Social hierarchies, subtle codes and structural inequality within orchestral workplaces are indicative of an abuse of power at the top, says Hugh Morris.
Cate Blanchett film Tár shows how damaging a maniacal conductor can be – but, as musicians explain, orchestras are riven with other serious structural issues.
‘They can’t all conduct, honey”, Lydia Tár informs her daughter as she hands each of her dolls a pencil to use as a makeshift baton. “It’s not a democracy.”
In her sharp put-downs, sidelining of procedure, and singular, maniacal artistry, Tár – played by Cate Blanchett in the film of the same name – embodies all the tropes of the autocratic conductor. The first of a glut of forthcoming “maestro movies” (Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biographical drama Maestro is currently in production, as is The Yellow Tie, on the life of firebrand Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache), Tár isn’t just a character study, though – it depicts the intertwined social and artistic hierarchies, subtle codes and often grotesque power dynamics of the orchestra as a workplace...Keep reading on The Guardian.
Cate Blanchett film Tár shows how damaging a maniacal conductor can be – but, as musicians explain, orchestras are riven with other serious structural issues.
‘They can’t all conduct, honey”, Lydia Tár informs her daughter as she hands each of her dolls a pencil to use as a makeshift baton. “It’s not a democracy.”
In her sharp put-downs, sidelining of procedure, and singular, maniacal artistry, Tár – played by Cate Blanchett in the film of the same name – embodies all the tropes of the autocratic conductor. The first of a glut of forthcoming “maestro movies” (Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biographical drama Maestro is currently in production, as is The Yellow Tie, on the life of firebrand Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache), Tár isn’t just a character study, though – it depicts the intertwined social and artistic hierarchies, subtle codes and often grotesque power dynamics of the orchestra as a workplace...Keep reading on The Guardian.