I have insider info about his incompetence at conducting and saw it first hand. When John Corigliano wrote his opera for the Met, “The Ghosts of Versailles” , one of his requirements was to have Steven Mercurio do all of the rehearsals. It usually takes 2 years for a new opera to actually get performed. John didn’t trust Joe to pull it off. At the premier at the met, you could see poor Joe trying to cue the orchestra at the wrong places. The orchestra was so well rehearsed that they could ignore him. Credit to Steven for his great work. Also Julie Taymor did the large puppets and the assisted in the stagework.
Frie do who worked with Feidler at tbe Boston Pops said the same thing
Friend who worked with Feidler at tbe Boston Pops said the same thing