The orchestra looked at himplump, mop-haired, about the size of a cello and eleven years old. And this was to be the conductor of the NBC Summer Symphonythe same orchestra which veteran Arturo Toscanini had whipped into one of the world's finest. It was like a crazy dream.
Before their first rehearsal under Lorin Maazel, the NBC players gagged about bringing lollipops along, about a forthcoming concert under a trained seal or under Dominick the porter in an all-Verdi program. With precocious composure, Conductor Maazel called his tough situation to order. In a variable treble, prefacing most requests with "Could I...