Recently the Israel Phil was in Mumbai, with Zubin Mehta conducting (Mumbai laps up everything that ZM brings. I mean this in the nicest sense).

I had to almost physically restain the woman next to me who began to sing the first main tune, 1st movt Schubert 9 symphony “Laa-la-la-Laa-la-Laaaa…!” along with the orchestra!

ZM can be balletic too. Loves the limelight. But gets the job done, as the Americans say!

I feel embarassed to admit that I too, took a handful of conducting lessons from Alan.
Embarassed, as I didn’t do anything to further that dream, even though he kept telling me to have more faith in myself. Somehow, at that time, I couldn’t imagine myself facing a group of musicians (even amateur, let alone professional), and tell them what to do. It’s my loss, I know. But at the time I was working so many shifts, etc in hospitals, that I just couldn’t fit in things like learning to read a score. And my keyboard skills then were even more limited, although now I have begun taking lessons. Eventually, as work took me further and further away from London, the lessons stopped.

But I do remember those two points you mention. He taught them to me too, on my first day.

I remember him telling me to imagine being suspended by an imaginary string from the top of my skull, and feeling the “dead weight” of my arm, and how to use that to articulate the beat.

He also taught how the baton should be a natural extension of the forearm bones, how it should feel relaxed in the palm rather than clutched.

To me, every CCO rehearsal was a master class of sorts. On conducting, on music appreciation, on repertoire, on orchestral playing, even on public relations. It takes a particular skill to keep 40-odd people engaged and interested for 3 hours, and enjoy what they are doing. I’ve been part of bands in the past where I was bored to tears. Never happened with the CCO! Never happened with Alan!

I remember Alan telling me that a conductor’s career stood on 4 “legs”. I can’t remember all of them, but I do remember that the fourth leg was “promoting oneself”, and he freely admitted that it was one thing that he had not done enough about. Some conductors (and indeed this is true in all spheres of life) just have an innate savviness, a self-marketing ability; other don’t, and have to work hard at it.

It was great fun playing under your baton, in the Austral Sinfonietta. I am sure we’ll play again soon. Perhaps you could conduct a tribute concert to him?