The dirtiest look I ever got was from a Dutch conductor
OrchestrasChicago psychologist Dr Gerald Stein, in his latest post, recalls his brief encounter with a Dutch conductor of ephemeral fame.
….I looked up at the baton-smith, maybe 10 feet away.
He looked down at me, which can be understood in two ways, both true: I was beneath him and a lowly usher in a crappy uniform who intruded on his art, to boot.
W’s expression was the equivalent of a slap in the face while simultaneously sticking out your tongue. It was the dirtiest look I have ever received.
To call it a sneer sounds too mild. A momentary fit of disgust. His visage displayed contempt as if he were uttering, “What in God’s name are you doing here? Do you know who I am”…
Read the full article here.
Maestro probably thought he was a viola player.
It’s pretty obvious that the angry look resulted from the late near-interruption and not any class or snobbery issue. He might have also been somewhat alarmed about what could be going on.
I was called at the last minute to play snare drum in an orchestra that had a nasty conductor. At the first rehearsal, he sneeringly csaid, “Tune up that snare drum, this isn’t a jazz band.” I replied, “I can hear that it isn’t.” There was an audible gasp from the orchestra but he didn’t get what I said.
An article about the assumptions a guy made about a look a conductor gave him that concludes with his revelling in the woes of that conductor’s personal life.
Unbelievably trivial and petty.
There are not too many ways to look at shrinks and character assassins.
You’d better report about the reactions of musicians in the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra to the decisions of their BOARD.
Stein’s ‘anecdote’ is a name-dropping ramble about nothing, heralding the opening of the silly season.
Otterloo was a fine conductor. His career was hardly ephemeral – it spanned 46 years until his tragic death in a car accident. He was conductor of the Residentie orchestra for 24 years, and thereafter conducted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He was recorded by major companies (DG, Philips and Decca), gaining many positive reviews. His records now go for astronomical prices on Amazon.
Stein was indeed, as he said, beneath him and a lowly usher in a crappy uniform. As he also acknowledged, he did intrude into Otterloo’s art. He was mildly rebuked – not punched, as he might have been elsewhere. Is this really worth posting on SD?
Van Otterloo was indeed a fine conductor with one of the finest ears I gave come across. I was a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra when he tragically died in the car accident the evening of our first rehearsals for a major concert. Leonard Dommett, our wonderful concertmaster, conducted the concert in van Otterloo’s memory after having been called to the accident scene to be with him before he passed away. He is certainly not deserving of snide comments such as were made on this blog.
Even after all these years you can hardly do better in the complete Psyché by César Franck than the old recording by Van Otterloo. The sensitivity of the choral parts alone would make this recording stand out — and certainly make you question why it is usually heard in the orchestra-only movements. If his fame has been ephemeral then the problem is with fame, not with the conductor.
So there were snowflakes even then. At least the conductor didn’t lose his job and have to undergo counseling and re-education therapy.
Ex-usher who once failed in his job and disturbed an artist’s concentration still feels mistreated for not having gotten a kind, warm reaction to it.
“Psychologist” (and, according to his bio, university teacher, researcher, consultant, therapist, and even capital-letter Chief Psychologist) can’t read a human interaction even sixty years after the fact.
Entitled person whines.
Didn’t Shakespeare write a play about this …. Much ado etc.
I saw András Schiff give a woman the stink eye after she coughed loudly from the 5th row when he was playing in Montreal. I was sitting behind the orchestra so I didn’t see his face, but I saw the look of horror on her face. It was hilarious!
being married 5 times. he must love wedding cake.