I have come across an interesting story from back in 1960. That fine Sibelian conductor Basil Cameron was directing a concert at Londons Royal Festival Hall [31st March] In the first half, Cameron conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's 'Egmont' Overture and 'Emperor' Concerto with Wilhelm Backhaus as soloist. Sadly, Cameron became ill on the podium and by the interval was too ill to carry on. Someone had the foresight to summon the conductor Harry Newstone from his London flat and Newstone arrived at the hall just in time to take over the second half of the concert, Sibelius's fourth Symphony! Entirely unprepared, and with less than an hours notice, he is reported to have delivered a performance that was praised for its subtlety and power.

To conduct a performance at the Festival Hall of Sibelius 4, totally unprepared and deliver a towering account to boot is really something. I feel sure maestro Kurki will agree with me that this was no easy task. Harry Newstone died in 2006, he was not one of the 'jet-set' conductors and has his own modest place in the musical hierarchy, but on that March evening the maestro showed his metal.--kp

Assuming one has studied (and perhaps performed) the work in question when taking over a performance, there is a very unique sense of freedom and focus the few times I have done something like this (albeit with much easier repertoire). I rather enjoyed the challenge the 2 times I had a chance to try something like this out, as one has a sense that the orchestra is really behind the conductor and watching more attentively than they usually do.

I think that we can assume that Newstone new Sibelius 4 inside out, but his view of the work may have differed significantly from Basil Cameron. Having a top orchestra such as the LSO at your disposal would be of some advantage. As Kurki hints at, in easier repertoire, the challenge would be less daunting and something of a bracing experience. But the fourth symphony of Jean Sibelius is no routine concert piece. Newstones take on the work may have been at complete variance with Camerons. For example one conductor may have slowed right down in the coda, were the other kept in tempo to the end. I am not a conductor, apart from waving my arms at the Cd player, but I would have thought that some music almost conducts itself. If the orchestra was completely in the dark when maestro Newstone stepped onto the podium, and they all went on to produce what seems to have been a pretty impressive performance, then I for one remain very impressed.--kp

kullervopete wrote:

I think that we can assume that Newstone new Sibelius 4 inside out, but his view of the work may have differed significantly from Basil Cameron. Having a top orchestra such as the LSO at your disposal would be of some advantage. As Kurki hints at, in easier repertoire, the challenge would be less daunting and something of a bracing experience. But the fourth symphony of Jean Sibelius is no routine concert piece. Newstones take on the work may have been at complete variance with Camerons. For example one conductor may have slowed right down in the coda, were the other kept in tempo to the end. I am not a conductor, apart from waving my arms at the Cd player, but I would have thought that some music almost conducts itself. If the orchestra was completely in the dark when maestro Newstone stepped onto the podium, and they all went on to produce what seems to have been a pretty impressive performance, then I for one remain very impressed.--kp

I wonder though, how much the new conductor would have really been able to imprint himself on the score at the last minute.

The orchestra would have been practicing with Cameron up until the last minute, so do you think that they were more or less playing on autopilot while Newstone conducted or did the orchestra really repond that much to him after having worked with Cameron up to that point?

kullervopete wrote:

I am not a conductor, apart from waving my arms at the Cd player ...

Actually, kullervopete, that qualifies you completely. How do you think the rest of us learn how to do it?

Tapkaara wrote:

I wonder though, how much the new conductor would have really been able to imprint himself on the score.

I know what you mean, Tapkaara, but that statement at face value opens up a big can of worms. I'm not sure that any honest conductor wants to "imprint himself upon the score"... but I guess that you mean in the given situation, to what extent could the new conductor "achieved his personal interpretation". It may seem like a semantic nuance but I'm just trying to preserve the integrity of an often misunderstood profession.

There is a certain "feedback loop" that exists between conductor and orchestra. The conductor certainly gives the original impulse to which the orchestra reacts, but then a sensitive conductor will also be in constant reaction to what the orchestra plays. Not mind you "following them" but reacting with them. This two-way flow of listening and music making is the ideal state of symbiosis. In a situation such as the one described in this thread, it becomes all the more important that one party does not stride off "on their own" but is constantly attentively aware of the other.

I've always been under the impression that most of the hard work is done during rehearsals, indeed during the actual performance it seems to me that as the maestro 'performs' the orchestral players scarcely look up at him, its as if the conductor is just going through the motions. Kurki has confirmed that in Newstones predicament the orchestra would be more attentive to his baton and gestures. I can see that as far as tempi and dynamics go, Newstones wishes would be readily conveyed. As far as getting across any personal insights from the score are concerned, then I think such subtlety's would be virtually impossible to convey on the night.

By the way Kurki, I do have a baton when I 'conduct' the great orchestras. I sometimes think that I might have been a conductor in a previous life. -kp

I TOO have a baton for when I conduct the great orchestras of the world. My neighbors don't realize they have such a great "concert hall" in the neighborhood!

Kurki, when I said "imprint on the score" I did not mean that the conductor monkies with the score. I think you know that. I meant when the first conductor was working with the orchestra, they were working with HIS interpretation up to the last minute. When a new conductor comes in, I'm sure the orchestra still had all of the nuances of the first conductor in their heads. So, if the second conductor comes in at the last minute, with rehearsing, are they really responding that much to him as the music unfolds or do they play it safe staying with what they had rehearsed?

But it seems it was probably a little of both, especially with the "two way feed" you mention where the conductor will actually respond to the orchestra as well.

A great story. It must have been an unusually tense occasion, even if Harry N knew the work backwards and maybe even had some idea how Basil C had rehearsed it (which is already assuming quite a lot). But in such circumstances I can't imagine that subtlety will have entered into the equation - not with such a difficult work as the Fourth; they will have been far too concerned about the nuts and bolts. Maybe the critics were simply praising the nuances inherent in the orchestral playing. Or maybe they had sneaked off to the pub and had written the reviews before the concert started?