Robotic conductor

It seems that technology now makes it possible for a robot to conduct an orchestra:

Robot Asimo makes debut with Detroit Sym
In today’s (5/14) Detroit Free Press, Mark Stryker writes, "Asimo, Honda’s humanoid robot, made its conducting debut Tuesday at Orchestra Hall, leading the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in ‘The Impossible Dream’ of Broadway fame. Let’s say right away that the display was a technological marvel and as cool as all get-out. But it was conducting in only the most limited definition. … It lifted its arms and gave the downbeat, conducting waltz time with fluid, lifelike gestures. It deliberately slowed down for the big finish, shifting into 6/8 time and ending with a dramatic held note. … How did Asimo do it? Honda filmed DSO education director Charles Burke conducting the piece and programmed Asimo to copy his movements. Of course, true conducting is more than arm-waving. It’s shaping musical expression and communicating ideas. Asimo can’t think or react; it does only what it’s been programmed to do.” DSO Music Director-Designate Leonard Slatkin, who was in attendance, kidded the robot: “I’ll believe it when you conduct Mahler 7.”

I think this is an exciting development. Orchestras will save as much as $2 million dollars in music director's salaries. Also, orchestra members will be assured that the robot-conductor will not abuse them in rehearsals (unless, of course, conductors are involved in the progamming). I wonder if thge robot-conductors will develop huge egos like their human counterparts?

Back to Bach

Ever wondered what Johann Sebastian Bach looked like? Forensic artists have reconstructed his face from a bronze cast of his skull and documents from his time.


Click on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/7270795.stm to read the article and to see the image.

Are you amusia-ed?

I have often been amazed when I hear people say that they don't like music. I could never understand how that could be possible. It's one thing to not like a certain type of music. I, for one, don't like rap music--but that's another matter. But to not like music at all--that's hard to accept. Today, I think I found the answer for which I had been waiting.

Today's In the News, an electronic newsletter of the League of American Orchestras, included the following report:

Unlocking the mysteries of amusia
In today’s (2/28) Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), James Morgan writes about “those who suffer from a rare condition known as amusia—a complete inability to comprehend or take pleasure from music. Where once these people would have been dismissed as ‘tone deaf’, there is a growing recognition that amusia is a neurological condition, inherited through families. Professor Tim Griffiths listens to the experiences of amusia patients every month in his auditory clinic in Newcastle. … Griffiths is the UK’s leading expert on amusia. He was quick to recognise that those who ‘just don’t get it’ hold the key. By peering into their minds, we can begin to answer deeper mysteries—why do humans enjoy music, and what use is it to us? … Studies have shown that the brain has distinct systems for processing pitch, melody and rhythm. A further brain region creates the emotional effect of music, and this is the area in which Griffiths is most interested.”

So, if you know of people who are not attending concerts of their local orchestra, tell them that they just might suffer from amusia. After wondering what you are talking about, they will either call their family doctor or order tickets.

Just a Little Respect

As Aretha would sing, "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." That's exactly how I feel about by colleagues in the opera field.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of conducting a concert, featuring tenor Dan Snyder (check out his website at www.dansnyder.com). He joined my two orchestras, the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra and the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, is an evening of Neapolitan songs. He sang great tunes like Mattinata and Core 'grato. Now, before you musical snobs say anything, let me clarify. These songs are not from operas. Although many were written by opera composers, they were composed as stand-alones. However, the style of the songs have a lot in common with their operatic cousin, the aria.

The primary similarity between Neapolitan songs and opera arias is that they contain much rubato (flexibility in tempo-another way to think of it is stretching of time). This makes sense since Leoncavallo, for example, wrote opera arias like the famous Vesti la giubba from Pagliacci and the Neapolitan song Mattinata.

My respect comes from this similarity. The rubato and flexibility of the music requires the conductor to follow the tenor soloist's tempos at all times. This requires a type of sixth sense from the conductor. The conductor must anticipate whether the soloist will linger on a certain note for a while, take time with a certain passage, or press forward. Although the soloist, orchestra, and conductor rehearse in preparation for the concert, details change a bit with every performance. Dan and I rehearsed and performed the same program twice, but some things were different each time, as they should have been. After all, we are human beings who, as musicians, have the right to express ourselves differently, depending on how we feel the music.

So, hats off to my colleagues who do this full time. You have my respect. And, by the way, hats off to conductors of Broadway shows. You are made from the same cloth.

Christmas

Like most professional musicians, I have just finished the Christmas "marathon". That is, weekly performances of Christmas concerts, beginning the first week of December.

This "marathon" means different things to different people. Some musicians see it as an opportunity to make lots of do-re-mi. After all, whether one views Christmas as a sacred or secular holiday, most everyone agrees that the music is good. Consequently, those people who don't normally attend orchestra concerts come out in droves. Just look at ballet companies. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker has to account for 15-20% of their ticket sales for the year. Similarly, the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra and the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra (the two orchestras for which I serve as music director) experienced record audiences for their respective concerts.

For me, Christmas is more than ticket sales. As I planned the two concerts, it occurred to me (as it does every year) that this holiday is responsible for much of the great orchestral literature we have. Not only do we have great pop arrangements like A Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), but we also have great classical pieces like the above-mentioned Nutcracker. More significant to me, however, are the composers who were inspired by the religious aspects of Christmas. From Adams' O Holy Night to Handel's Messiah, Christmas wouldn't be the same without these musical reminders of the real reason for the season. For me, Christmas concerts are a glorious celebration of Jesus' birth.

Have a blessed Christmas!

The Obsolete Conductor

It is highly unusual for me to post comments twice in the same month, let alone twice in the same week as I am doing today. However, I ran across this news brief from the American Symphony Orchestra League. It hits home with something I have been saying for years, so I couldn't resist sharing it with you. Here goes:

James Levine on conducting and new music
In Sunday’s (11/18) Boston Globe, Sam Allis talks with Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director James Levine about his conducting style. “Levine’s goal is to make himself, to use his own word, obsolete.” Says Levine: “What I want to hear is an orchestra that functions like a huge chamber orchestra, to communicate the conception directly to the audience. If the conductor has to control everything gesturally, the audience looks more than listens.” (My emphasis.)

What a concept: the audience listening to the music rather than watching the conductor. Ever since the histrionics of Leonard Bernstein in the 1950s, orchestra audiences (and unfortunately many musicians) have judged a conductor's effectiveness on how good he or she looks on the podium. I blame it on Bernstein because he is the first notable example of a conductor who seemingly choreographed movements to impress the public. Before that, conductors often looked awkward on the podium. For example, look at old films of Furtwangler (who conducted like a limp, marionette puppet) or Richard Strauss (who looked like he was bored out of his skull when he conducted). These great conductors were judged on the music that they made. I thought the days of conductors being judged on their musicality instead of their podium moves were over. Perhaps James Levine offers hope.

Don't get me wrong. Bernstein was a genius. I can't think of any other person in history who was able to conduct, compose, teach, and play at the level Bernstein achieved. However, his "matinee" style of conducting put the emphasis in the wrong place, in my opinion. To prove my point, look at some of the classes offered to conductors. For example, classes in movement are offered at conducting seminars and workshops. I'm not talking about the basics of conducting technique, but classes taught by theatre people in how to look good on the podium. Proponents of these classes would deny that looking good is their goal. They would say that such movements are necessary to communicate the composer's intentions via the conductor's gestures, resulting in better music making. Before Bernstein, conductors were devoted solely to the music, regardless of how they looked to the public. I really wonder if conductors like Strauss and Furtwangler could get a podium job these days.

I don't blame conductors for worrying about how they look. As I said, audiences and musicians tend to judge them on this. If you want a job, you better play the game. However, I dream of the day when a conductor is judged not on how he looks, but on what kind of product he gets from the musicians who play beneath his baton. Maybe I was born 50 years too late and this is a pipe dream. Then again, maybe Maestro Levine offers hope.

Giving Thanks

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I thought I would take a moment to say what I am personally thankful for. God has blessed me in more ways than I deserve. I think it is appropriate to take the time to recognize that.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my family. I have a loving wife who supports everything I do without complaint and with encouragement. I have two children who are good kids. I have a mother who faithfully drove me to trumpet lessons every week and a father (now deceased) who encouraged me to follow my musical dreams.

I am thankful for my friends. They have enriched my life beyond measure.

After doing quite a bit of traveling this past year, I realize how thankful I am to live in the United States. We take freedom for granted. We also take our high standard of living for granted. We really have nothing to complain about and everything to be thankful for.

Lastly, I am thankful for my job. I have the pleasure of getting up every morning and doing what I love. How many people can honestly say that? I have the honor of working with good people (staff and board of directors) who work hard to keep the orchestra "on the road". And, of course, I get to conduct a great group of people. Not only are they good musicians, but they are good people. I wouldn't have it any other way.

What are you thankful for? Take a moment and thank God for your blessings.