Do soloists make good conductors?

Several decades ago a young Daniel Barenboim recorded Mozart symphonies with the English Chamber Orchestra. He had made his first recordings (1955) as a pianist, so, as I remember, his move to the podium came as a surprise, but he was by no means the first distinguished soloist to do this. Alfred Cortot (he conducted the Paris premiere of Götterdämmerung) and Edwin Fischer come to mind. I use Barenboim as a reference point merely because in those days it was quite an unusual occurrence. However, in the last 20 years an extraordinary number of distinguished soloists have stepped up to the rostrum, sustaining a trend which invites scepticism. 

There are soloists who direct from the piano, violin, etc., for example in a Mozart concerto, scored for a relatively small, manageable ensemble. Then there are those who go further – another step which is apparently too easy if you are an established name - playing a concerto before conducting a major work after the interval. (Incidentally, among those who have taken up conducting we must also include some cellists, wind players and singers.) I am not discussing ex-orchestral players or chamber musicians (such as Harnoncourt and Brüggen) here because my specific point is that a soloist – ie, a concerto-player will have made a reputation as such, and can exploit his reputation to make a sideways move.

Very often they are encouraged by orchestral managements seeking to economise. It is less expensive to offer your soloist a “package”, than to engage a separate conductor. If this is largely motivated by cost-cutting - as I believe it is – then it is an undesirable road to take, involving a substantial risk of compromising artistic standards. Once taken, this trend becomes established as acceptable and is irreversible. Audiences are easily seduced by a famous name, whatever role he is fulfilling, so most parties are happy – but is the music well served?            

An extension of this principle is the engagement of a known soloist as soloist-director-conductor of a chamber orchestra. Again this arrangement works well economically, but is a dubious substitute for appointing a properly trained, specialist conductor. The most worrying aspect is the way in which the practice has become commonplace. What began as a trickle is now an unstoppable tidal wave. Surely the art of conducting is being debased, the value of this specialised craft gradually eroded. Many of these soloists simply learn the job as they go along. Orchestral players soon sense that they are being taken for a ride. There have been some very famous soloists who have proved to be poor conductors, deficient in technique or communication skills and often intolerant of instrumental expertise below their own exalted standard. Many an outstanding solo violinist-turned-conductor has difficulty in relating to the mindset of the rank-and-file orchestral player.

There was a time when conductors would spend years of 'apprenticeship' in a provincial opera house, especially in Germany, before thinking of advancing their careers. As we know, there is no substitute for experience. John Barbirolli once said that conductors are born, not made – not particularly helpful, but I think we know what he meant. I don't for a minute suppose he was implying that natural gifts are enough – an ideal requirement, yes, but the would-be conductor who has this innate talent, and has serious aspirations, would, one hopes, embark upon a course of study. If modern-day soloists imagine that they can rely on their musical instinct, they are misguided. There are already enough workaday stick-wavers on the concert circuit. Politely welcoming a new face, orchestral players hope for a conductor with convictions, someone with a strong interpretation to offer, while audiences – often easily pleased – can also be surprisingly discerning. Those soloists who dabble show a casual disrespect for conducting, sending out the wrong message and encouraging others to take this short-cut to a 'career-adjustment'. I played for many conductors who dedicated their lives to this demanding role, constantly re-studying the great works in their repertoire.       

Brilliant footballers do not often make successful managers. Obviously, a manager/coach should be able to extract the best from a diverse group of characters. Compared with playing this is a totally different responsibility, involving man-management and psychology. The same applies to conducting. Having intimate knowledge of both solo violin and orchestral parts in, say, Brahms' Violin Concerto, is a prerequisite for a soloist, (while virtuosity is taken for granted) but persuading the orchestra to play their hearts out is a distinctly separate challenge.

I must mention John Georgiadis, who sadly passed away recently. According to his obituary, he studied conducting for eight years with Celibidache. He was best-known as a leader rather than a soloist but the principle is the same, the point being that he regarded conducting not as a mere sideline.