Composition Matters
When I think of how a strong relationship between a performer and a composer is established, I firmly believe that it is the strength of the piece that will and has to win her/him over. Orchestra players generally are open, but they wait until they rehearse the work to either react positively if the experience engages them, or to become indifferent or negative if they end up not liking what they play. I am rather skeptical about the type of networking and social interaction that aims at winning over the players as “friends”. This can create the ambiance of “good old boys club” where works are favored by virtue of “amigo-ism” (to use Chris’ term), and not by the intrinsic artistic merits of the music, a situation particularly true of certain conductors that tend to “marry” certain composers (or soloists), and whose choices are more a reflection of personal affection, and not necessarily of sound artistic judgment. Mind you, we are all human and have, as I mentioned before, certain biases which also include favoring people based on personality.
The conductor is a key factor in securing the attention and respect of the musicians. There is nothing worse for a composer than attending a first rehearsal where the conductor would be sight reading the work, learning it on the spot. On the other hand, when the conductor has full command of the new piece, and is truly supportive of the composer, from the beginning she or him can instill enthusiasm and respect in the player for the music in front of them. How sad is to see a conductor, who has been “sitting on the fence”, react to the work with great enthusiasm after the clamorous applause from the audience or a great review. Namely, what I am trying to remark is that for a new work to penetrate and make a true impact, great leadership is needed at the podium.
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