My father, an attorney, used to enjoy reminding those who'd seen too many
episodes of "Perry Mason" that the bulk of a lawyer's work is finished
before he or she does his or her thing in front of judge and jury.  The
courtroom appearance is, as it were, just the tip of the legal iceberg.
Long hours doing research, taking depositions, and planning one's strategy
are much more important, my father used to argue, than the relatively small
amount of time a lawyer spends presenting his or her case in court.

I find myself wondering--partly as a result of the Mehta thread--whether
this isn't also true of conductors.  Some of them, when on stage, look
mighty impressive grimacing, gesticulating and waving their little sticks
around, but the real work, I imagine, is done before the conductor ever
climbs onto the box.  Studying of scores, hiring (and firing) musicians,
communicating with those musicians one's understanding of the music,
rehearsals: all of this, I guess are much more significant in making a
good, or great, performance happen than all the stick-waving in the world.

But I'm not a musician and have never conducted anything in my life, so
I really have no idea if the scenario I've sketched above is accurate.
Is it?

Yours,

David Cozy
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