A Woman Is a Risky Bet: Six Orchestra Conductors
Encyclopedia
A Woman Is a Risky Bet: Six Orchestra Conductors (Swedish: Dirigenterna) is a 1987 Swedish
documentary film
about women orchestra conductors
directed by Christina Olofson.
JoAnn Falletta
and Victoria Bond from U.S., Kerstin Nerbe and Ortrud Mann from Sweden
, Veronika Dudarova and Camilla Kolchinsky from USSR share a passion for music and the courage to break with existing values and face challenge. Christina Olofson takes us to New York
, Moscow
, Stockholm
and Oslo
to meet them. The film covers preparations, rehearsals and parts of concerts. At home, alone with the conductor's score, they give us their account of the work of the conductor, of their convictions and their love for music.
The skepticism towards women conductors and musicians by some becomes obvious in a visit to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
, as well as in interviews with international impresario
s. Conductors Sixten Ehrling
and Jorge Mester
make comments on what they believe is the prevailing conservative attitudes among colleagues.
The rehearsal and concert scenes in the film reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the featured conductors; Falletta leading the Queens Philharmonic in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
, Dudarova with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra & Choir rehearsing Mozart's Requiem
, Nerbe conducting Mozart's Linz Symphony and Kolchinsky directing von Weber's Overture
to the opera Euryanthe
.
"Only poor soldiers don't want to be generals." Veronika Dudarova.
Cinema of Sweden
Swedish cinema is known as producing many critically acclaimed movies, and during the 20th century was the most prominent of Scandinavia. This is largely due to the popularity and prominence of the directors Ingmar Bergman, Victor Sjöström, and more recently Lasse Hallström and Lukas...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about women orchestra conductors
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
directed by Christina Olofson.
Description
In A Woman Is a Risky Bet we meet six women who have broken their way into a man's world – the world of conducting.JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta is an American classical musician and orchestral conductor.Falletta was educated at the Mannes College of Music and The Juilliard School in New York City...
and Victoria Bond from U.S., Kerstin Nerbe and Ortrud Mann from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Veronika Dudarova and Camilla Kolchinsky from USSR share a passion for music and the courage to break with existing values and face challenge. Christina Olofson takes us to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
to meet them. The film covers preparations, rehearsals and parts of concerts. At home, alone with the conductor's score, they give us their account of the work of the conductor, of their convictions and their love for music.
The skepticism towards women conductors and musicians by some becomes obvious in a visit to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Vienna Philharmonic is an orchestra in Austria, regularly considered one of the finest in the world....
, as well as in interviews with international impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
s. Conductors Sixten Ehrling
Sixten Ehrling
Sixten Ehrling, , was a Swedish conductor who, during a long career, served as the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera and the principal conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, amongst others....
and Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester is a Mexican conductor of Hungarian ancestry.-Biography:He studied conducting with Jean Morel at the Juilliard School in New York, and worked with Leonard Bernstein at the Berkshire Music Center and with Albert Wolff...
make comments on what they believe is the prevailing conservative attitudes among colleagues.
The rehearsal and concert scenes in the film reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the featured conductors; Falletta leading the Queens Philharmonic in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
, Dudarova with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra & Choir rehearsing Mozart's Requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
, Nerbe conducting Mozart's Linz Symphony and Kolchinsky directing von Weber's Overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
to the opera Euryanthe
Euryanthe
Euryanthe is a German "grand, heroic, romantic" opera by Carl Maria von Weber, first performed at the Theater am Kärntnertor, Vienna on 25 October 1823...
.
"Only poor soldiers don't want to be generals." Veronika Dudarova.