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Reposant sur une série d’observations menées durant plusieurs années auprès de chef·fe·s et de musicien·ne·s lors de répétitions, concerts et sessions d’enregistrement, ainsi que sur des entretiens approfondis avec des chef·fe·s tel·le·s que Claudio Abbado, Laurence Equilbey, et Claire Gibault, cet article tente de répondre à la question suivante : comment se construit une interprétation musicale au sein d’un collectif formé d’un·e chef·fe et de musicien·ne·s ? L’hypothèse centrale qui porte à l’observation de la musique en-train-de-se-faire est qu’il s’agit d’une activité créatrice collective. C’est ce que nous allons découvrir en deux temps : tout d’abord, en examinant comment l’autorité du/de la chef·fe se négocie au sein d’un tel travail collectif ; puis, en déclinant différentes facettes par lesquelles un processus de créativité partagée peut s’appréhender. Celle-ci surgit du cœur des initiatives de chaque participant·e à l’action et prend forme dans leur synergie.

Creation through cooperation. The orchestra, situated between negotiated authority and shared creativityDrawing on fieldwork—a set of observations carried out over several years in the presence of conductors and musicians during rehearsals, concerts, and recording sessions, and in-depth interviews with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Laurence Equilbey, and Claire Gibault—this article seeks to answer, from a socio-musicological perspective, the following question : How is a musical performance constructed within a collective body made up of a conductor and musicians ? The central hypothesis that led to these fieldwork observations of music-being-made was that it is a collective creative activity. And this is what we shall discover in two stages : first, by examining how the authority of the conductor is negotiated in the course of such a collective effort ; then, by setting forth various facets by which it is possible to comprehend a process of shared creativity. We shall then turn to the role of relays in the orchestra, as well as looking at phenomena of self-regulation, spontaneous interventions of musicians, and the process of cooperation. At the very least, the observations show how the conductor plays a crucial but not solitary role. This is indeed a collaborative sort of work in multiple dimensions, in which the participation and role of each player is incessantly renegotiated, and in which in fine the meaning given to the musical entity is knitted together. Creativity abounds in the heart of initiatives borne by each of the participants, taking shape in their synergy.