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What is the point of a conductor <\/span><\/a>?\u2019 is a question that is often asked. And a daft question it is too. While it\u2019s true that most half-decent orchestras and choirs can get comfortably from one end of a piece to the other without someone waving their arms in front of them, the huge range of interpretations that have emerged over the years tells us exactly what a conductor is there for.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> And think just how dull the musical world would be if conductors didn\u2019t exist. From the showy to the shy, the fierce to the friendly, the manic to the mundane, all help to bring their own bit of colour to the concert hall. Here, in our brief guide, we present 15 varieties of this fascinating beast\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n In the early decades of the 20th century \u2013 often referred to as the \u2018golden age\u2019 of conducting \u2013 so revered were the top maestros that they could act pretty much how they pleased. And many did just that. Demanding and stubborn, they were often dictatorial with their players, instilling reigns of terror and hiring and firing at will. The Hungarians George Szell and Fritz Reiner and Dutchman Willem Mengelberg were notorious in this respect, while so ferocious was Artur Rodzinski, a Pole, that it was widely rumoured that he conducted with a loaded revolver in his pocket. Those rumours may well, in fact, have been true. Some said it was just his good luck charm; others weren\u2019t so sure.<\/span><\/p>\nWhich is your favourite type of conductor to watch?<\/h2>\n
Tyrants<\/span><\/h3>\n
Firebrands<\/span><\/h3>\n