Ever heard Bruckner 9 without a conductor?
mainThis is the fabulous Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León in Spain:
Betcha can’t.
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This ridiculous fad has got to stop. Pretty soon we’ll be seeing conductors waving their arms in front of a string quartet. Larger groups musical interpretation at the helm.
You won’t see the Vienna on Berlin Philharmonic ever thinking about trying to attempt such performances, even though we know that the’re capable of doing so.
Pierrot Lunaire could be a good reference: 6 musicians minimum before needing a conductor.
Bernstein’s TV talk about the need of having a conductor remains unchallenged…
==You won’t see the Vienna on Berlin Philharmonic ever thinking about trying to attempt such performances,
After Karajan died, the BPO played Schubert Unfinished without conductor in tribute.
Yes, at the Lucerne Festival in Sep-89, Levine stepped in to conduct Karajan’s concert with the BPO, the first time I heard them. The orchestra alone opened the concert with a conductor-free Siegfried Idyll.
For hep cats only (anybody else Please Do Not Read!):
Cage without conductor, without musicians, without audience, without venue. Nothing required except a grant (or two).
Just the thought gives me the classical chills.
Can be applied to the works of many many contempo comps. Also kills flies.
The problem is is that the leader, (or concert master), is probably giving cues or at least waggling the scroll of his fiddle around so there is SOMEONE that the musicians are looking to for the starting of movements so why not just have a conductor?
Because it costs more!
Horatio: Well, it seems that before the performance … [puts on sunglasses] … the conductor bid “farewell to life”.
YEAAAAHHHHHH!
As the astute and informed will have noticed this rehearsal is being, and the concert was, directed by Gordan Nikolić – former leader of the LSO.
See here:
https://www.oscyl.com/evento/temporada-oscyl-2-2018-2019-turno-1/
. . . and why not?
I still think the greatest performance was with Furtwängler at the helm. A great conductor DOES make a difference.