Conductor leads orchestra from a wheelchair

[battuta]

Hello! I am new here. I am an orchestra conductor and of course a very passionate music lover. In 2011 I had an auto accident which left me paralyzed and in a wheelchair. It took me approximately four years of physical therapy to become strong enough so that I could start becoming independent. I also took the last several years to raise my son who was only 8-months-old at the time of my accident.

I am now in the process of rebuilding my career all over again. I do however look quite different than a typical conductor. It is not common to see someone lead an orchestra from a wheelchair.

We all know that during an orchestra concert, the audience spends a tremendous amount of time watching the conductor. I am here to ask you how do you perceive a conductor who is leading from a chair.

Here is a video from 2003 where I lead from a chair. The orchestra is the American Youth Symphony performing Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, IV Movement: Saltarello, Presto (it is short: 6'54").
http://mariobattuta.com/new-video/

I would be very helpful to me if you aswered the following questions:

1. Does it affect the performance in a negative way?
2. Would you be inclined to go to a performance of a concert where they announce a conductor who is in a chair?
3. If you were to listen to it "without" looking at the video (just like a CD) would it make a difference?

Please be honest if you comment as I am looking for real feedback which will help me assess where I stand now in the eyes and ears of the ones for whom I perform for: "you, the audience."

Your help is very much appreciated! I look forward to knowing you better and learning from you.

Thanks,

Mario

[prémont]

I do not need to hear/see your performance to answer all three questions honestly:

It does not matter at all, whether the conductor is sitting in chair or not. What matters is the performance and only the performance.

[jut1972]

Hi Mario,
To take your questions in order:

As a newbie I don't understand how it could.

It wouldn't sway me either way, I hope it wouldn't make any odds to me.  I can imagine if it's unannounced I would be a bit taken back as it is unusual but wouldn't want my attention on you (or any conductor) to be honest, I would be much more interested in the orchestra.  Seeing the back of someones' head doesn't grab me!

For me any visuals take my mind off the music, so I'd probably have my eyes shut anyway, so would make no odds!

Like I say, I'm a newbie so take my comments in that spirit, some^* of the other guys on here have FAR FAR more knowledge than me !

*all

[bhodges]

Hi Mario, and welcome to GMG - nice to meet you. I agree with premont and jut1972: a conductor in a chair makes no difference to me at all. It's the performance that matters.

If I recall, I've seen three conductors leading from a chair: Jeffrey Tate, James DePreist (who recently died) and James Levine. Next month Levine will appear with the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall - his first appearance in some three years - and if reports are correct, will be using a specially-designed wheelchair at the podium. As long as he can get the job done, I don't care whether he's standing or sitting.

Best of luck to you, and enjoy your time here.

--Bruce

[DaveF]

Mario,

Thanks, first of all, for bringing your story to our attention.  It sounds as though you've had a fairly difficult time over the past 12 years (am I right in thinking your accident was in 2001, not 2011?) and are hugely deserving of all our respect and sympathy.  If I read your post correctly and you brought up your son as a lone parent, then that deserves even more admiration - I, as a single parent of a 9-year old son know how difficult that is even for an able-bodied father.

My first thought on reading your post was that in music, where physical disability (of certain kinds, of course) is irrelevant, people with disabilities are still, as far as I know, very much under-represented.  In all my years of attending orchestral concerts, I've never noticed an orchestral player who is a wheelchair user.  A few big names come to mind - Jeffrey Tate, of course, one of the finest Mozart conductors of his age, James Levine, Itzhak Perlman, Alan Hacker, Thomas Quasthoff, Evelyn Glennie.  But it seems very strange that in an occupation where the public would be most inclined to be accepting of disability (we're all nice middle-class liberal folk in classical music audiences) and where the disability doesn't affect the ability to do the job (plenty of conductors, especially in early music ensembles, conduct while sitting down), there should still be so few people with disabilities.  Up to you to get out there and change all that.

To turn to your questions:

1. Does it affect the performance in a negative way? - no, it's a good, exciting performance with some lovely orchestral playing.  I appreciate that it took place 10 years ago when you were in the early stages of your treatment, but there appear to be one or two places where you get tired, or uncomfortable, and have to stop conducting briefly.  That's fine in the Mendelssohn, which can keep going by itself for a bit, but you perhaps wouldn't be able to take a break in, say, Le marteau sans maître.  I hope very much that, ten years on, your stamina and strength are back to normal, and look forward to your complete Mahler Symphonies and Ring Cycle when they appear.  Seriously, so long as you have enough mobility in your upper body to express your intentions, then your disability is (musically) irrelevant.  Of course, some conductors fling themselves around as though dancing on ice, but others are famously immobile - Sir Adrian Boult supposedly said to Vernon Handley in a masterclass, "You moved your foot in the Adagio.  Why?"

2. Would you be inclined to go to a performance of a concert where they announce a conductor who is in a chair?  If the Hamburg Philharmonic and Jeffrey Tate want to do a gig in Cardiff then yeah, you bet. 

3. If you were to listen to it "without" looking at the video (just like a CD) would it make a difference?  No - I'm going to say "Jeffrey Tate" once again, whose Mozart concertos with Mitsuko Uchida are some of my favourite discs.

All best,

DF

[knight66]

Welcome. Ii echo the people above, it makes no difference to me at all.

All the best,

Mike

[battuta]

I do not need to hear/see your performance to answer all three questions honestly:

It does not matter at all, whether the conductor is sitting in chair or not. What matters is the performance and only the performance.

Hi (: Premont ,

I agree that it should not matter. Cho-Liang Lin told me a story that when they asked the concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic which conductor inspired him the most, he answered: Otto Klemperer. This was after Klemperer had a stroke and had to conduct from a chair.

Thanks for posting how you feel about it!

[battuta]

Hi Mario, and welcome to GMG - nice to meet you. I agree with premont and jut1972: a conductor in a chair makes no difference to me at all. It's the performance that matters.

If I recall, I've seen three conductors leading from a chair: Jeffrey Tate, James DePreist (who recently died) and James Levine. Next month Levine will appear with the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall - his first appearance in some three years - and if reports are correct, will be using a specially-designed wheelchair at the podium. As long as he can get the job done, I don't care whether he's standing or sitting.

Best of luck to you, and enjoy your time here.

--Bruce

Hi Brewsky,

Prior to becoming a conductor, I played viola for quite a few years. I happen to have played in the orchestra under Jeffrey Tate conducting Elgar (at the Music Academy of the West). Great musician, a great man. please check the response I placed for a member called (: Premont    it has a story which was told to me by Cho-Liang Lin.

Thanks for the welcoming message and also the update on James Levine.

[battuta]

Mario,

Thanks, first of all, for bringing your story to our attention.  It sounds as though you've had a fairly difficult time over the past 12 years (am I right in thinking your accident was in 2001, not 2011?) and are hugely deserving of all our respect and sympathy.  If I read your post correctly and you brought up your son as a lone parent, then that deserves even more admiration - I, as a single parent of a 9-year old son know how difficult that is even for an able-bodied father.

My first thought on reading your post was that in music, where physical disability (of certain kinds, of course) is irrelevant, people with disabilities are still, as far as I know, very much under-represented.  In all my years of attending orchestral concerts, I've never noticed an orchestral player who is a wheelchair user.  A few big names come to mind - Jeffrey Tate, of course, one of the finest Mozart conductors of his age, James Levine, Itzhak Perlman, Alan Hacker, Thomas Quasthoff, Evelyn Glennie.  But it seems very strange that in an occupation where the public would be most inclined to be accepting of disability (we're all nice middle-class liberal folk in classical music audiences) and where the disability doesn't affect the ability to do the job (plenty of conductors, especially in early music ensembles, conduct while sitting down), there should still be so few people with disabilities.  Up to you to get out there and change all that.

To turn to your questions:

1. Does it affect the performance in a negative way? - no, it's a good, exciting performance with some lovely orchestral playing.  I appreciate that it took place 10 years ago when you were in the early stages of your treatment, but there appear to be one or two places where you get tired, or uncomfortable, and have to stop conducting briefly.  That's fine in the Mendelssohn, which can keep going by itself for a bit, but you perhaps wouldn't be able to take a break in, say, Le marteau sans maître.  I hope very much that, ten years on, your stamina and strength are back to normal, and look forward to your complete Mahler Symphonies and Ring Cycle when they appear.  Seriously, so long as you have enough mobility in your upper body to express your intentions, then your disability is (musically) irrelevant.  Of course, some conductors fling themselves around as though dancing on ice, but others are famously immobile - Sir Adrian Boult supposedly said to Vernon Handley in a masterclass, "You moved your foot in the Adagio.  Why?"

2. Would you be inclined to go to a performance of a concert where they announce a conductor who is in a chair?  If the Hamburg Philharmonic and Jeffrey Tate want to do a gig in Cardiff then yeah, you bet. 

3. If you were to listen to it "without" looking at the video (just like a CD) would it make a difference?  No - I'm going to say "Jeffrey Tate" once again, whose Mozart concertos with Mitsuko Uchida are some of my favourite discs.

All best,

DF

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the long post! Yes, my injury happened in 2001.  And yes, I was still recovering when I did the concert. To be honest, that night the performance started with Bach's Concerto for Four Violins, then, Weber's Clarinet Concerto, Mozart's Horn Concerto in Eb, intermission, Mendelssohn. By the last movement I was gathering energy through 'osmosis' if you know what I mean. I am much better now in terms of endurance though (but not for the Ring Cycle   

I agree with you that the arts are more forgiving than the real world in regards to accepting persons with disabilities, but it is true that we do not see people with special needs in orchestras.

Sorry about  the confusion about my son. When my accident happened he was just eight-months-old. I took time off just to be with him and to allow my wife to work. I just had to make up to him for the four-5 years I was recovering. He is now 12 and we are very good friends. I am glad to hear that you've also got a boy and he is 9. Boys are challenging (mine is) but also fun.

Thanks again for taking the time to give me your personal opinion. It helps me a lot!

[TheGSMoeller]

Hi there, battuta.

Great video, a very nice performance of the Mendelssohn, such an intense and lovely piece of music that you and the orchestra conveyed perfectly. 
Thank you for sharing and good luck to you in the future.

[battuta]

Hi there, battuta.
Great video, a very nice performance of the Mendelssohn, such an intense and lovely piece of music that you and the orchestra conveyed perfectly. 
Thank you for sharing and good luck to you in the future.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the thumbs up! I looking forward to getting to know you guys here.

Mario

[battuta]

Hi Mario,
To take your questions in order:

As a newbie I don't understand how it could.

It wouldn't sway me either way, I hope it wouldn't make any odds to me.  I can imagine if it's unannounced I would be a bit taken back as it is unusual but wouldn't want my attention on you (or any conductor) to be honest, I would be much more interested in the orchestra.  Seeing the back of someones' head doesn't grab me!

For me any visuals take my mind off the music, so I'd probably have my eyes shut anyway, so would make no odds!

Like I say, I'm a newbie so take my comments in that spirit, some^* of the other guys on here have FAR FAR more knowledge than me !

*all

Hi jut1972,

Your feedback is important to me just because you can be a newbie or a seasoned listener to like or dislike classical music, it does not matter. I just wanted to get your impression. To be honest, there are  compositions which I am  not fond of, but, like food, music is very personal.

Thanks!

[Todd]

I would be very helpful to me if you aswered the following questions:

Welcome.  I'll take a stab at answering your questions.

1. Does it affect the performance in a negative way?

Nope.

2. Would you be inclined to go to a performance of a concert where they announce a conductor who is in a chair?

I wouldn't think much about it either way.  I attended many concerts with James DePreist leading the Oregon Symphony, and he put on some superb concerts, so I guess I'm inclined to view disability as something of a superfluous consideration in a conductor.  I certainly don't mean to make light of anything as serious as a disability; I'm just more interested in the final product, which would mean music in this case. 

3. If you were to listen to it "without" looking at the video (just like a CD) would it make a difference?

I did listen without looking.  The performance seems fine, and very high energy.  Of course, it was through my laptop and ideally I like to listen through my main system, especially with orchestral works, to get a better sense of what the orchestra sounded like, and so on, but there's nothing that points to this being anything other than a well-performed concert.  I should point out that when attending concerts and recitals, I often close my eyes to focus on listening.  Sometimes stage activity can be a distraction.

[mc ukrneal]

Welcome! I rather see it the other way - that is, your example an inspiration to people and a reminder that though terrible things may happen in our lives that we don't have to let these events define us. When life knocks us down, we can get back up, even if we need a little bit of help to do that. You may laugh (and I have probably watched too many cartoons), but I kept waiting for you to pull the lever, thereby sucking the players one by one into the dark void!

[Cato]

Dear Mr. Battuta!

Take a look at these silhouettes by Otto Böhler of Gustav Mahler conducting while sitting!



So I would not worry!

[ibanezmonster]

Dear Mr. Battuta!

Take a look at these silhouettes by Otto Böhler of Gustav Mahler conducting while sitting!



So I would not worry!

Answers to questions 1-3: doesn't matter. Only the music matters. 

[battuta]

Dear Mr. Battuta!

Take a look at these silhouettes by Otto Böhler of Gustav Mahler conducting while sitting!



So I would not worry!

Hi Cato,

You guys do  have some really interesting and fun info here in these forums... I had not seen these silhouettes.

Thanks for the reply!

[springrite]

No need for me to echo what has been said. But let me say that I think your continued dedication to music will be an inspiration to many.

I will be in CA in October. I will probably drive by San Diego (Pheonix to LA). I would love to meet you if it works out. I would also love to see if it is possible to make connections here so you may conduct a couple of concerts in Beijing? I do know a couple of people who are in that business. If you can and if it can be arranged.

[springrite]

I may or may not have seen you in concert before. I was a regular at LACO concerts on the years that you were there, and also attended USC concerts on a regular basis. I have many friends there over the years and most were students of Eleanor (Cello) and Alice (Violin) Shoenfeld. It is also there that I met Papa Mehta and of course Daniel Lewis. Your background brings memories!

[Mirror Image]

Welcome aboard!

Conductor Hans Vonk conducted the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from a wheelchair towards the end of his life, so I don't see any reason why you could not. Music is obviously your passion and you must do everything you can to keep that flame alive. I applaud your efforts to continue conducting and you're another great example of the power that music has over people.

I would like to leave you with this quote from jazz guitarist John McLaughlin: "Music has given me everything, so, in return, I must give everything I have to it."