TheMusicArchivist t1_j6xok5c wrote
I'm a professional orchestral musician, but I love conducting. I see stories of people just 'switching' because someone says to them they should try it. Do you think you could see anyone in your orchestra becoming a conductor just based on personality traits and musical talent? Or can you only become a conductor via a specialist training scheme/
Another question - I love playing Puccini, but the tempo changes seem ridiculous at times. How do you know when to rall and accel when it's not written in the score?
sandiegoopera OP t1_j6xrcqo wrote
Anybody can become a conductor if they have had the discipline of playing an instrument and knowledge of styles and repertoire.
But then the physical aspect of how to sculpt music with your arms and hands is a gift not everyone can have, and then the mind, psychological/intrapersonal attributes, and frankly communication skills are not for everyone.
As for Puccini, I never think anything he ever wrote is not "organic". Knowledge of Italian and the voice is paramount as phrasing and rubato are all tied intimately to how one shapes the tempi, phrasing, rubato.
Amphy64 t1_j6zctvb wrote
That's very interesting, is comfort with the language a factor in selecting conductors, do they learn multiple languages like singers often do?
Eighteenth French complaints about opera can tend to focus on the idea of whether the language fits the medium and wanting the words to be understood, and the culture puts a lot of value on clarity and accurate enunciation when speaking so I've tended to see that as an aspect often emphasised in French opera.
(And the Puccini double bill sounds amazing btw, not as common to get to see those two of his!)
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