Julia Werthimer wrote:

>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.

This is only my opinion, Julia, but a musician with that kind of attitude
should go into used cars or something.  The most expressive performers I
know are those who pretty much live for art.  (and food and sex but that's
only a sideline).  As a professional conductor, I don't use recordings to
compare interpretations, I prefer to concoct my own from the score.  The
vast majority of my choral cd's are purchased *after* I have done a
performance of a piece to see how the other guys differ with *me*.  The
vast majority of my cd collection consists of works outside my genre.  I
have more orchestral and chamber music discs than choral.

>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...

Again, my opinion, but that kind of thing is just lame.  Insurance, used
cars, hell, he ought to wait tables if he is that uncommitted.

Enough preaching,

Kevin