Maestros and Their Music: The Art and Alchemy of Conducting

What is a conductor? What do they do? How do they think? They don’t play instruments, yet they seem to be almost the most important part of the orchestra. To answer these questions, John Mauceri gives us an intimate tour of the world of the maestro. He has a wealth of experience as a pupil of Leonard Bernstein and as a maestro in his own right for over fifty years. We journey together through the life of a conductor, from a conductor’s education to relationships with orchestras and soloists to score analysis to the difference between different maestros’ interpretations of the same music.

Filled with amusing and illustrative anecdotes, the enjoyable chapters are well-sequenced and entertaining; the writing style is quick and light, finding the humor in a profession too often deified. Mauceri’s copious references to his career and tutorship make this book almost an autobiography; however, he excels at making his topic accessible for readers who may not be familiar with the classical music world or even classical music at all. Overall, this book is a great way to understand more about who, what, and why a maestro is and how to appreciate the subtle magic that is conducting.