Richard Pennycuick:

>I'm not a musician but I know some and without exception, they listen
>to recordings a good deal.  To take a couple of examples which would be
>familiar to most listers, an oft-used photo of Richard Hickox shows him at
>home with a large collection of LPs.  Neeme Jarvi is well-known for casing
>the CD shops in whichever city he happens to be performing.  I doubt that
>either is using his purchases purely for decorative purposes.:)

Your examples are both conductors, who presumably need to study different
interpretations.  But instrumental orchestra musicians are a different
story:  I've known one or two for whom it was simply work, and who wanted
to do something totally divorced from it in their spare time.

I also remember talking to a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra
after a particularly good performance:  he didn't remember who the
conductor was or the names of the principal singers!  In fact I wondered
if he even recalled the name of the opera...

Julia Werthimer <[log in to unmask]>
California, USA