A single yellow bloom will really pop in a bush of red ones, even though they are all roses.

Conductors who can't lift their head out of the score are a pet peeve. It usually means they don't trust their own understanding of the material in front of them, which leads to distrust from the orchestra and miscommunication. That self trust is difficult, but separates the wheat from the chaff. I'm working on a paraphrase of highlights from Tosca this morning and was growing frustrated sorting through all of Puccini's fabulous colorful writing. Specifically, I'm scoring Cav