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You guy's who are struggling with your hair growing "out" rather than down will be amused by this old picture of myself (ca. 1981). Yes, I am conducting an orchestra. I gave up the habit soon thereafter.
Arnold
Sorry about the 90 degree flip. Looks like I was conducting on the Titanic!
I think it looked rather cool, certainly fit in with the time.
Conducting an orchestra sounds like it would be quite interesting, why did you stop? Just curious
Professional conducting requires a very thick skin, which I don't posess. Orchestral musicians are the most hypercritical people in the world. I have to admit though, conducting is about a great an ego-rush as this world has to offer.
Arnold,
Your hair looked great in that pic. I am surprised you would need a thick skin as a orchestra conductor, I thought music and artsy types didn't care so much about hair.
What type of music did you conduct. I like orchestra music. :-)
Mike
Hi Mike,
The necessary thick skin had nothing to do with hair. It has to do with intense pickiness about musical issues. Basically, imagine a room with 60 or more highly trained surgeons or lawyers, all being directed by one of their peers, and all with varying sizes of enormous but easily injured egos. Now add to the mix that many of them secretly covet that spot on the podium. (They might covet the hair too, but that's a different story.) Conductors are under constant intense critical scrutiny, more often than not by players who jump an the least little slip and immediately start to question your competence.
I conducted mostly standard classical fare. Since then, when I have conducted, it has been contemporary "classical" music, some of my own, some of friends or other living composers. Mostly I prefer to let others wave the baton though.
Arnold,
I see your point there. :-)
I am pretty new to classical music and I am really just starting to discover it. I am still pretty young. I am not familiar with contemporary classical music, just the more well known classical pieces. Do you have some examples of contemporary music? Do you also have a link to some of your work? I'd like to check some of it out if you don't mind. ;-) I have always loved music, and I find it a great way to relax.
Mike
Sure Mike. First let me just say that I don't really like the term "classical" to describe most of the contemporary scene, because a lot of it is really anti-classical in its philosophy (thinking of John Cage or Philip Glass or Pauline Oliveros).
Here's a short list of some of my favorites to get you started. All of these composers have music on iTunes and lots of other sources on the web to get started:
John Adams--check out his "Short ride on a fast machine"
Steve Reich--Music for 18 Musicians
John Corigliano--Symphony No. 1 (also his score to the film "The Red Violin)
Pauline Oliveros--The Lion's Tale
Richard Danielpour--Cello concerto
Arvo Part--Passio
And some younger up and coming composers--Osvaldo Golijov, Christopher Rouse, Thomas Ades
As for my stuff, I'm just starting to put up a web site, and will send you the URL when it's ready with some music. Hope you like it.
Best,
Arnold
Mine looked a lot like that today, Arnold, as I was conducting a junior choir. It is not so big sinc eI usually style it when damp, but if I dry style it is at least double that of a wet style and roughly equal to your own glorious picture.
Shawn (Mr.Crow)