Tag Archives: classical

by

Reponse to “What Does A Conductor Do?”

http://nymag.com/arts/classicaldance/classical/features/conductors-2012-1/

After playing in a youth symphonic band for the last seven years, seeing the title of an article being, “What Does A Conductor Do?” had really caught my attention. I have always wondered what really goes on in the mind of a conductor as all the musicians are the ones projecting the sound to the audience. The conductor is just a man with a small wand in his hand waving it around, as the musicians are projecting their sounds out to the crowd. If to say the conductor does mess up a beat or miss a signal, it is still up to the musician/s to still stay on top of the music and make sure what needs to happens, happens. So then “What Does A Conductor Do?”.

Reading through the article, there were so many points where I could directly relate to the situation happening in the article. When he starts to speak about how he has to demonstrate how to get the right sound out of the triangle, how he has to sing the bassoon line, and how he has to point out discreet harmony changes, those are all jobs of the conductor that I have encountered being done before. Actually hearing from a conductor and the his experiences of conducting has given me a new opinion on conducting. Conductors do a lot more than just wave their wand around. They lead the entire orchestra with their tiny baton. The power of the baton is immense, as it leads every single instrument. Each and every musician look up to the conductor for guidance at any particular part of the piece of music, and the conductor will surely demonstrate what needs to be done through the baton. The conductor can express the music being played through his conducting, as it is then transferred to the orchestra and projected to the audience.

The article has given me incite on the crucial elements that the conductor can control. He practically leads the entire orchestra and is there on that podium to give them guidance whenever a single musician needs it. The conductor molds the sounds of the orchestra into symphonic music.

 

by

The Audition Response

Before the essay started, there was a blurb in the beginning where it described Mike Tetreault as a hardworking individual who sacrificed everything he had in order to join a world-renowned orchestra. His dedication to practice everyday for long hours in a church and his passion to enter the orchestra impressed me. It also went into great detail about how the orchestra works. It makes one believe that Tetreault knew a lot about the orchestra, which shows his desire to be a part of it.

The essay was really detailed when it came to describing his practices, his achievements, and the orchestra. It was as if the author wanted to emphasize how hard he worked and how difficult it would be to succeed in getting into the Boston Symphonic Orchestra. These details discreetly made me unconsciously want to support Tetreault in his goals. However, I wonder what his friend felt when he found out Tetreault took advantage of him being denied tenure in order to achieve his own goals. I also wonder what his wife felt when he ignored her calls. Although I admire his passion for music, I feel as though he shouldn’t have sacrificed his personal life to the extent where he can’t see anything but his upcoming audition.

As the essay went on, I found it noteworthy how although Tetreault took advantage of his friend’s open position, Tetreault still didn’t pass the audition because he followed in similar footsteps. Tetreault was so focused on succeeding in the music industry, he failed to see that his focus on success eventually led to his downfall. The same thoughts that ran through his friend’s head ran through his. They started to become paranoid about playing the right notes and pleasing the judges. At the end of the essay, it was revealed that he suffered from not being able to do what he worked so hard for. This reminded me of when I read about his friend trying so hard to improve but was still denied tenure. His drive for success caused him to ignore any lessons he could’ve learned from his friend and made mistakes that cost him his chance of joining the orchestra.

Link to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4wb11w0ZHQ