The title seems intimidating, but what does a music director really do? Is it true that he whips (metaphorically, of course) the musicians during rehearsals, that he throws constant tantrums and has an inflated ego? Of course not, but… Tony Cirone explains:

“With this control over the musical score, it’s easy to see how such power can be abused.  It’s one thing to address sections or the entire orchestra regarding changes in the score, however, when individuals are approached regarding rhythm, intonation, or sound issues, the tone of the conversation is telling.  It doesn’t take much for a musician to feel the conductor is not pleased with his or her contributions. And when this leads to being called into the office for a meeting or making an official request to re-seat a musician, it affects the entire orchestra because one never knows who may be next.”

You can read the rest of this revealing blog post here…

Good reviews can be as harmful as bad ones. Or so this is what American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (winner of numerous Tonys and Grammys) believes. He writes in his new book, Look, I made a hat:

“It takes a long time to learn not to pay attention to critics, or at least not to let them distract you. For the young writer, critics have a number of destructive effects. If they praise you, you suffer afterwards by disappointing them; few writers who have a smash hit the first time out survive to be more than one-trick ponies. When the critics pan you, your confidence is shattered, but you gain a certain resilience, if for no other reason than there’s nowhere to go but up. It isn’t necessarily the criticism that hurts, of course, because you can choose not to believe it; it’s the fact that it’s out there in public, that thousands of people are witnessing your humiliation.”

You can read an excerpt from the book here…

Richard Strauss’s influence on the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg and Webern) has been discussed on several occasions over the years, even more so in the last few. Alex Ross from the New Yorker states: “… I believe it’s still underrated, not least because the eternal politics of twentieth-century historiography — radical vs. conservative, etc. — keep getting in the way.”

In this interesting blog (with musical examples), he draws parallels between the universes of Strauss and Schoenberg, the latter having adulated the first in his youth, not so surprisingly.

You can read it here…

Ensemble Caprice is coming back from a short but intense tour in the US. They were in Washington a few days ago with their Vivaldi and the Gypsies program and their raw energy and wonderful artistiry certainly convinced the critic of the Washingtonian...

“That the experience was anything more than an intellectual exercise is due to the electrifying performances of the group’s best musicians. Lead violinist Julie Triquet gave virtuosic flourish to many of the Romani melodies, in which the technical demands at breakneck speeds were no less formidable than Vivaldi’s, requiring pitches to bend and slide, and the tone to growl and complain. The group showed admirable unity as the tempo was likewise distorted, slowing down and speeding up, the changes guided especially by the expert beat of percussionist Ziya Tabassian.”

To read the full review…

The trumpet has taken so many forms throughout musical history that it makes it more difficult to really understand how this instrument works. The latest issue of La Scena Musicale offers an article that attempts to demystify that instrument that led soldiers to war and accompagnied the entry of kings.

You may read it here, on page 48-49.

Nothing like hearing the instrument to better understand it. You can do so here, with Paul Merkelo (principal trumpet of the OSM) and Luc Beauséjour, performing a series of baroque transcriptions.