Intersting thread indeed!
IMHO everything is important. The conductor is the one to "interpret" the composer's intentions, meanings, etc just written in the score, and making the orchestra aware of how that should sound. He must have musical knowledge and also communication skills to get the orchestra sounding as he wants.
He/she needs a good orchestra to translate his own vision and also composer's into the music you listen. We need to consider that things aren't like the conductor gets in front of the orchestra and they all start playing. They have rehearsals together and both, the conductor and the orchestra, meet some sort of agreement which is the result you hear at the concert or the recording.
A good conductor with a bad orchestra is equally likely to sound wrong as a bad conductor with a good orchestra. However I believe that an average conductor is more likely to get a good result from an outstanding orchestra than a great conductor from a bad orchestra. After all small ensembles like quartets, quintets, even nonets, manage to make great music without a conductor. However a great orchestra without someone settling the principles of the performance, the tempos, the "tone" and everything else, probably won't shine as much as it could.
Rgrds
|