
The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Pavilion
This week I had a chat with a prominent US journalist who was doing background study for her article touching the subjects of orchestral music and conducting, and among other things we were sharing stories of conflicts between conductors and musicians (they happen, though you'd like to believe otherwise!). This made me think of the wider concept of what it means to be a good professional orchestra musician, and also about the question of "discipline" in rehearsals.
As a cellist I have experienced first hand the frustrations of the section musician when things are not going right, the organization is messy, or the conductor incompetent. When you are in a crowd these sentiments surface pretty easily, sometimes with ugly results. As a conductor I have worked with orchestras of various levels and experienced a varying level of discipline, dedication and motivation, and I must say that in my opinion a good professional attitude and good discipline can have a great contribution to the artistic success of the performance. I am talking not only about the amount of time wasted when the players are noisy or protest easily, but also about the general morale "within the troops", and a certain pride of one's own orchestra, section and instrument.
I think here in Cleveland we are spoiled with an orchestra which is professional to the core and behaves well to all the guest conductors. I also remember fondly my concerts with certain Russian orchestras where I was always treated with utmost respect despite my age, and where the flow of information during the rehearsal stayed strictly uni-directional.
I leave the topic open for discussion. What makes up a good rehearsal discipline and how could it be encouraged in orchestras of all levels?














