On the subject of conductor ego, I heard Ian Bostridge mention something related on the Lebrecht Interview on Radio 3 this week - performers feel, according to him, endlessly resentful of conductors because of just such a divide. A performer can make a terrible noise, but a conductor can always blame it on their ensemble rather than themselves. There's more to it than that, and it's such a fabulous interview I would definitely recommend it, if you've the time:
On the subject of conductor ego, I heard Ian Bostridge mention something related on the Lebrecht Interview on Radio 3 this week - performers feel, according to him, endlessly resentful of conductors because of just such a divide. A performer can make a terrible noise, but a conductor can always blame it on their ensemble rather than themselves. There's more to it than that, and it's such a fabulous interview I would definitely recommend it, if you've the time:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007tbt3