Two women conductors come out for Cate Blanchett’s Tar
OrchestrasFollowing on from Marin Aslop’s hostile blast, two other conductors have strongly endorsed the film.
The British conductor Alice Farnham said: ‘Pinch me, I may be dreaming! The film star Cate Blanchett has just arrived at the launch party for my book about conducting. For someone who has dedicated years to securing recognition for women in the world of conducting, this feels like a watershed moment… The film is a glinting prism in which everyone will see different things. For me it asks timely questions about the abuse, fragility and illusion of power. Chatting to Cate and Todd at my book launch, it’s no surprise to me, having spent 30 years in this profession, how enrapt they both remain by this most beguiling of art forms.’
The Australian Natalie Murray Beale, who coached Blanchett through reheasals, said: ‘I’m delighted that colleagues say it is authentic. We went into great detail on the psychology of conducting. These abusive behaviours do still exist. There are not many places where a boss has such power. A conductor is a gatekeeper. I have witnessed anger in rehearsal and even a tussle between conductor and musician. It’s a highly competitive field.’
Nice to see some balance on the topic.
I think many people are already saying no thank you, tar, as ticket sales are very poor according to published industry figures.
Its the lesbians in classical music who hate seeing someone of their persuasion portrayed as an ‘unpleasant controlling ,bad ‘ individual . Get over it.
Mark
The bulk of ( the very few) films with characters who are Lesbian always include a suicide. Here’s just one more of that ilk. Either they kill themselves or drive others to it. On top of that this Lesbian is a sexual predator!! What other negative portrayals can exclusively male heterosexual directors ( who believe they are “experts” on Lesbian lives come up with ?
So: problematic representation is better than no representation at all.
What is problematic about it? Surely you can a watch a film and feel represented while realizing that human beings are not one-dimensional cardboard cutouts.
The kind of representation that pretends that no problems exist would be not only unrealistic but actually simply stupid.
It’s a film. About a fictional character. Alsop engaged in a nice bit of reverse discrimination by suggesting that if the main character was male it would be fine.
She needs to get over herself.
What’s sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose. Welcome to equality.
In many aspects.
Too close to home.
Conductors. Male or female. It’s the only job in music which is silent. And grossly overpaid. Emperors new clothes.
Captain Obvious, what’s your point? Do you want conductors who sing along? Of course they are silent while they conduct! But most of them are top-notch musicians in their own right, sometimes virtuosos. Eliminate conductors and you eliminate all opera and most of the symphonic repertory.
Some eminent conductors hav/do sing along, actually – audible on many recordings! Barbirolli, Barenboim for a start.
A woman walks into a pet shop and says “I’d like to buy a parrot”
“Certainly madam, we have two on display in the store. This one is $1,000”
“Wow, that’s a lot, what’s so special about him?”
“Actually, he’s a she. She can sing ‘Dich, Teure Halle’ from Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser’ “
“That’s impressive. Tell me about the other parrot”
“He’s $2,000. He can sing the whole of the Rome Narration from the same opera. Note perfect.”
“Incredible! Unfortunately I’m not a fan of ‘Tannhäuser’. Don’t you have any other parrots?”
“Well, we have one other parrot in the back of the store, but his price is $10,000”
“That’s unbelievable! What can HE do?”
“Actually, he doesn’t say or sing that much. But the other two parrots call him “Maestro”.”
Thanks Antwerp for getting us back to reality – life’s a joke! If ya let it
We don’t say ‘men conductors’ so why always ‘women conductors’? Just say ‘female conductors’ like how we say ‘male conductors’ so the focus is on the conductor bit not the being a woman bit.
The only two kinds of people who are told, ‘You have the right to remain silent’ are criminals and conductors.
Fair point
Except who ever heard of these two? My ear definitely bends towards Alsop who has vastly more experience. P.S. And isn’t it typical of the film world that they’d hire as a “conducting consultant” someone who has no profile whatever.
Who knows, they may have approached better-known conductors, but it’s unlikely they’d have the time and energy to commit to a project like this. I’ve played with Natalie Murray Beale conducting and I thought she was very good: competent, professional, a decent musician and personable. A good choice as consultant, I would say.
Ha – Show me the egomaniacal conductor that wouldn’t jump at the chance to be connected with a major motion picture. They’d all sell their grandmothers to have that kind of exposure.
“The film is a glinting prism in which everyone will see different things.”
Yes, exactly. Everybody has their own ‘truth’.
Roll call – have you all heard of these other “female” conductors as listed in this article?
For me the film was a devolvement of an individual who has it all, and has fought hard to get there, but once obtained the cover cracks and you see the use and yes alluded to abuse of power, in all of its forms. It has the intended purpose to speak to all of us differently. I did like that the character was a women in the usual stereotypical seat of a male driven imagery. It also showcases a creative performance talent group not usually shown, and yes it could have been any performance industry, but I rather was intrigued by the peek inside. Common themes are repetitive because they exist no matter what groups are being surveyed.
Antwerp has Elim Chan as principal conductor (she is married) who is also a permanent guest conductor in Scotland. Nathalie Stuzmann (also an opera singer) gave a brilliant rendering of Queen of Spades at la Monnaie recently. She is also a music director and a principal guest conductor in the US.
Tar sounds like the film industry finding a new vehicle to jump on the me-too bandwagon.
How is her marital status relevant?
But what about Marin Alsop’s opinion? Isn’t she, like the only female conductor whose opinions matter? (lol)
Return to artistic merit, and the ability to obtain the highest standards from tjose being directed. Race, gender etc…needs to go off the table please.
Please get the names right and show respect. Marin Alsop, not Aslop. Thank you.
One conductor using Tar to publicize her book; the other drawing attention to her involvement in Tar’s production. What do conductors with nothing to gain think?