As a musician it kinda blows my mind that someone couldn’t see the crucial job a conductor does, but it makes sense if you’ve never been part of that ‘world’ so I like that you asked! I immediately think orchestral conductor when I hear the word so was pleasantly surprised to find that is what you meant!
I studied music as a degree and did a bit of conducting in the first year but didn’t choose to pursue it (musicology was more my thing). It’s incredibly difficult tbh. The stick is super lightweight and feels quite pleasing to hold as it feels slightly weighted at the bit you hold but is then featherlight for the rest of it!
As others have mentioned, a conducter interprets a piece of music and how they think it should sound, so much of it is down to interpretation even with well known pieces. For example in Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto there’s a cadenza section around 8-12 minutes into the first movement, that’s played very differently depending on the soloist rather than the conductor but if you listen to how Horowitz plays it and then go listen to how Olga Kern plays it it’s like an entirely separate piece of music. Horowitz leaves me cold (despite being the more respected esteemed pianist) and as it’s the highlight of the entire concerto for me I wouldn’t love it anywhere near as much as I do if I’d only ever known his version. Whereas the type of style Kern plays it in makes it pretty much the most euphoria inducing orchestral piece I’ve ever heard. I’ve seen it live many times and on occasion it’s seriously felt like my chair was on fire my body has responded so strongly to it emotionally, heavy breathing, eyes streaming, just on another plane of this universe. Whereas Horowitz? Wouldn’t even use it as a ringtone 😂 and it’s the same for non solo concerto pieces, the way a conductor decides to interpret the piece and then put it together week after week in rehearsals can make for a performance that inspires or bores, brings something new to the table or rehashes tradition, and two members of the audience will feel entirely differently either way! The written sheet music hasn’t changed, composer is often long dead, but the nuance and subtle or overt differences are what make music so powerful imo and it’s fhe conductor that has the power to infuse the music with new meaning.
Of course there’s the mechanics of keeping time but it’s a lot more than that. After any length of time playing in an orchestra you develop peripheral vision, so even if the musicians don’t seem to be directly looking at the conductor very often (they usually do when they’re waiting to come in) they can see them peripherally. Or tell by listening to the rest of the ensemble what’s going on. Don’t forget there’s a lead instrumentalist in most sections that the rest also take their cues from as well.
They have to know every single note inside out, however long the piece, and know (and judge) at each bar which instrument is most sonically important so they can focus on that person and via movements encourage the sound, dynamics, timbre, they want to hear. And let’s not forget the thousands conductors of amateur orchestras who aren’t just working with professionals, they’re working with amateur local orchestras made up of people who have other day jobs or with kids, there’s a real teaching element to a lot of conducting at that level, stimulating new ideas and understanding of music, encouraging confidence, making eye contact with the nervous ten year old sole bassoon player right before a sparse section where they need to come in on time with a rhythmically complex tune that will be heard by everyone.
Love this thread!