Word: conductor
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...past decade, four of the most widely praised new Metropolitan Opera productions-Mozart's Don Giovanni, Berg's Wozzeck, Strauss's Salome and Die Frau ohne Schatten-all had one element in common: Conductor Karl Böhm. It was hardly coincidence. Long recognized as one of the world's foremost maestros, Böhm helped lead the way in elevating his profession to its rightfully high place in opera. Now 72, he dates his career back to the days when many opera houses did not even bother to list the conductor's name...
...house dedicated to the cult of the singer, that is a remarkable accomplishment, particularly for Böhm, since he is the antithesis of the flashy, scene-stealing conductor. Where some maestros seem intent on bending the score to fit their own interpretation, Böhm thinks of himself as the trustee of the composer, lets the music speak for itself. His attack is clean, crisp and controlled, and he adheres to the dictum of his close friend Richard Strauss: the basic duty of the opera conductor is to buoy up rather than drown out the singers...
Young Upstart. As a child in Graz, Austria, Böhm tagged after the town band to play make-believe maestro. At the insistence of his father, he entered law school, but often cut classes to serve as substitute conductor and pianist at the Graz Opera. At 25, he took a few hours off from rehearsals to pick up his law degree, then rushed back to conduct a performance of The Flying Dutchman...
...Today, still remarkably spry for his years, Böhm jets between continents to conduct about 80 performances a year, is already booked through 1970. A high-domed, bookish-looking man, he is known among musicians as a conductor long on native talent but short on patience. He is a stickler for punctuality, keeps a collection of 15 clocks ticking in perfect unison in the bedroom of his Vienna apartment. At rehearsals, he can be a demanding despot, responding to mistakes by roaring "Wot! Wot! Wot!" But his dictatorial ways are all in service of the music. He feels...
...tone. Beyond that, the concertmaster helps decide promotions, auditions, prospective new players, and acts as a father confessor as well as a liaison between the men and the maestro. Barbirolli says that the Italian appellation for concertmaster, violino di spalla, is more apropos: "His is the shoulder that the conductor leans...