sydney R. Polk" <jazzman@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Watch the Conductor! Was Re: Berlin Phil clarinetists?
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 14:33:32 -0500

I think that in a pit orchestra the conductor is absolutely essential.
And you have to learn not be late when he gives a beat.

I am playing a fairly awful production of West Side Story right now.
We are in the basement of the theater, with our sound
miked to the audience. We cannot see a thing. The conductor has
a video monitor of the stage. The singers cannot see him. He has to floow
them. It's a nightmare, but without him, we could not play.

Initially, we did not have a vocal mnitor. This was impossoble. The sound
guy did not give us one because he was afraid of feedback. One of the
musicans brought his own, and now we have a prayer.

The conductor in a pit is the only one who can get the orchestra back
on track when disaster strikes (such as singers skipping verses, coming in late,
coming in singing behind, ect) In addition, many singers love to do lots f
rubato, and without the conductor, the orchestra would
not be able to follow.

Syd Polk