I have had a long career in orchestra performance. I
believe I have worked under the baton of over 100 conductors. Those that I
consider most successful start with a warm sound approach. They lower the base
sound of an orchestra to a warm mezzo-piano. Starting with this warm soft
dynamic a conductor can achieve wonderful blends of instruments and tone
qualities. Then the musicians when needing to play loud have a nice soft base
to build upon, and the contrasts can be huge, and at the same time, the loud can
be non-forced, but beautiful.
If a conductor were to start by saying "I can't
hear you, play louder," which is what most conductors do, we generally
have an escalation of volume and a loss of warmth. Yes, there are times when
the expression of the music needs harshness, but to start with a sense of
beauty makes the music much more emotional.
I have seen a few conductors also start the rehearsal
with creating the phrases that he or she feels in the music. This is a
fantastic trick, or tool that a conductor can use. Step one is reduced the
volume to find warmth and blends. Step two is to suggest a few phrases. Once
the musicians are listening for blend and approaching the music with warmth in
their tone, the phrasing of the first two phrases carries through the piece and
with two simple approaches the orchestra starts to sound as if they have music
in their souls.
