Dear friends from the amateur league, You have no idea about what happen during rehearsals at high professional level, absolute no idea, sorry.
Even with the greatest & world famous maestros (Sawallisch, Mehta, Muti, Masur, Boehm, etc.) we just played half a movement & started plucking it to pieces. They stop if the balance is not right, if the expression is not what they expected or wanted, for certain accent markings, dots, fp, sfz, how strong or how soft they wanted it ever. O.k. next sixty measures (or not) & the same procedure & forward again. So to make two movements the first rehearsal & playing these streight once (perhaps) & if they are not long as a Bruckner Adagio movement. We get them to play again in the public dress rehearsal, but even then they will interrupt if something must be fixed (or not). This "or not" is very important, as even these calibres are happy, if we put all together during the concert. But this first concert is compareable to a seat in a formula One car & driving at the course of Nuerburg or Spa. Often these conductors seem to have rehearsed another piece than they conduct at the concert - and the orchestra has to fix that instantly WITHOUT any complain. We are paid for it. But admitted, the maestros are overpaid in a really sick manner. If their fee goes into 50.000 or up to 100.000 USD, not per month or year, but per CONCERT, per EVENING, plus all the extras 1st class flight, 1st class ***** accomodation & all bills paid & a luxury car with driver at disposition (the maestros above did not use it, nor were their fees in this region except one of them, but he drives by himself), this is more than sick. Many of them are made up stars (none of the gentlemen mentioned), special these 2nd or 3rd or 4rth class made up stars, not capable playing a single instrument not even the piano. These are the worst, but you can fool them more easily. And they fall into the traps, but without any effect. And they can be dangerous, very intrigant & dangerous. That picking on the musicians is necessary to achieve a high class result. But , as we say "the tone makes the music", it all depends how these maestros do it. I know some of them, who show their great respect for the corporation (orchestra) even by how they are dressed at the rehearsal. They are very demanding, but never insulting, never blaming single players. They have great respect for the integrity of every player. They never "step on your cock" (slang). An this is very pleasing. We do all for the success with them together. But there are also some self made tyrrants, whom we let fire up to the last shot, - and do all with passive resistance, means playing everything correct, but correct only. The audience will understand that & these maestros will never come back again. But, sorry, this is not your business at amateur or even very advanced amateur level, where a greater part of the musician is still "on fight" with their instrument or with the music. Here you have not to take every correction by the "commander" (conductor, concertmaster, leader of the section) as a personal insult. They give their best to fix a good performance together & you should better follow them, instead putting every word on the "gold wages". As said by other before, music is not the place for democracy. It is a place of leadership & teamwork. _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
