In the July 4th edition of lebrecht.live, we shall be winnowing musical
wheat from chaff, and asking:

CONDUCTORS - WHAT DIFFERENCE DO THEY MAKE?

Good or bad, a conductor can change the way we perceive a piece of music,
even the way we feel about life itself.  But how do they do it, and does a
ten-grand conductor always do it better than one who is lucky to get paid
at all?

Is there still mystery and magic in the podium, or is it all done with
vanity mirrors and a world-class hairdresser? And while we are on grace
and beauty, why are women excluded from the top jobs?

And what about ethnic minorities? Is conducting just another old-boys club,
run on old school-tie lines? How do you get in, and how do you get ahead?

Are you better off buying a record with a famous maestro on the cover, or
paying half the price for a young unknown?

In the Vienna Philharmonic, asked who was conducting that night, they used
to say: 'We don't know - we never look.'

So what difference does a conductor make, and where are the conductors
today who make the difference? Let's name them.

On lebrecht.live, we have maestros, players, soloists, music historians and
music lovers to thrash out the state of conducting today.

Get your views in first.  Send your e-mails to [log in to unmask] and
phone in live on the night: 08700 100 444

Tune in to lebrecht.live on July 4 at 1845 (UK), 1945 (CET), 2045 (Middle
East), 1345 (US-EST) on www.bbc.co.uk/radio3.

"Norman Lebrecht" <[log in to unmask]>