Gestation over Gesture
The context
I have spent this week mulling over recent experiences and establishing the foundations for future conducting projects. If these explorations are interesting for you, then I am happy that we have been able to meet on our respective journeys. In mid February I visited home in Lebanon, where I worked with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra during a period of great turmoil for the country. As a result of a crippling economic/political/sectarian crisis the orchestra has undergone an exodus of talent, as well as an alarming collapse in resources and morale. Yet, astonishingly, we found many moments of profound inspiration together which have left me humbled and very clear-minded about the power of music and how I would like to move forward with my musical collaborations and conducting. Unfortunately, my orchestra the Pro Youth Philharmonia (PYP) did not survive the pandemic, which put a hold on my conducting until this project with the LPO finally materialised after many frustrating postponements, again due to the pandemic. But the wait was WORTH it, as I feel I have arrived at a new level, perhaps BECAUSE of the imposed break. I would like to share several revelations concerning the refinement of body language, preparation and rehearsal strategies. Those who know me, will recognise much of my 'Method Called Love' from my flute teaching, which is totally relevant and transferable to conducting. I will limit my focus to two concepts here and ask you to please bear with me, as 'stating the obvious' is necessary and unavoidable when establishing the core elements of an inspired, effective and reliable approach: 1. Gestation over gesture 2. Phrasing,Timing and the hands
Gestation over Gesture
The very first step, is to be absolutely crystal clear about what we want to achieve, to avoid repeatedly barking under the wrong tree!
What are our priorities in life, relationships and music? What is the origin and overriding purpose of our hand gestures which form part of our wider body language? In itself, any given gesture is perfectly meaningless...the essence of communication is not carried by the words we use or the gestures we carve into the air; true communication is born out of the intensity of our intentions and our boundless love for humanity and each evolving moment of the miracle that life is. The rest is superficial and a diversion. The sooner conductor and orchestra accept this, the quicker individual energies can be empowered, fused and multiplied.
It is possible, sometimes even desirable, to conduct using ANY part of the body: the left/right/both hands, eyes, eyebrows, mouth and the whole body. On the other side of the spectrum, an orchestra may choose to dispense with the conductor altogether, preferring to build internal cohesion, making the very idea of a conductor redundant. Deciding whether to adhere to, or break away from, accepted conducting traditions/rules/schools, will inevitably form part of the conductor's journey towards authenticity and empowerment.
Any decision or action the conductor takes will be met with adulation, scorn or indifference from colleagues, depending on individual opinions; the conductor's job is to accept, respect and absorb all this with love - and see beyond it. What matters MORE than any specific conducting style or gesture, is that the conductor is simply effective in facilitating inspiration, trust and accuracy.
Gestures are NOT the driving force of the orchestra or the music - the GESTATION period resulting in a clear definition of energy and ideals leading up to the gestures, however, IS. Our power and effectiveness are rooted in how well we know the piece, our sincerity/honesty/passion, our world view, our priorities and the courage to put our faith in our colleagues' and our own abilities - in other words, to love without condition or compromise. All energy is contagious...we therefore must make sure the energies we emit, are healing and productive.
Simplicity is a wise strategy and solid foundation, out of which a refined body language can radiate true light and energy.
Phrasing, Timing and the hands
Until recently, my basic approach was that the right hand assumed the role of 'showing the beat and keeping time', while the left hand was responsible for 'giving cues, shaping phrases and creating the moods and dynamics'.
But something was jarring within me...there was constant conflict between two competing elements of music-making: phrasing and timing. My left (expressive) hand always wanted to dominate, resulting in a weakened pulse from my right hand because it was reduced to following in the wake of musical impulses that were being generated by my other hand. There was also duplication between the hands, which didn't look good and resulted in wasted energy. I decided to re-examine and realign myself to my priorities: 1) make music rather than beat time, 2) liberate rather than control and 3) facilitate a cohesive, refined and flexible ensemble.
The result was an overnight transformation.
The small but seismic shift in my mind, was the realisation that 'timing' has surprisingly little to do with 'beats', while 'phrasing' is predominantly characterised by a creative approach towards rhythm. Suddenly, I wound up WILLINGLY directing my musical energy towards my RIGHT hand, empowering it to take control of shaping rhythm into clearly defined and flexible waves of energy. The role of the right hand was transformed from being the 'policeman' beating time, into the 'liberator', responsible for inspiring freedom, flexibility and confidence...with accuracy being a natural by-product of all three.
I now HAPPILY rely on my right hand to generate most of the drive, ebb and flow, leaving my left hand to interject as and when necessary. This redistribution of responsibilities means that when I choose to use my left hand it has a greater meaning, stronger impact and there is less duplication. Simplifying the hand gestures also has the effect of drawing the players' attention towards your eyes (and vice versa), sealing the bond of communication with the orchestra in the heat of the moment.
Creating a hierarchy of rhythm in terms of 'cosmic' versus 'transitional' beats gives further nuance and subtlety to the moulding of rhythm into phrases. The evolving harmonies are emotional milestones on the journey of a phrase and this journey is not complete until the end of the final note - the gestures should reflect this, giving expressive weight to milestone moments, while allowing transitional moments to glide forward...and there is only one arrival, which is the end of the whole piece.
Continuing on the theme of 'Gestation over Gesture', the high intensity point of our timing is NOT on the downbeat or the beginning of the sound; by then, the train has already departed. Our relationship with time, is to provide the IMPETUS for each beat, which is born out of our musical intent and subsequent breath BEFORE the launch of each phrase. In other words, in order to be 'in time' we actually need to be significantly 'ahead of time'. This is what sends strong, reassuring musical signals to our colleagues.
All this cannot happen without thorough preparation and consolidation, i.e. a healthy gestation period of learning that allows us to be emotionally and mentally ahead, so that the resulting gestures reflect clearly defined intentions...and memorising is, of course, a huge advantage towards achieving that.
Glorious patterns of life manifest themselves in all spheres of life, creating endless variations on a universal theme. That is why the lessons of life are directly transferable to many disciplines.
The ultimate value of any deed is defined by the loving gestation that precedes it.
© Wissam Boustany