An opera conductor needs a strong background knowledge of singing, style, and traditions of performance. All the skills of orchestral conducting are required plus several more. A new production is ideal for a conductor, because the musical side can be rehearsed and established before production rehearsals start. Even then, a number of important questions have to be considered. Will the conductor have any say in the casting? Will he choose which version of the opera is to be performed? How many orchestral rehearsals will there be? How will the orchestra be arranged in the pit? Will there be an experienced prompter? Prompters are essential in complicated operas.

It's hard to conduct well when you hate the production. Some directors, in a desire to make an “original statement,” impose their “interpretation” of an opera over the clearly-expressed intentions of the composer. I attended a production of Tristan and Isolde where Isolde sang her final “Liebestod” in Brangäne's arms, instead of over Tristan's dead body. An ideal director is inspired and guided by the music itself: in many operas, the singer's moves and gestures are implied in the orchestral part. An awareness of practical issues is vital, such as not positioning a singer where he can't see the conductor or where his voice is lost in the wings and scenery.