Marin Alsop’s Classic FM Conducting Masterclass: the big finish and motivating musicians

24 August 2015, 08:53 | Updated: 8 September 2015, 11:48

Our next instalment of video masterclasses sees Marin tackling the tricky issue of upbeats, big finishes, and motivating your musicians.

Did you miss the other instalments of Marin's masterclass? Watch them here >

Upbeats

For the orchestra the concert really begins on the upbeat. The upbeat has all the information about the tempo, about the quality, the emotion, the articulation, and the dynamic.

Big finish

How do you stop an orchestra from playing? The ending is the most important part of the piece. How do you save something for the last note?

Motivating

How do you connect with the musicians on an emotional level to inspire them to express what the composer wants? How you walk out on the stage can determine how the first note will sound.