A Conducting Clinic

“The whole duty of the conductor is comprised in his ability always to indicate the right tempo. His choice of tempi will show whether he understands the piece or not. With good players, the true tempo induces correct expression and phrasing and conversely, with a conductor, the idea of appropriate phrasing and expression will induce the conception of the true tempo.”

Richard Wagner

We can’t ever get enough of quotes, right? 

Some people love them, others hate them. Some will hang them on their wall or bathroom mirror while others aggressively shun them when they show up on Instagram. For the quote-lovers, we have a treat for you: a whole document of quotes from renowned conductors and pedagogues, A Conducting Clinic by Timothy Reynish. Pdf here:

“The problem is that we hear a band and say “that’s a great sound” but it’s like a steady diet of chocolate caramel ice cream – rich, thick, beautiful, full….and boring. I like to create different timbres within the parameters of a good sound. Sometimes those sounds may be on the brink of “not so good”, but they are interesting and even demanded by some contemporary compositions.”

James Croft