What are composers doing when they’re waving the stick?

Question

If everyone has sheet music and all the timing information down, then what’s the composer’s role?

In: 952

Answer 1

For me, whilst the musicians all play their instruments, according to the music, the conductor is playing the musicians, according to their vision for the performance.

To conduct feels like every musician is connected to you with invisible bungee cord. As you conduct, you are pulling on those cords and subtly shifting not just the timing and dynamics, but the -style- of how the musicians play. The better the conductor, the more control of the bungee ropes they have.

The bungee ropes are made up of the respect the musicians have for their conductor. Pull too tightly and without a strong vision, and it loses its stretchiness and stops working.