Peter Quantrill

What do conductors do, and how do they do it? Peter Quantrill says two recent memoirs lift the veil on the supposed mysticism of a very practical profession, from contrasting perspectives

There is a nice irony to the fact that the most silent musicians of all are required to be the best with words. Orchestras may like the conductors who speak the least, but explanation, correction and encouragement can’t entirely be done at the tip of a baton. Meanwhile, the public is perennially fascinated by the power dynamic at play when a single figure seems to conjure unity from the talents of a hundred individuals.

There’s a lot more than the Disney comforts of Frozen to Andersen’s Christmas stories in music, says Peter Quantrill, as he explores different settings of a timeless morality tale

A lifelong loner, unmarried and childless, Hans Christian Andersen was one of those authors for children who didn’t much care for children (or anyone else). Forget the image of Danny Kaye, in 1953, tip-tapping his way on to the silver screen with ‘I’m Hans Christian Andersen, I am’. The recollection of the poet Heine seems closer to the mark. ‘He is a haggard man with a hollow, sunken face, and his demeanour betrays an anxious, devout type of behaviour that kings love. He is the perfect representation of a poet, just the way kings want them to be.’

This month we review: Bavarian Radio Chorus/Peter Dijkstra, Castalian Qt, Bbc So/Thomas Kemp, Mahler Academy Orch/Philipp Von Steinaecker, and Sara Costa

English conductor Sir Andrew Davis stood in for his colleagues at the last minute and saved the day on many occasions, remembers Peter Quantrill. But who will be able to take his place?

On the 20th of August, there will be an empty space - spiritual, if not physical - at the centre of the Royal Albert Hall. At time of writing, the replacement for Sir Andrew Davis had not been announced, but whoever takes on the task, I hope they keep the programme unchanged. Rather than fulsome speeches of tribute, this would be the most humble act to perform in his memory.