Check out my slide show (in pecha kucha format) for the upcoming presentations on Choral Resource Books! My resource book was Tapiola Sound by the legendary Erkki Pohjola, which focuses on his pedagogy and experiences with the Tapiola Children's choir. Very interesting read. If you want to have a fantastic choir of your own, you have to read up how the masters of the craft did it.... right?
Sunday 26 October 2014
Thursday 16 October 2014
Itay Talgam's "Lead Like the Great Conductors"
Oh hello there!
Welcome back to yet another instalment of Thoughts from the Tenor Clef! I get to take a departure from the world of choral music today, and we enter into the realm of orchestral conductors!
(Personal note: SO excited about this, I have my own wild dreams of one day being a conductor like some of the masters discussed in todays post!)
Today's Thoughts are in direct response to the 2009 TED talk, given by the wonderful Itay Talgam, "Lead Like the Great Conductors." Such a wonderful discussion - an absolute joy to watch. Itay discusses with the audience different methods used by some of the world's greatest conductors, and analyzes their effectiveness.
The first conductor Itay shows us is Ricardo Muti, the current conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In the clip shown, Muti exhibits an intense level of control and precision - gesturing in an awesome, overpowering way. His face is expressionless, imposing. The sound of the orchestra directly reflects this tight grip he seems to have over the players, if that makes sense. Muti has a deathgrip over them.
The second conductor is the legendary Richard Strauss. Strauss is atop the podium with no more enthusiasm than if he were at a funeral. His eyes are often looking at the score (which Itay points out, he wrote himself) and his baton work is almost lazy.
Third is Herbert von Karajon, the longtime maestro of the Vienna Philharmonic, responsible for hundreds of recordings regarded by many as 'perfect.' Itay notes Karajon's eyes are closed, and his gestures are extremely vague. The orchestra is more than likely not watching him all that much - they are watching the concert master. He gives extremely vague gestures, allowing for the players to guess what is his intention while he wallows in his own self absorbed little world.
Fourth is Carlos Kleiber, often regarded as the greatest conductor of all time. Itay shows several clips of Kleiber doing his thing, and notes his fantastic expression and infamous gestures that have never been truly replicated by a conductor since. Kleiber exhibits a different level of control over the orchestra. He gives awesome gestures with the intention of inspiring the performers, allowing them to make interpretations, although he communicates HIS intention very well.
Itay explains that artists in an orchestra are not instruments - no more than a conductor is. They all have a story - they have past experiences, and they did not just come into being to follow instructions. In reality, a conductor is only needed very seldom. In order for artists to be satisfied, they have to be given an opportunity to tell their story. Muti's orchestra that he was conducting in his clip asked him to resign at some point after it was made. They respected him very much - but playing for him was a nightmare. Karajon's reputation for being absolutely terrifying is well documented as well. His gestures were incredibly vague, but his wishes were very specific. What must it have been like to play for such a conductor?
What we can take from Itay's talk is this. Music making is more than a factory job, and the players have to be given the opportunity to play. If you conduct a high school band and your kids are getting bored and quitting, perhaps you're not really letting them play - not letting them tell their story. We cannot forget to let them make music because we get too caught up in the process. After all - when last I checked, the only person on stage without the ability to make a sound, is the one with the stick.
Welcome back to yet another instalment of Thoughts from the Tenor Clef! I get to take a departure from the world of choral music today, and we enter into the realm of orchestral conductors!
(Personal note: SO excited about this, I have my own wild dreams of one day being a conductor like some of the masters discussed in todays post!)
Today's Thoughts are in direct response to the 2009 TED talk, given by the wonderful Itay Talgam, "Lead Like the Great Conductors." Such a wonderful discussion - an absolute joy to watch. Itay discusses with the audience different methods used by some of the world's greatest conductors, and analyzes their effectiveness.
The first conductor Itay shows us is Ricardo Muti, the current conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In the clip shown, Muti exhibits an intense level of control and precision - gesturing in an awesome, overpowering way. His face is expressionless, imposing. The sound of the orchestra directly reflects this tight grip he seems to have over the players, if that makes sense. Muti has a deathgrip over them.
The second conductor is the legendary Richard Strauss. Strauss is atop the podium with no more enthusiasm than if he were at a funeral. His eyes are often looking at the score (which Itay points out, he wrote himself) and his baton work is almost lazy.
Third is Herbert von Karajon, the longtime maestro of the Vienna Philharmonic, responsible for hundreds of recordings regarded by many as 'perfect.' Itay notes Karajon's eyes are closed, and his gestures are extremely vague. The orchestra is more than likely not watching him all that much - they are watching the concert master. He gives extremely vague gestures, allowing for the players to guess what is his intention while he wallows in his own self absorbed little world.
Fourth is Carlos Kleiber, often regarded as the greatest conductor of all time. Itay shows several clips of Kleiber doing his thing, and notes his fantastic expression and infamous gestures that have never been truly replicated by a conductor since. Kleiber exhibits a different level of control over the orchestra. He gives awesome gestures with the intention of inspiring the performers, allowing them to make interpretations, although he communicates HIS intention very well.
Itay explains that artists in an orchestra are not instruments - no more than a conductor is. They all have a story - they have past experiences, and they did not just come into being to follow instructions. In reality, a conductor is only needed very seldom. In order for artists to be satisfied, they have to be given an opportunity to tell their story. Muti's orchestra that he was conducting in his clip asked him to resign at some point after it was made. They respected him very much - but playing for him was a nightmare. Karajon's reputation for being absolutely terrifying is well documented as well. His gestures were incredibly vague, but his wishes were very specific. What must it have been like to play for such a conductor?
What we can take from Itay's talk is this. Music making is more than a factory job, and the players have to be given the opportunity to play. If you conduct a high school band and your kids are getting bored and quitting, perhaps you're not really letting them play - not letting them tell their story. We cannot forget to let them make music because we get too caught up in the process. After all - when last I checked, the only person on stage without the ability to make a sound, is the one with the stick.
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