Yesterday, we talked about good conductors. Today, let's talk about bad conductors. Some bad conductors or unimaginative, or uninteresting. And others are just not very gifted; even when they have good ideas, they have difficulty communicating them. Some may even put on an extravagant physical show, but without necessarily showing much that's useful to the members of the orchestra. Other conductors are unprepared or undependable. Good orchestras try to ignore bad conductors, and in fact, it's not uncommon for good orchestras to rescue bad conductors- to play passages of music correctly even when the conductor makes mistakes. An excellent conductor is a great advantage for an orchestra, but it's a matter of professional pride for the best orchestras that they simply don't allow themselves to play below a certain level no matter who is conducting.
A Minute with Miles – a production of South Carolina ETV Radio, made possible by the J.M. Smith Corporation.
