how does an orchestral conductor make a difference?

Question

The music is already written down the orchestra play what’s written, so what difference does the conductor make apart from the tempo?

In: Other

Answer 1

Studies have been done on this, with orchestras without conductor, with a novice conductor, and with an experienced conductor recorded. Then people were blindly asked to listen to them. The listeners overwhelmingly said the experienced conductor orchestras were better. The conductor doesn’t just drive the tempo, but also the strength and feeling of parts.