Glenn Miller wrote:

>Here is my question: If a deaf B is trying to conduct, can he not see that
>the musicians placement of hands on the instrument is not in alignment with
>his conducting? It seems ludicrous and insulting to have B up there making
>a mockery of the whole thing.  If the performance is over and the audience
>is applauding then the musicians are no longer playing--why is B still
>conducting or beating time and the soprano has to turn him around? His
>eyes must have been closed too.  So if anyone can explain how this can
>happen, I would appreciate it.

The version I have always heard was that he didn't continue beating time,
he just didn't turn around to face the audience because he couldn't hear
the applause.  It isn't credible that he was continuing to conduct.  Even
if he couldn't hear the orchestra playing, and was conducting what he heard
in his head, if the orchestra was following him, they would have reached
the end more or less together, and B would have stopped.  If there was
another conductor behind him, he must have completely disregarded B, and
taken faster tempi.  to have finished the piece while B was still blazing
away in the finale.

This story has always bothered me too, and I hope someone knows what
actually happened.

p.s.  We are working on LvB op.1 #1 now.  What an amazing piece that is!
I remember when I was a kid seeing the Bernstein shows for kids with the
NYP.  I still remember him standing in front of the piano, explaining that
Beethoven was "perfect" that there was not one note too many, nor one too
few.  This trio is another illustration.

Dave Runnion
http://www.mp3.com/serafinotrio