Fishing and to be a fish.

A few days ago a group of my conducting colleagues and I were sitting at the breakfast table discussing our favourite topic, conducting technique. Yes I know, yawn - yawn, but bear with me for a moment please.

I am, and always have been, fascinated by conducting. I watch other conductors very carefully and with interest. I study their movement, technique and the way they act out the music. I like to think that over the years I have gained a good deal of technique and have enough presence on the podium to keep things going well. I can and do conduct opera, and you can’t do that without technique.

So these conversations with other conductors are fascinating to me, and with apologies for repeating myself, we were discussing technique a few days ago when the subject of “fishing” came up. This is conducting with a series of upbeats that can look like someone making regular rhythmic pulls on a fishing line. According to my colleagues, all of whom have been on Panula’s Masterclasses before, the Maestro doesn’t like fishing conductors.

One of my colleagues has to conduct a movement which is one beat to a bar and is concerned about being criticised for fishing. Panula can be cutting sometimes if he wishes to be, and avoidance of techniques he dislikes is strongly advised on his courses.

I had decided some time ago to concentrate on the Sibelius works in this Masterclass, and I am ill-prepared to avoid fishing. As it happens none of the pieces or movements that I have done or want to do are one beat to a bar, and so far the Maestro seems to like what I have been doing, so I have to date escaped his wrath with the possible exception of overdoing the rubato in the finale Mahler 3.

The next thing I wanted to conduct was the 1st movement of Mahler 2. I thought long and hard about this, but I decided on it as I had not worked on the first movement of Mahler 3 and I thought it would be sensible to do a first movement of something. This movement is a very powerful statement, words can never do it justice, despair and desperation seem the most appropriate of them. As my response to the finale of Mahler 3 had caught me by surprise, I wanted to be properly prepared for this piece. For a couple of days I avoided most company, studied the score and got myself mentally prepared.

When the moment came I stepped to the podium and started. I realised that all the preparation had been entirely unnecessary, the music said it all. I was quite pleased with the session apart from the fact that the Cor Anglais player was missing, I was very annoyed about this as there are many important solos for the instrument in this movement. I was told he was ill and that there wasn’t another player available in the town.

I did rehearse a few sections, and got to the crushing climax which held together well. When I left the podium I was still cross that there was no Cor Anglais but I had had a satisfactory rehearsal, even if my mood didn’t make me particularly popular with the orchestra!

Most of my colleagues have brought their own Camcorders with them to video themselves conducting, I had not as I didn’t have one to bring. I was anxious to see myself conducting before the next video session with Panula so I have bought one. I recorded myself conducting the Mahler so dashed away to view it.

A few days ago an American had passed comment on the fact that I seem to conduct with an open mouth, and perhaps I was vocalising a bit to the music. Not having seen myself conduct much I was curious about this and watched my video for it. Sure enough, there it was. I sing along to the music, I hope I sing soundlessly (if that is not a contradiction in terms) as I don’t like my own singing voice much, and the family hate it. I have not had complaints from any orchestras so I am pretty sure that I make no noise.

But I now have to reconcile myself to the fact that when I conduct my mouth opens and closes all the time as though one of my fishing conductor colleagues has just landed me.

This was not the sort of fishing I was expecting to have to deal with.