Much the same as a speedometer...

[sawyl]

Writing in today's Guardian, Philippa Ibbotson challenges the role and remuneration of orchestral conductors:

The truth is that almost the last place you look as a musician is towards the conductor. There simply isn't time. The notes fly past and the brain is in overdrive, busy processing vast amounts of information on the page. Your entire physical being is occupied, focused on the music and your instrument, the wash of sound, the interweaving voices of your colleagues. The conductor remains, for the most part, in your peripheral vision. Occasionally, with luck, you might spare him a glance. You look up at the pertinent moments – at the start and finish, for example – much in the same way that you would check a speedometer or rear mirror while driving. To assume that the conductor is largely responsible for the music is a bit like believing an air-traffic controller should take most of the credit for a Red Arrows display.