Re: Domingo's reputation as a conductor


<urporxc@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1138658687.649368.311160@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> What kind of reputation does Placido Domingo have as a conductor? I
> thought the orchestra produced a good sound under his baton at the Met
> on Saturday, but some of the musicians seemed a bit uninvolved as I
> watched them with my binoculars from time to time. For example one of
> the French horn players spent pretty much the whole night reading from
> a book and some of the other musicians were also doing a lot of
> whispering to each other and joking around, which I never noticed with
> James Levine or some of the other visiting conductors. Is this
> normal orchestral musician behavior or is it a case of the
> 'students' taking it easy when the substitute teacher is in the
> classroom?
>
> I'm not criticizing the musicians or Domingo - I thought they
> sounded just fine - I'm just wondering if orchestral musicians
> believe Domingo is a 'real' conductor as opposed to a great tenor
> who enjoys a little diversion every now and then.
>
> Thanks.
>

I don't know much about music but I remember a televised concert many years
ago where Domingo was conductor, in which he spent much of the time doing
the 'chest-stab' gesture, meaning 'pay attention to ME' (visible to the TV
cameras but not the audience) suggesting that the orchestra were not
following his lead.

Whether this is a comment on the competence of the orchestra or on Domingo's
lack of authority I do not know.

John


.

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