Baton down the hatches

More than anything else, I am most upset by conductors who inject too much of themselves into their interpretations. The best conductors I have worked for allow the music to speak for itself, rather than loading it with distortions and exaggerations for the sake of individualism. Certainly I’m not asking for generic performances, but I’d prefer to be aware of the composer first and the interpreter second. Conductors will always do well to put themselves at the service of the music and to approach it humbly.
We’ve spent a lot of time critiquing (and criticizing) conductors, but we as musicians should be willing to apply the same critical eye to ourselves. In our case, worrying about the mote in our own eye means coming to all services well prepared and attentive, and maintaining high standards of professionalism always. Studies have shown that orchestra musicians as a group have very low job satisfaction, and it’s easy to let that translate into careless work habits. I would imagine that at least some of our complaints about the way we are treated by conductors stem from our own shortcomings. Inattentiveness, talking during rehearsals and lack of preparation, to name a few, are things that would drive any conductor to distraction. Simply put: to get respect, we need to give respect.