(via:
)Conductor James Levine on wildly gesticulating conductors: “If your orientation is to watch the conductor, you get your aural sense interfered with in a way that is not completely controllable and conscious — because you see the conductor gesturing in a way that shows something about his feeling about the passage. And this, unconsciously, you measure against what you hear. And I think the most satisfying pieces that I hear live are usually conducted by conductors who have a very clear-cut idea of what their function is at a rehearsal and what their function is at a concert.”
Couldn’t agree more. Of course there’s a time for everything, including gesture with passion and emotion. However, I agree that clarity is key and I think the ultimate responsibility for the conductor has to be to the music and not the ego.
