Maestro Michael Feinstein?

[jv92]

Playbill reports Michael Feinstein will take over as conductor of the Pasadena Pops after the death of Marvin Hamlisch.

Feinstein is a wonderful enthusiast and archivist for the American Songbook, and a good performer, but...but...conductor? Don't conductors, like, have to go to conducting school?


Link.

[dexter3]

Yes they do! Never heard of him as a conductor...

I do know that Marvin was barely a 'conductor'...I know symphony musicians that worked with him that said he mainly just started the number and didn't do much beyond that. With POPS songs, it's a lot easier, and the songs don't usually involve too much rehearsal, since the music is not particularly difficult or complex.

[jv92]

But Hamlisch went to Juilliard. This is not meant to be disparaging, but I don't think Feinstein's had much musical training. The ear is a glorious thing, though. But I don't know if the ear helps for conducting.

[PalJoey]

Oh, please. It's the Pasadena POPS. You don't need to go to school to conduct the Pasadena Pops.

I mean, it's not like he going to be conducting the Ars Sacra Bach Chorale...

[Broadwayhunk]

With professional musicians, it's all mostly show biz and personality on the podium, darling.

[Broadwayhunk]

I might add, though, that this may be the first time in history that a conductor has been named who can not read music.

[jv92]

That's kind of what I'm trying to say. Some very fine songwriters and musicians are in the same category as Feinstein, but I mean...how do you cue in the oboes if you don't know how to read a score?

[whatever2]

or where the oboes sit?

[Sirius Black]

Michael Feinstein will be able to conduct well enough.

Speaking from experience there are any number of conductors at major pops and orchestras who have no idea what they're doing - Leon Botstein chief among them. Watch the first violin, or the drummer - that's who is really conducting in many instances.

[dtzumbrunnen]

Agreed with Sirius Black. If you actually watched Hamlisch his conducting was nonsense. Besides once you have musicians of a certain caliber the conductor is there more for helping provide direction on balance and color of the group as a whole - it's at the amateur to mid-level that you really need someone with a strong set of technical skills. It's more about the emotion at this level and much less about sending a cue to the oboes (besides, oboes have boring POPS parts)...

[GavestonPS]

Is it possible that Feinstein doesn't read music AT ALL?!

I mean, I had 8 weeks of piano lessons when I was 7 and 8 or so years in church choirs and I can read at least one line at a time. (And, yes, I can following a score well enough to know when the oboes come in.)

I wouldn't say "I can read music" in the way my musician friends can, but surely Feinstein can read as well as I! I'm thinking of all the work he's done with old sheet music found in trunks.