What's the 'best' instrument for a would-be conductor to study?

[Pabmusic]

The LSO's first conductor was a composer and violinist, of course.

[Hornspieler]

[/QUOTE]

Solti was a pianist.

Fischer-Dieskau was a singer!

A good ear, a love of the sound of an orchestra in full flow, the ability to read music and to manage a load of musicians with varying levels of cantankerousness are probably the best chances of cracking the job!

The facility to play a keyboard instrument is more than useful for a conductor and, in the opera house, is essential to attain sufficient skill to be a repetiture to accompany during singers' rehearsals, but not to aspire to the high levels of becominig a concert pianist. Then they get their conducting experience presiding over matinee performances which, handling an orchestra below and singers above simultaneously, is probably the best training in the world.

What was Beecham's musical background?

Well Beecham had the money to hire the country's best musicians and learn from them, but as he first became known as an opera conductor, one assumes that he could play the piano.

To name some others*:
Violins Paavo Berglund, Willi Boskovsky, Bernard Haitinck, Neville Marriner,Yehudo Menuhin, Jan Pascal Tortelier.

Violas Rudolf Barshai, Raymond Leppard, Pincas Zuckerman

Cellos John Barbirolli, Lawrence Leonard, Mistislav Rostropovitch, Paul Tortelier.

Double Bass Serge Koussevitsky, Zubin Mehta.

Timpani Christopher Seaman

Wind and Brass: Charles Mackerras, Edo de Waart (Oboi) Alun Francis, Anthony Halstead, Maurice Handford, Norman del Mar, Eric Wetherall, (Horns) Geofrey Brand, Elgar Howarth, Otto Klemperer (Trumpets) Vernon Handley, Gordon Langford, Denis Wick (Trombones) Nicanor Zabaleta (Harp)

*To show no personal choice, I have listed these conductors in alphabetical order.

That's all that I can think of at the moment.

HS

[BBMmk2]

I did'nt know that Klemperer was a trumpet player!!

I remember an anacdote, when Philip Jones first playued with the Philharmonia. This was when Klemperer was recording that marv elous set of Wagner orchesrtral music, and PJ played that opening of the Rienzi Overture! Klemperer was heard to say'not a bad trumpet player!)

[rauschwerk]

Well Beecham had the money to hire the country's best musicians and learn from them, but as he first became known as an opera conductor, one assumes that he could play the piano.[/QUOTE]

Beecham was not much of a pianist but he accompanied Nancy Evans (of whom he said, "Ah, yes, a godsend to the the tired businessman - a comely wench") in 1940 in recordings of three songs by his son Adrian.

[amateur51]

Andre Previn played the piano as did Leonard Bernstein, Mikhael Pletnev and Dmitri Mitropoulos. Didn't Maurizio Pollini waggle the stick for a recording of Rossini's La Donna del Lago?


Pianists Andras Schiff, Murray Perahia, Stephen Kovacevich have all conducted and made recordings as conductors, I think.

[Hornspieler]

I did'nt know that Klemperer was a trumpet player!!

I remember an anacdote, when Philip Jones first played with the Philharmonia. This was when Klemperer was recording that marvelous set of Wagner orchesrtral music, and PJ played that opening of the Rienzi Overture! Klemperer was heard to say 'not a bad trumpet player!)

When Dr. Otto Klemperer first came to conduct the Philharmonia orchestra, the
three members of the trumpet section thought that it would be a nice idea to invite him out to
lunch. (Klemperer was a former trumpet player.) Afterwards, as they settled down to their
coffee and brandy, the conversation went as follows:

1st TRUMPET “Tell me, Herr Doktor, what do you think of Paul Kletzski?”

KLEMPERER “Kletzski? He's very good ... yes, very good but, I tell you, Bruno Walter! But still, Kletzski? Yes, very good but, gentlemen -- Furtwangler!”

2nd TRUMPET “We had him here last week, conducting Beethoven's Ninth.”

KLEMPERER “Really? He conducted that ? Very interesting .. yes, very interesting, but the Choral symphony?
Kleiber! Always, Erich Kleiber ... Still, Kletzski is very good.”

3rd TRUMPET “Well we thought he was rotten.”

KLEMPERER “I quite agree with you! He's rotten! HE'S ROTTEN !”

With Beethoven 9th still ringing in our ears, I could not resist reproducing this little story, told to me by that 3rd trumpet

HS

[salymap]

I've just remembered that I have a cassette of Beecham accompanying Dora Labbette {?} at the piano, in some songs. One of his ladies, I believe.

And, sure it's true, but cannot visualise Sir Adrian Boult as a singer...........

[rauschwerk]

Andre Previn played the piano...

Plays, surely. It's perhaps not widely known that Previn taught himself the flute when called up and assigned to the 6th US Army Band. Amongst his works from this period were "completely bizarre band transcriptions of Shostakovich's First Symphony and Chabrier's Espana." (See his amusing autobiography No Minor Chords.)

[antongould]

I've just remembered that I have a cassette of Beecham accompanying Dora Labbette {?} at the piano, in some songs. One of his ladies, I believe.

And, sure it's true, but cannot visualise Sir Adrian Boult as a singer...........

Only if having an affair lasting 13 years and producing a son Paul (all per Wiki m'Lord) counts as being one of his ladies...................

[salymap]

Only if having an affair lasting 13 years and producing a son Paul (all per Wiki m'Lord) counts as being one of his ladies...................

Well, still one of his ladies anton, I must look for the tape, they were Victorian ballads IIRC.

[Pabmusic]

...And, sure it's true, but cannot visualise Sir Adrian Boult as a singer...........

But might it be easier to visualise if one saw this (from 1911, at about the time of the Shropshire Lad premiere, which was organised by Boult, and given by J. Campbell McInnes and the composer at the Oxford Music Society. Boult sang them a few days later at a private recital.):

[amateur51]

Plays, surely. It's perhaps not widely known that Previn taught himself the flute when called up and assigned to the 6th US Army Band. Amongst his works from this period were "completely bizarre band transcriptions of Shostakovich's First Symphony and Chabrier's Espana." (See his amusing autobiography No Minor Chords.)

Thanks for that reference, rauschwerk - sounds interesting

[Petrushka]

Klaus Tennstedt was another violinist until a hand injury forced a career change.

[Flosshilde]

Sir Mark Elder was a bassoonist.

Why does that sound vaguely insulting?

[Serial_Apologist]

Why does that sound vaguely insulting?

Yes, it is a bit beneath the pink oboe...