However, I would never advocate for musicians behaving more like computers. In fact, I think one of the problems with orchestras is the expectation that the musicians follow orders. That expectation often comes from the musicians themselves. They often get mad when a conductor suggests they figure out how to phrase something, insisting that the conductor “just tell us if you want it louder or softer” or some such comment. It’s a lazy approach that never results in art on the highest level, of course.

Even when the musicians are not lazy, but highly engaged, they can sometimes prevent excellent music-making from happening when they balk at a conductor’s personality or even his or her ideas about how to play music.

Lest you think this only happens in lesser orchestras, I would point out that Christoph Eschenbach recently decided to quit his job conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in part because “80 percent of the musicians did not agree with his artistic interpretations and that 80 percent of the musicians left concerts feeling great anger.” [Philadelphia Inquirer]