# Your Top 10 Conductors



## Guest

I know - who doesn't like yet another list thread that we can argue over personal preferences. But what the hell?

I have certain conductors that I almost always enjoy, and will at least try out most things from them. I have just come to enjoy their conducting more often than not. So who are they for you? Here are mine:

1. Otto Klemperer - Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler, Klemperer is my guy.
2. Rene Jacobs - One of my favorite HIP conductors, particularly with Mozart
3. Jordi Savall - I have never been disappointed with anything from him
4. Masaaki Suzuki - I am thoroughly enjoying his Bach output, including the cantatas
5. Osmo Vanska - Beethoven and Sibelius!
6. Fritz Reiner - I enjoy most of his recordings
7. John Eliot Gardiner - I actually have quite a bit by him - Brahms, Beethoven, Bach
8. Rafael Kubelik - variety of things, but mostly for his Mahler
9. George Szell - love his Beethoven symphony cycle on Sony
10. Leonard Bernstein - mostly for his Mahler, but also for a few others.


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## science

I'm not too big on judging conductors, but I do feel a kind of trust in some guys. 

1. Abbado 
2. Shaw for anything choral 
3. Hogwood 
4. Mackerras
5. Karajan for anything German from 1790 or so on
6. Gardiner up to about 1810 
7. Bernstein from 1830 on
8. Gergiev for anything Russian 
9. Boulez from about 1890 on
10. Richter for Bach
11. Britten for Britten (it's cheating so it doesn't count so this list is only top 10)


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## joen_cph

Excellent idea for a thread ... my answer is going to be a bit quick, since I am rather busy. Also, there are at least 30 to be considered ...

But, in no particular order:

_Bernstein_ - everything from the Sony years in general
_Scherchen _- Haydn, Beethoven, Gliere, Mahler + some others, including rare repertoire
_Mengelberg_ - all of it
_Karajan_ EMI: Mozart (!) & Bruckner; DG: Sibelius, Neue Wiener Schule, Wagner, R. Strauss & Mahler
_Stokowski_ - his stereo years in particular
_Paray_ - his Mercury recordings
_Dorati_ - everything, but in particular Russian music, Beethoven & Mozart
_Celibidache _- almost all of it, but especially the DG releases
_Mravinsky_ - a lot of it, with a few exceptions, such as early Beethoven, Stravinsky Agon & Shostakovich 15
_Boulez_ - not forgetting his Sony years, which were more temperamental

Also considered:

Max Pommer - Händel, Bach, Eisler
Otmar Suitner - Dvorak, Bruckner, Mahler
Heinz Rögner - Mahler
Harnoncourt - Mozart, Bach
Nikolai Golovanov - Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov
Bretislav Bakala - Czech music
Vaclav Talich - Czech music
Vaclav Neumann - Czech music
Solti - Mozart operas
Serge Baudo - French music
Beecham - all of his stereo recordings
Rozhdestvensky - Russian music, Sibelius, especially pre-1985 recordings
Evgenyi Svetlanov - Russian music
Eliahu Inbal - Bruckner 00-9, the Teldec series
Haitink - Bruckner, V-Williams
Bryden Thomson - English music
Neeme Järvi - a very good and reliable all-round conductor with an interest in rare repertoire
Sawallisch - EMI Schumann
Furtwängler - Bruckner WW II, Beethoven, Schubert
Leinsdorf - RCA Beethoven
Kubelik - Mahler
Ormandy - around 1950-1960 (Stravinsky, Beethoven etc.)
Savall - early music
Britten - Mozart, Britten
Marriner - pre-1980

I´ll stop here.


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## science

Probably should've mentioned Pinnock. I think I have good feelings about everything I've heard by him.


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## ptr

Ok, just because I've got five minutes before bedtime! 

John Barbirolli
Jasha Horenstein
Carlos Kleiber
Adrian Boult
Kirill Kondrashin
Rafael Kubelik
Ferenc Fricsay
István Kertész
Igor Markevitch
Kurt Sanderling

There is ten for You, more or less decomposing men, choosing ten living ones would be much more of a challenge..

Simon Rattle
Mark Elder
Daniel Harding
Edward Gardner 
Colin Davis (to get the Brits out of my system)
Vladimir Jurowski
Andris Nelsons
Peter Eötvös
Mikhail Pletnev
Claudio Abbado

And then there's a bunch of famous runners up, but I can't really be bothered with them! 

/ptr


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## moody

ptr said:


> Ok, just because I've got five minutes before bedtime!
> 
> John Barbirolli
> Jasha Horenstein
> Carlos Kleiber
> Adrian Boult
> Kirill Kondrashin
> Rafael Kubelik
> Ferenc Fricsay
> István Kertész
> Igor Markevitch
> Kurt Sanderling
> 
> There is ten for You, more or less decomposing men, choosing ten living ones would be much more of a challenge..
> 
> Simon Rattle
> Mark Elder
> Daniel Harding
> Edward Gardner
> Colin Davis (to get the Brits out of my system)
> Vladimir Jurowski
> Andris Nelsons
> Peter Eötvös
> Mikhail Pletnev
> Claudio Abbado
> 
> And then there's a bunch of famous runners up, but I can't really be bothered with them!
> 
> /ptr


I like your dead men ,but not your live ones !


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## Ukko

In no significant order, and representative of 30 or so:

Reiner
Stokowski
Munch
Beecham
Walter
Kubelik
Sylvestri
Steinberg
Kousevitsky
Szell

My spellchecker recognized approximately none of those names; hmph.


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## bigshot

Stokowski
Bernstein
Reiner
Furtwangler
Toscanini
Beecham
Walter
Karajan
Talich
Dorati

I'm sure I'm forgetting someone important. Edit: Yes I did! Fixed. (Sorry Previn and Kleiber!)


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## joen_cph

Hilltroll72 said:


> In no significant order, and representative of 30 or so:
> 
> Reiner
> Stokowski
> Munch
> Beecham
> Walter
> Kubelik
> Sylvestri
> *Steinberg*
> Kousevitsky
> Szell
> 
> My spellchecker recognized approximately none of those names; hmph.


I like Steinberg in Rachmaninov´s 2nd, which is subdued but original. I also have the Holst Planets which are average IMO. And there´s an allrightish Brahms 1st in my collection. But that´s about all I´ve heard, AFAIR. Any other recommendations from here ?


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## peeyaj

Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??


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## Guest

peeyaj said:


> Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??


I have to confess I haven't heard much of his conducting. I have an earlier DG recording of him playing some of Beethoven's piano sonatas that I don't care for. I have heard that his recording of Beethoven's symphonies is good, and have seen some good reviews for some of his conducting of Wagner's operas, but can't say.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Lots. Focusing on HIP, in no particualr order: Christopher Hogwood, William Chrisite, Rene Jacobs, M. Suzuki, Trevor Pinnock, JE Gardiner, Nicholas Harnoncourt, Richard Hickox, Simon Standage, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Hermann Max, Fabio Biondi, Reinhard Goebel, Paul Dyer ...

Maestros include Karajan, Bernstein, Furtwangler, Solti, Toscanini, Beecham, Dorati, Abbado, Howard Griffiths, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Antonio Pappano, James Levine, Antoni Wit ....


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## Weston

Fort a quick joke and a daily quiz every morning on the commute I like this guy.


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## bigshot

peeyaj said:


> Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??


I think he is a much better conductor than Boulez, and almost as good as Abbado.


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## davinci

peeyaj said:


> Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??


I'd say he is a top tier conductor at Boulez and Abbado's level. But not up with the greats; Wand, Bohm, Klemperer, von Karajan, Barbirolli, many others.


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## moody

peeyaj said:


> Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??


Not in my opinion,but then I don't like the other two either.


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## Vaneyes

10 Favorites for Three Categories (no order)...

*The Dead* - Reiner, Solti, HvK, Szell, Walter, Klemperer, Bernstein, Barbirolli, Beecham, Jochum.

*The Living* - Boulez, Haitink, Muti, Abbado, Jansons, Blomstedt, Previn, Barenboim, Harnoncourt, Herreweghe.

*Composite* - Reiner, Solti, HvK, Walter, Klemperer, Bernstein, Barbirolli, Boulez, Muti, Abbado,


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## moody

Vaneyes said:


> 10 Favorites for Three Categories (no order)...
> 
> *The Dead* - Reiner, Solti, HvK, Szell, Walter, Klemperer, Bernstein, Barbirolli, Beecham, Jochum.
> 
> *The Living* - Boulez, Haitink, Muti, Abbado, Jansons, Blomstedt, Previn, Barenboim, Harnoncourt, Herreweghe.
> 
> *Composite* - Reiner, Solti, HvK, Walter, Klemperer, Bernstein, Barbirolli, Boulez, Muti, Abbado,


What's this composite stuff?
You mean they're half dead ?


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## Tristan

Abbado, Previn, Haitink, Blomstedt, Pletnev, Rattle, Karajan, Shaw, Neeme Jarvi

And yeah, I've been to tons of performances with MTT and I've met him in person (and I love his Mahler cycle), so I have to mention him, even if I have few MTT recordings


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## bigshot

I'm curious about Shaw. I saw him conduct a couple of times when he was on tour and it was OK, but bland- not all that special. What is it about his recordings that people like? Is he sparkier on CD? I never got around to buying any.


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## bigshot

I'll add more categories...

Undead: Karajan
Hair: Rattle, Ozawa
Funny Name: Furtwangler, Barenboim


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## Bone

1. Kleiber - Brahms and Beethoven just can't be so hard - how come he can make it sound easy
2. Nagano - just a gut feeling, but he was Zappa's pick, too
3. Szell - Cleveland is classic 'cause George made them so
4. Karajan - actually a bit hit or miss for me, but hits BIG when he connects
5. Rattle - I'm careful what I listen to by Sir Simon and he hasn't offended yet
6. Bernstein - if only for his Mahler, but I also like his Shostakovich 
7. Haitink - Mr. Sturdy himself
8. Celibidache - interesting, but probably a little too nutty for some tastes
9. Zinman - just a good conductor all around
10. Neemi Jarvi - haven't heard a bad reading from him (though bettered by others). Underrated Straussian

I reserve the right to change my mind in 10 minutes. Dang, left off Boulez, C. Davis, Ashkenazy, and Sanderling...list is already wrong.

AND Furtwangler!! WOW! My lists stinks!!!


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## Bone

And REINER!!! Oh, my, this is getting out-of-hand.


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## davinci

1. Giulini 
2. Jochum 
3. Karajan
4. Bernstein
5. Furtwangler
6. Klemperer
7. Harnoncourt
8. Jarvi 
9. Ashkenazy
10. Haitink 

My list is a bit heavy with the Germans, so I'd also consider:
Eugene Ormandy 
James Levine
George Solti
John Barbirolli


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## Ukko

joen_cph said:


> I like Steinberg in Rachmaninov´s 2nd, which is subdued but original. I also have the Holst Planets which are average IMO. And there´s an allrightish Brahms 1st in my collection. But that´s about all I´ve heard, AFAIR. Any other recommendations from here ?


He was recorded with the Pittsburgh SO by Command Classics (on 32MM film) performing several works, all good. The LPs are hard to find, the open reel tapes even harder. ABC reissued some of them, in inferior sound and also on LPs.


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## jtbell

According to my database, the top ten conductors according to the total length of their recordings in my collection:

Neeme Järvi
George Szell
Pierre Boulez
Christoph von Dohnányi
Antal Doráti
John Eliot Gardiner
Trevor Pinnock
Osmo Vänskä
Leif Segerstam
Helmuth Rilling

Doráti is inflated somewhat because of his Haydn symphony cycle, and Rilling is in the list only because of his Bach cantata cycle, so the next two are:

Gerard Schwarz
Leonard Bernstein

Now that I think of it, Dohnányi is inflated somewhat because my database includes a number of Cleveland Orchestra concerts recorded from radio broadcasts in the 1980s and early 1990s, so the next entry is:

Lorin Maazel


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## opus55

I haven't even heard many of the famous conductors yet but here are some of my favorites in no particular order.

Philippe Herreweghe
George Szell
Bernard Haitink
Neeme Jarvi
Herbert von Karajan
Karl Bohm
Trevor Pinnock
Reinhard Goebel
Pierre Boulez
Riccardo Chailly
Leonard Bernstein
David Zinman


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## Arsakes

peeyaj said:


> Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??


No.

1. Barenboim (I've enjoyed every piece he conducted)
2. Georg Solti
3. Karajan
4. Marriner
5. Kurt Masur
6. Stokowski
7. Abbado
8. Gergiev
9. Gardiner 
10. Boulez (His conducting is good, not his composing!)


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## starthrower

I'm going with the living.

Gerard Schwarz
Antoni Wit
Ivan Fischer
Rozhdestvensky
Rattle
Tortelier
Dutoit
Chailly
Vanska
Boulez


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## Turangalîla

Arsakes said:


> Boulez (His conducting is good, not his composing!)


Blasphemy!


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## Weston

I confess to being one of those listeners paying more attention to the composer than the interpreter. I usually only notice the performer when something seems not to gel with me. But a few stand out:

*Bryden Thompson*'s and *Kurt Masur*'s work is consistently of the highest quality.

*Fritz Reiner* and the CSO's Also Sprach Zarathustra was for many years the absolute best version of that work for me, so he ranked very high.

*Rostgropovich* may be better known for his cello, but as a conductor he was no slouch either.

*Jordi Savall* is astonishing at recreating what we think the 17th century might have been like. If it isn't accurate, I don't want to know.

Some that haven't resonated with me:

*George Szell*'s Beethoven Symphony cycle seems to be just going through the motions rather than the emotions.

*Mravinsky* just come across as a robot to me. I don't get it.

*Riccardo Chailly* and *Martha Argerich* conspire together to butcher the Schumann piano concerto in my opinion.


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## Turangalîla

Weston said:


> *Riccardo Chailly* and *Martha Argerich* conspire together to butcher the Schumann piano concerto in my opinion.


Agreed...Martha is a dear, but she butchers many things.


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## tdc

Although I'm sure this will change as I listen to more recordings, some of my favorites at the moment:

Abbado
Rattle
Wit
Chailly
Blomstedt
Marriner
Gardiner
Jochum
Tortelier
Bohm


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## DavidA

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> Agreed...Martha is a dear, but she butchers many things.


You mean she actually adds dynamism and electricity into the piece.


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## DavidA

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> Blasphemy!


No. Just aural observance.


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## DavidA

I noticed a certain are Toscanini doesn't feature. Is this because he wasn't any good?


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## Prodromides

The selections below are based upon the conductors who consistently advocate new(er) music with recordings:


*Arturo Tamayo* has to his credit comprehensive volumes of orchestral music by Maurice Ohana, Iannis Xenakis & Bruno Maderna. Tamayo has also championed Jean Prodromides, Goffredo Petrassi, Luis de Pablo, Ivo Malec, Arthur Honegger ... etc. ...

*Leif Segerstam* is the conductor who has the largest presence in my collection, being responsible as he is for many recordings over the decades on French repertoire and contemporary Finnish music. Favorite composers who Segerstam has championed include Charles Koechlin, Aarre Merikanto, Erik Bergman, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Debussy, Florent Schmitt, Andre Caplet, Bent Sorensen, etc.

*Jukka-Pekka Saraste* is very much in the same category as Segerstam above, with essential discs on composers like Kaija Saariaho, Vaino Raitio, Magnus Lindberg, Eero Hameenniemi, & Dutilleux.

*Ulf Soderblom* is another favorite Finnish conductor, especially impressive with his premiere recordings on operas and choral music by such Nordics as Aulis Sallinen, Paavo Heininen, Einar Englund, Erik Bergman, etc.

*Paul Mefano* was responsible for many one-of-a-kind recordings of contemporary French music on the Adda label with his ensemble 2e2m, ranging from solo piano to chamber orchestra. His albums include music by Isang Yun, Giacinto Scelsi, Luis de Pablo, Franco Donatoni, etc.

*Pierre Boulez* needs no introduction. Important discs of contemporary music abound. Particular favorites are Boulez's surveys on Varese, Messiaen, Birtwistle, Berio plus his own music.

*Hans Zender* is another leading interpreter of the (post-)modern, though possessing a less high profile than Mr. Boulez. Zender has offered listeners his own music along with renditions of works by Yun, Scelsi, Feldman, etc.

*James DePriest* was born in Philadelphia and is one of the few African Americans with an international conducting reputation. CDs of his work include music by Aarre Merikanto, Martinu, d'Indy & Richard Rodney Bennett.

*Roland Hayrabedian* and his ensemble Musicatreize are indispensible interpreters of contemporary choral music, typically with percussion. Without Hayrabedian, the discographies of vocal music by Maurice Ohana, Luigi Dallapiccola & Edith Canat de Chizy would be greatly diminished.

*Marius Constant* had been a pioneer of modern music since the 1960s and the days of LPs (typically on the French Erato label). Constant was responsible for premiere recordings galore at a time when all the "major"s (both labels & their artistes) continued to offer listeners standard repertoire warhorses. For a long time, Constant's versions of works by Ohana, Messiaen, Jolivet as well as his own compositions were the only ones available until the CDs of the 1980s.

Bear in mind that my choices above are not so much about performance styles as they about lesser-known or "obscure" repertoire.


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## Guest

It was hard to settle on this:

Pinnock - for Bach's Brandenburgs and many others
Kubelic - for Mozart's Symphonies 35-41
Dutoit - for Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky
Marriner - for Mozart, Mozart, Mozart
Hogwood - for Handel's Op. 6
Solti - with Chicago on R. Strauss, Debussy, Beethoven
Richter - for Bach's Mass in B minor
Jari - for his Beethoven cycle
Norrington - for his Beethoven cycle
Gardiner - for the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage and the Mozart Piano Concertos with Bilson


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## moody

I told one of my friends via a PM that i wouldn't get into this for the umpteenth time,but having seen some of the lists I relented---some strange choices but it takes all sorts.

Toscanini The best ever,the man who changed the conductor's job for all time. (Where are you Bigshot?)

Cellibidache and Stokowski. The magicians ,especially in concert.

Szell Extraordinary in everything from Bartok to Beethoven

Reiner Unsurpassed

Walter So human and the Best for Mahler and Bruckner

Erich Kleiber So much superior to his son.

Furtwaengler Nonpareil

Steinberg Surprised to see some criticism,he was very,very good.

Pierre Monteaux Extraordinary and Gallic


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## Vaneyes

moody said:


> What's this composite stuff?
> You mean they're half dead ?


Reminds me of a composer decomposing joke. Drumroll, rimshot.


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## ptr

moody said:


> I like your dead men ,but not your live ones !


We can't all be right the first time around! 

But please, do tell, who among living conductors do you find bearable? Is there even ten?

/ptr


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## Guest

I like how people have split it up between dead and alive - there are many dead masters that I thoroughly enjoy. I'm going to do the same - not bothering to rank them at this point.

Dead:
Klemperer
Reiner
Munch
Kubelik
Szell
Mravinsky
Furtwangler
von Karajan
Bernstein
Mackerras

Alive:
Jacobs
Suzuki
Savall
Vanska
Gardiner
Manze
Pinnock
Christie
Paavo Jarvi
van Immerseel


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## Guest

Tristan said:


> Abbado, Previn, Haitink, Blomstedt, Pletnev, Rattle, Karajan, Shaw, Neeme Jarvi
> 
> And yeah, I've been to tons of performances with MTT and I've met him in person (and I love his Mahler cycle), so I have to mention him, even if I have few MTT recordings


I have a few of his Mahler recordings. I enjoyed his 4th and 6th, as well as his Das Klagende Lied. I don't care for his Das Lied von der Erde - I thought the soloists were rather weak. His recording of Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique is actually very good!


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## starthrower

As far as dead guys, I'm surprised nobody mentioned Martinon or Ansermet.

And for the music of Polish composers Lutoslawski and Penderecki, I prefer these composers conducting their own music.


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## joen_cph

Yes, _Penderecki and Lutoslawski_ did great recordings of their own works, probably not surpassed, though Salonen and the Naxos series have good performances too of Lutoslawski.

_Martinon_ - who by the way was also a composer writing symphonies etc - did an interesting Nielsen IV, much faster than usual. It works well, except in the final part of the 1st Movement. His Debussy and Ravel is fine too.

I´ve got a good deal of _Ansermet_, but the recording I find unusually good is the Frank Martin Etudes for String Orchestra. There are some jazzy parts which he does well. His Sibelius IV is unusual too, rather slow, but lacks some drama IMO.


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## Mahlerian

Has anyone mentioned Mengelberg yet? I haven't heard much, but he did some great Beethoven, and was an early champion of Mahler's works.

And I, too, think Boulez has written some great music.


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## joen_cph

Mahlerian said:


> Has anyone mentioned *Mengelberg* yet? I haven't heard much, but he did some great Beethoven, and was an early champion of Mahler's works.
> 
> And I, too, think Boulez has written some great music.


One has ... . His recordings are always interesting, also when he worked with soloists. It´s a pitty the sound is usually poor. There´s the world premiere performance/recording of the Bartok 2nd Violin Concerto with Szekely, 



, a Cortot of Chopin´s 2nd Concerto, a Rach 2 and 3 with Gieseking, Bruch Concerto 1 with Bustabo 



 



 (Holy Cow !)...


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## moody

starthrower said:


> As far as dead guys, I'm surprised nobody mentioned Martinon or Ansermet.
> 
> And for the music of Polish composers Lutoslawski and Penderecki, I prefer these composers conducting their own music.


Martinon and Ansermet were certainly very good but were they great==I think probably not.


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## Turangalîla

DavidA said:


> You mean she actually adds dynamism and electricity into the piece.





DavidA said:


> No. Just aural observance.


Yikes, we seem to be at odds in terms of musical tastes :lol: . In fact, I didn't mean that Martha adds dynamism and electricity when she "butchers" a piece (a somewhat unconventional interpretation of my words). I still respect her as a great pianist, and I find many of her interpretations to be superior (in fact, a few years back, she was my idol), but her infatuation with speed and general disregard for subtle beauties is what causes me to claim that she often "butchers" music.

And the suggestion that "aural observance" will objectively tell you that Boulez was a poor composer is a bit arrogant, don't you think?


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## moody

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> Yikes, we seem to be at odds in terms of musical tastes :lol: . In fact, I didn't mean that Martha adds dynamism and electricity when she "butchers" a piece (a somewhat unconventional interpretation of my words). I still respect her as a great pianist, and I find many of her interpretations to be superior (in fact, a few years back, she was my idol), but her infatuation with speed and general disregard for subtle beauties is what causes me to claim that she often "butchers" music.
> 
> And the suggestion that "aural observance" will objectively tell you that Boulez was a poor composer is a bit arrogant, don't you think?


OK from my aural observance I think that Boulez'music is highly unappealing.


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## bigshot

I think Boulez's conducting is rather gray and lifeless too.


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## KenOC

bigshot said:


> I think Boulez's conducting is rather gray and lifeless too.


Our favorite composer John Adams finds that his friend, a trailer-dwelling militia nut named Marcel Proust, is now a paid music reviewer. "So, OK. Marcel, I am sure that a week ago, before you went all hoity-toity on us, you never even heard of Pierre Boulez. So how you gonna write about something as complicated as that?"

"Structural clarity. It's a breeze to write about Boulez. You just say "structural clarity" and you're home free. Doesn't matter if you're reviewing his conducting Mahler or "Pli selon Pli." It's all about structural clarity, John."

Here's the blog, with proof that Marcel is entirely right.

http://earbox.com/posts/40


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## joen_cph

bigshot said:


> I think Boulez's conducting is rather gray and lifeless too.


Certainly not his CBS=Sony period - such as the Stravinsky Sacre (not the best ever, but very good), Bartok Dance Suite, and Webern´s Passacaglia (the best ?), for instance.



> OK from my aural observance I think that Boulez'music is highly unappealing.


Works like "Eclat" (especially the Thome recording), Derive (



) , the Flute Sonatina and the 1st Piano Sonata are quite fresh, and the first two mentioned sometimes make me think of "updated impressionism".


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## ptr

Mahlerian said:


> Has anyone mentioned Mengelberg yet? I haven't heard much, but he did some great Beethoven, and was an early champion of Mahler's works.


Kleiber Sr, Mengelberg and van Beinum are names that fell just outside of my dead top 10.

Haven't made up my mind about Boulez the Composer, but I agree that his conducting work up to the early 90's is more vibrant than his latests 20 years. I have the same opinion about Neeme Järvi, the aneurysm that almost ended his life in 2001 made him much more careful and subsequently a much more uninteresting music maker.

/ptr


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## bigshot

Boulez's conducting seems to me precise and he picks good tempos, but it seems calculated and without passion. I like more expression. Accuracy isn't as important to me.


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## Ukko

bigshot said:


> Boulez's conducting seems to me precise and he picks good tempos, but it seems calculated and without passion. I like more expression. Accuracy isn't as important to me.


As suggested above, his pre-DG recordings tend to bring out detail without losing too much (for me) drive, notably in Mahler. His Bartók with the NYPO is top-notch. None of his compositions connect with me, even after coaching (by the estimable David Gable) and repeated listening.


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## moody

bigshot said:


> I think Boulez's conducting is rather gray and lifeless too.


I remember his '60's version of Debussy's "La Mer", more like La Wet Puddle !!


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## AClockworkOrange

My 10 favourite conductors at present but in no particular order (though Furtwangler is my preference so would be my first choice)
1. Wilhelm Furtwangler
2. N. Jarvi
3. K. Tennestedt 
4. C. Abbado
5. N. Harnoncourt 
6. V. Jurowski
7. Sir T. Beecham 
8. R. Kempe
9. A. Previn
10. D. Barenboim

Honourable mention to Dutoit, Klemperer, Bohm, Kleiber, Blomsteadt, Davis and Solti. Even 10 options is difficult and doesn't even factor in composers conducting their own works (except Furtwangler).


----------



## kv466

Bernstein 
Leibowitz
Susskind
Marriner
Ozawa
Previn
Horenstein
Hogwood
Fistoulari
Glenn's left hand conducting his right hand.

(this list can change at any given sitting but these are some of my faves, indeed)


----------



## KenOC

moody said:


> I remember his '60's version of Debussy's "La Mer", more like La Wet Puddle !!


From an early review of La Mer: "The audience seemed rather disappointed: they expected the ocean, something big, something colossal, but they were served instead with some agitated water in a saucer."


----------



## bigshot

moody said:


> I remember his '60's version of Debussy's "La Mer", more like La Wet Puddle !!


Actually, that's the exact recording that made me totally give up on him. How can you do Debussy with out an ounce of color? It's like Monet's water lillies illustrated in a book in black and white. What's the point?


----------



## Ravndal

Some of the conductors i have enjoyed, in no particular order:

Abbado
Bernstein
Botstein
Boulez
Stokowski
Karajan

Usually i just compare versions until i find the one that suits me, but i often use these conductors as a template.


----------



## moody

KenOC said:


> From an early review of La Mer: "The audience seemed rather disappointed: they expected the ocean, something big, something colossal, but they were served instead with some agitated water in a saucer."


There you are,just what I felt.I suppose I'm wrong but to me he's a bore--look at his "Rite".


----------



## joen_cph

moody said:


> There you are,just what I felt.I suppose I'm wrong but to me he's a bore--look at his "Rite".


There are three different Boulez Sacres - an early ORTF, then the CBS/Sony, and then the late DG, the last two both with Cleveland O. The level of temper was somewhat reduced as he continued the series, but the ORTF is a bit too uneven to me, whereas the CBS-Sony is among the best, in the Top-5 IMO. I don´t know enough about the DG release, supposedly it is more "objective" in style, but with great sound.

As for his Debussy, yes, the early CBS-Sony series are somewhat dry, not quite up there, if comparing _La Mer_ with Celibidache/DG or Stokowski/Decca, for instance.


----------



## moody

ptr said:


> We can't all be right the first time around!
> 
> But please, do tell, who among living conductors do you find bearable? Is there even ten?
> 
> /ptr


I answered this once,maybe I didn't press the button.
The answer is no I'm afraid they are mostly characterless---mind you Donald Runnicles in not bad.
He's with the BBC Scottish Symphony,Atlanta Symphony and the Deutsche Oper.


----------



## moody

joen_cph said:


> There are three different Boulez Sacres - an early ORTF, then the CBS/Sony, and then the late DG, the last two both with Cleveland O. The level of temper was somewhat reduced as he continued the series, but the ORTF is a bit too uneven to me, whereas the CBS-Sony is among the best, in the Top-5 IMO. I don´t know enough about the DG release, supposedly it is more "objective" in style, but with great sound.
> 
> As for his Debussy, yes, the early CBS-Sony series are somewhat dry, not quite up there, if comparing _La Mer_ with Celibidache/DG or Stokowski/Decca, for instance.


The Sony/CBS was the one I was referring too--it just shows one how tastes differ--compare that with Monteaux who did the premier.
The Stokowski "La Mer" was what I took as the antidote to the dolorous Boulez.
I also have Szell's and I like that as well.


----------



## Xaltotun

peeyaj said:


> Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??


I like him more than either of those other guys: I often get the feeling that he's under-appreciated as a conductor.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

*How did my wallet vote?*

This is going to read more like a blog than a post, so please be patient with me...

I don't have one of those 4-or-5 digit CD collections... but I'm closing in on that (lower) number. I've been picking up Classical recordings for c. 3½ decades. It is, perhaps, a sign of my times that early on, four names separated themselves from the rest of the pack in terms of presence in my collection- those names are- *Solti*, *Karajan*, *Bernstein*, and *Ormandy*. To this day, those conductors still constitute the backbone of my recorded music. Lately, (on the strength of a more general interest in opera, and a budding interest in DVDs), a more modern name has joined that breakaway group- *Levine.*

There's a big gap between that name and the chase group, led by *Barenboim*. I have to cop to some "birthplace boosterism" in acquiring Chicago SO-Barenboim recordings. Next up is *Sawallisch*. Maybe a little boosterism for my adopted region played a role in this. Quite without realizing it prior to casual inventory, Abbado is well-represented. Then, there's Andre Previn, who had some great CDs while on the other side of the ocean. Dutoit has a decent number of discs on my shelf, too.

This inventory is unfair to those whose best work was done before the dawn of the stereo era. But for that, _Stokowski_, _Mengelberg_, and _Furtwängler_ would certainly deserve to stand up there with my top five.


----------



## bigshot

Stokowski did some phenominal recordings in the stereo era too. It's hard to top the Philadelphia Orchestra in its prime as a band, but I think Stoki in the 1960s and 70s was in many ways better than Stoki in the 1930s. He seemed to age backwards musically if such a thing is possible.

The interesting thing about Stokowski, Karajan and Bernstein is that when they swung and missed, they missed in a spectacular fashion. Even their mistakes are interesting in a perverse sort of way. When Levine, Sawallisch and Ormandy miss, it's more of a polite little thud.


----------



## science

KenOC said:


> Our favorite composer John Adams finds that his friend, a trailer-dwelling militia nut named Marcel Proust, is now a paid music reviewer. "So, OK. Marcel, I am sure that a week ago, before you went all hoity-toity on us, you never even heard of Pierre Boulez. So how you gonna write about something as complicated as that?"
> 
> "Structural clarity. It's a breeze to write about Boulez. You just say "structural clarity" and you're home free. Doesn't matter if you're reviewing his conducting Mahler or "Pli selon Pli." It's all about structural clarity, John."
> 
> Here's the blog, with proof that Marcel is entirely right.
> 
> http://earbox.com/posts/40


That was awesome.


----------



## JACE

Thought I'd kick-start this dormant thread...

In no particular order. Just what came to mind:
**************************************
Bruno Walter - Brahms, Mahler, Bruckner 
Hermann Scherchen - Mahler, Beethoven, Bach, Haydn, Berlioz, Russian music
Rafael Kubelik - Mahler, Dvorak, Janacek, Weber
Michael Tilson Thomas - Ives, Ruggles 
Pierre Boulez - Stravinsky, Debussy, Schoenberg, Varese
Kirill Kondrashin - Shostakovich, Rimsky-Korsakov & Other Russian composers
George Szell - Beethoven, Brahms (piano concertos!); Haydn; Schubert; Schumann
Colin Davis - Berlioz (!!!), Mozart, Haydn
Leonard Bernstein - Ives, Mahler, Berlioz, all sorts of stuff
Leopold Stokowski - Ives, Scriabin, Mussorgsky, Bach... nearly everything
Karl Böhm- Beethoven, Mozart (Magic Flute!)


Two more that I've been exploring lately and I've greatly enjoyed:
Eugen Jochum - Bruckner, Brahms, Beethoven, Haydn
Klaus Tennstedt - Mahler


EDIT:
I just realized that there are only two living conductors on my list. 

Does that make me an old fogey?


----------



## DiesIraeCX

I can't really put my favorite conductors in any kind of order. For some conductors, I only have one or two recordings of their performances but since they are essential recordings, they make the list.

_Top Three (not in any order)_

- *Carlos Kleiber*: For his Beethoven and Brahms. If he had recorded more symphonic and orchestral music, he'd be my favorite no questions asked. 
- *Herbert von Karajan*: Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, some Mahler. All around reliable (for the most part). If I was forced to choose my favorite conductor, it would be Karajan. 
- *Claudio Abbado*: One of the most well rounded conductors ever, super reliable in just about everything.

- Arturo Toscanini - Beethoven and Brahms
- Pierre Boulez - Mahler, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Debussy, etc.
- Ferenc Fricsay - I only own his Beethoven 9th, but since it's my 2nd favorite Ninth, he makes the list
- George Szell - I'm only familiar with his Beethoven which is underrated
- Carlo Maria Giulini - His Bruckner 9th is *essential*
- Josef Krips - My favorite conductor for Schubert's 9th
- David Zinman - For his Beethoven 3rd "Eroica", it was like hearing it for the first time and I've heard some great 3rd's before.
- Rafael Kubelik - Mahler (especially the symphony 1)

Honorable Mentions: Gunter Wand (Beethoven, Bruckner), Pablo Casals (Schubert 8th), John Eliot Gardiner (Beethoven, Berlioz), Ivan Kertesz (Dvorak), Klemperer (for his Mahler 2nd)


----------



## realdealblues

Leonard Bernstein
Karl Richter
Arturo Toscanini
Otto Klemperer
Eugen Jochum
George Szell
Herbert Von Karajan
Karl Bohm
Rafael Kubelik
Antal Dorati
Bruno Walter
Ferenc Fricsay
Charles Munch
Fritz Reiner
Wilhelm Furtwangler
Andre Previn
Riccardo Muti
Rudolf Kempe
Eugene Ormandy
Georg Solti
Rudolf Kempe
Ferenc Fricsay
Adrian Boult
Neville Marriner
Neeme Jarvi

Give me every recording from those 25 and I can live without all the rest for the remainder of my duration on this planet.


----------



## Andreas

Herbert Blomstedt
Pierre Boulez
Sergiu Celibidache
Ferenc Fricsay
Philippe Herreweghe
Kent Nagano
Roger Norrington
Heinz Rögner
Simone Young
David Zinman


----------



## joen_cph

JACE said:


> Thought I'd kick-start this dormant thread...
> 
> In no particular order. Just what came to mind:
> **************************************
> Bruno Walter - Brahms, Mahler, Bruckner
> Hermann Scherchen - Mahler, Beethoven, Bach, Haydn, Berlioz, Russian music
> Rafael Kubelik - Mahler, Dvorak, Janacek, Weber
> Michael Tilson Thomas - Ives, Ruggles
> Pierre Boulez - Stravinsky, Debussy, Schoenberg, Varese
> Kirill Kondrashin - Shostakovich, Rimsky-Korsakov & Other Russian composers
> George Szell - Beethoven, Brahms (piano concertos!); Haydn; Schubert; Schumann
> Colin Davis - Berlioz (!!!), Mozart, Haydn
> Leonard Bernstein - Ives, Mahler, Berlioz, all sorts of stuff
> Leopold Stokowski - Ives, Scriabin, Mussorgsky, Bach... nearly everything
> Karl Böhm- Beethoven, Mozart (Magic Flute!)
> 
> Two more that I've been exploring lately and I've greatly enjoyed:
> Eugen Jochum - Bruckner, Brahms, Beethoven, Haydn
> Klaus Tennstedt - Mahler
> 
> EDIT:
> I just realized that there are only two living conductors on my list.
> 
> Does that make me an old fogey?


Nice to see old* Scherchen* mentioned as interesting here. Nice list.


----------



## joen_cph

Andreas said:


> Herbert Blomstedt
> Pierre Boulez
> Sergiu Celibidache
> Ferenc Fricsay
> Philippe Herreweghe
> Kent Nagano
> Roger Norrington
> Heinz Rögner
> Simone Young
> David Zinman


Nice to see *Rögner* mentioned. Great and in some passages very unusual Mahler 3rd. Poor Janacek Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba, maybe due to a provincial/under-rehearsed orchestra.


----------



## Cheyenne

DiesIraeVIX said:


> - Ferenc Fricsay - I only own his Beethoven 9th, but since it's my 2nd favorite Ninth, he makes the list


His Haydn is really good. I wish we had some of his Haynd in stereo


----------



## Andreas

joen_cph said:


> Nice to see *Rögner* mentioned. Great and in some passages very unusual Mahler 3rd. Poor Janacek Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba, maybe due a provincial/under-rehearsed orchestra.


So far, it mostly about Rögner's Bruckner for me. Vigorous and clean. Marred, unfortunately, by bad sound quality due to socialist recording equipment.
I have that Mahler 3 as well, must finally give it a listen I suppose!


----------



## joen_cph

Concerning Rögner, I don´t know of anyone making those effects in the 4th movement of Mahler´s 3rd.

Hm - socialist recording equipment ?! ;-) Denon and some hi-fi enthusiasts are very enthousiastic about some Melodiya recordings, such as selected Mravinskys, for example.

Haven´t heard Rögner´s Bruckner yet, but am keeping an eye for them.


----------



## Andreas

joen_cph said:


> Hm - socialist recording equipment ?! ;-) Denon and some hi-fi enthusiasts are very enthousiastic about some Melodiya recordings, such as selected Mravinskys, for example.


Maybe they used better gear in the USSR than in East Berlin. Some of the recordings by VEB Deutsche Schallplatten (East German aequivalent of DG) even from the 80s sound like DG ca. 1959 to me.


----------



## Orfeo

Leonard Bernstein
Daniel Barenboim
Georg Solti
Arturo Toscanini
Neemi Jarvi
Claudio Abbado
Herbert von Karajan
Yevgeny Svetlanov (definitely worth a mention).
Kyrill Kondrashin
Vernon Handley

*Worthy of mention*: Michel Plasson, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vasili Nebolsin, Alexander Melik-Pashayev, Boris Khaikin, Valery Gergiev, Konstantin Ivanov, Edgars Tons, Jean Martinon, Gunther Wand, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bryden Thomson, Richard Hickox, Tortelier, Gerard Schwarz, Lovro von Matacic, Vaclav Neumann, Vaclav Talich, Kubelik, Ancerl, Pesek.

And much more, I know.


----------



## joen_cph

dholling said:


> Leonard Bernstein
> Daniel Barenboim
> Georg Solti
> Arturo Toscanini
> Neemi Jarvi
> Claudio Abbado
> Herbert von Karajan
> Yevgeny Svetlanov (definitely worth a mention).
> Kyrill Kondrashin
> Vernon Handley
> 
> *Worthy of mention*: Michel Plasson, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vasili Nebolsin, Alexander Melik-Pashayev, Boris Khaikin, Valery Gergiev, _Konstantin Ivanov_, Edgars Tons, Jean Martinon, Gunther Wand, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bryden Thomson, Richard Hickox, Tortelier, Gerard Schwarz, Lovro von Matacic, Vaclav Neumann, Vaclav Talich, Kubelik, Ancerl, Pesek.
> 
> And much more, I know.


Yes, *Ivanov* too - what I´ve heard was excellent, such as Liadov´s Enchanted Lake and Glazunov´s 5th. Looked like Vegh, by the way.


----------



## bigshot

Nice to see the B Team get some love.


----------



## Orfeo

joen_cph said:


> Yes, *Ivanov* too - what I´ve heard was excellent, such as Liadov´s Enchanted Lake and Glazunov´s 5th. Looked like Vegh, by the way.


I agree. His Tchaikovsky recordings I feel are underrated.


----------



## Guest

Well,here is my list of conducters, 1 Sir Adrian Boult for his Vaughan Williams alone.
2 Neville Marriner for his lovely and enchanting The Lark Ascending and many more.
3 Karajan ,my first lp was Beethovens fifth and Johann Strauss,Mahler Ruckertlieder /Ludwig
4 Solti, Carmen , Parsifal , Arabella , Brahms symphonies and more Wagner 
5 Antal Dorati, graduation ball,Bartok /Miraculous Mandarin , Stravinsky,le sacre
6 Abbado Ravel with Argerich, Rossini ouvertures, Simon Boccanegra
7 Klemperer,Eroica Deutsches Requiem, Fidelio, 
8 William Christie for his many opera recordings
9 Philippe Herreweghe Bach Cantatas.
10 Josef Kribs for his beautiful Mozart with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.


----------



## Haydn man

1 Karajan as the first record I bought was his Beethoven 6th
2 Dorati for his Haydn cycle what else!
3 Handley for his wonderful Elgar and VW
4 Klieber for Beethoven And Brahms
5 Marriner for his Mozart
6 Jarvi for his Dvorak
7 Vanska for Sibelius 
8 Sinopoli for a wonderful Schubert unfinished
9 Abbado for Brahms and Mahler
10 Jansons for his Tchaikovsky


----------



## Kilgore Trout

Considering only those I've heard live :
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Valery Gergiev
Paavo Järvi
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Zoltán Pesko
Ingo Metzmacher
Vladimir Jurowski
Michael Tilson Thomas
Arvo Völmer
Sebastian Weigle
Mikhail Pletnev


----------



## AClockworkOrange

AClockworkOrange said:


> My 10 favourite conductors at present but in no particular order (though Furtwangler is my preference so would be my first choice)
> 1. Wilhelm Furtwangler
> 2. N. Jarvi
> 3. K. Tennestedt
> 4. C. Abbado
> 5. N. Harnoncourt
> 6. V. Jurowski
> 7. Sir T. Beecham
> 8. R. Kempe
> 9. A. Previn
> 10. D. Barenboim
> 
> Honourable mention to Dutoit, Klemperer, Bohm, Kleiber, Blomsteadt, Davis and Solti. Even 10 options is difficult and doesn't even factor in composers conducting their own works (except Furtwangler).


Time for an updated revision. The only consistent is that Furtwängler remains my first choice.
1. Furtwängler 
2. Klemperer
3. Tennestedt 
4. Abbado
5. Reiner
6. Fricsay
7. Beecham 
8. Kempe
9. Celibidache
10. Barbirolli
11. C. Kleiber


----------



## ptr

ptr said:


> John Barbirolli
> Jasha Horenstein
> Carlos Kleiber
> Adrian Boult
> Kirill Kondrashin
> Rafael Kubelik
> Ferenc Fricsay
> István Kertész
> Igor Markevitch
> Kurt Sanderling


I can't really forgive myself for leaving out Leopold Stokowski! I am ashamed! :scold::scold::scold: on myself!
Unfortunatly I can't really decide whom to cut from the list... But probably Carlos Kleiber...

/ptr


----------



## Itullian

1 Furtwangler
2 Klemperer
3 Bernstein
4 Celibidache
5 Walter
6 Giulini
7 Barbirolli
8 Bohm
9 Beecham
10 Davis Haitink


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Ten? That's impossible. I could probably get away with 30:

John Eliot Gardiner
Herbert von Karajan
Jordi Savall
William Christie
George Szell
Philippe Herreweghe
Bruno Walter
Leonard Bernstein
Otto Klemperer
Karl Böhm
Ferenc Fricsay
Sir Thomas Beeham
John Barbirolli
Ernest Ansermet
Fritz Reiner
Charles Munch
Sir Neville Marriner
Erich Kleiber
Carlos Kleiber
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Marc Minkowski
Antoni Wit
Valery Gergiev
Karl Richter
Pierre Monteaux
Charles Dutoit
Rafael Kubelik
Charles MacKerras
Josef Krips
Iván Fischer
Tullio Serafin


----------



## adrem

Interesting question. Let's say:
1) Celibidache
2) Bernstein
3) Kubelik
4) Furtwangler
5) Klemperer
6) Szell
7) Kleiber
8) Rattle
9) Bohm
10) Haitink

But... I have to add: Karajan, Abbado, Rozhdestvensky, Barbirolli, Zinman, Ansermet, Blomstedt, Harnoncourt, Segerstam, Salonen..


----------



## joen_cph

As a side remark, Poland has also produced a lot of good conductors:
Skrowaczewski, Wislocki, Krenz, Wit, Stryja and Rowicki, to mention some. Likewise, Lutoslawski´s and Penderecki´s recordings are definitely among the better examples of composers recording their own works.

Semkow is less my cup of tea, but taste varies.


----------



## PeterF

My ten selections today. They may change by next week or next month.
In no special order.

Walter
Klemperer
Szell
Jochum
Bernstein
Vanska
N. Jarvi
Ormandy
Reiner
Krips


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

1. Boulez
2. Pintscher
3. Harding
4. Nézet-Seguin
5. Simone Young
6. Gardiner
7. Rattle
8. Jacobs
9. Eötvös
10. Knussen


----------



## Albert7

Impossible for me to decide however I go for this temporary list.

1. Boulez
2. Simone Young
3. Nezet-Seguin
4. Rattle
5. Chailly
6. Dudamel
7. Celibidache
8. Kleiber
9. Sinopoli
10. Mahler

and many others I have missed...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Albert7 said:


> Impossible for me to decide however I go for this temporary list.
> 
> 1. Boulez
> 2. Simone Young
> 3. Nezet-Seguin
> 4. Rattle
> 5. Chailly
> 6. Dudamel
> 7. Celibidache
> 8. Kleiber
> 9. Sinopoli
> 10. Mahler
> 
> and many others I have missed...


I saw your first four and thought I must have accidently made a double post! Chailly would be one conductor I would squeeze in my list as no. 11.


----------



## KirbyH

The list changes week to week, so here's how I'm feeling my top 10 right now:

1. Leopold Stokowski
2. Vasily Petrenko
3. Fritz Reiner
4. Herbert von Karajan
5. James Levine
6. Sir Simon Rattle
7. Claudio Abbado
8. Carlos Kleiber
9. Christian Thielemann
10. Valery Gergiev


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

My top 10 conductors for Russian music:

1. Neeme Jarvi
2. Evgeny Svetlanov
3. Jose Serebrier
4. Valery Gergiev
5. Mikhail Pletnev
6. Gennady Rozhdestvensky
7. Evgeny Mravinsky
8. Yuri Temirkanov
9. Vassily Sinaisky
10. Vladimir Fedoseyev

It's almost in a particular order. Jarvi takes the gold for sure, and Svetlanov wins for his sheer level of advocacy and discography of literally hundreds of Russian works. After that it's case by case basis, where one excelled in one field over another. Gergiev is impressive theater conductor (includes opera and ballet), and a number of these conductors did complete Symphonic cycles of many Russian composers.


----------



## D Smith

I would feel more comfortable with a top 30 list, but here are 10.

1. Bernstein
2. Masur
3. Karajan
4. Reiner
5. Alsop
6. Prêtre
7. Szell
8. Monteux
9. Gardiner
10. Boulez


----------



## Vronsky

1. Sir Colin Davis
2. Pierre Boulez
3. Leonard Bernstein
4. Claudio Abbado
5. Valery Gergiev
6. Mariss Jansons
7. Sir Simon Rattle
8. Sergiu Celibidache
9. Eliahu Inbal
10. Sir Georg Solti


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Huilunsoittaja said:


> My top 10 conductors for Russian music:
> 
> 1. Neeme Jarvi
> 2. Evgeny Svetlanov
> 3. Jose Serebrier
> 4. Valery Gergiev
> 5. Mikhail Pletnev
> 6. Gennady Rozhdestvensky
> 7. Evgeny Mravinsky
> 8. Yuri Temirkanov
> 9. Vassily Sinaisky
> 10. Vladimir Fedoseyev
> 
> It's almost in a particular order. Jarvi takes the gold for sure, and Svetlanov wins for his sheer level of advocacy and discography of literally hundreds of Russian works. After that it's case by case basis, where one excelled in one field over another. Gergiev is impressive theater conductor (includes opera and ballet), and a number of these conductors did complete Symphonic cycles of many Russian composers.


I almost forgot how fanatical you are about Russian music.


----------



## musicrom

I rarely pay attention to the conductor of a piece I'm listening to, but anyways, here's my attempt at a list:

1) Herbert von Karajan
2) Neeme Jarvi
3) Simon Rattle
4) Leonard Bernstein
5) Osmo Vanska
6) Riccardo Chailly
7) Valery Gergiev
8) Mariss Jansons
9) Sakari Oramo
10) Claudio Abbado


----------



## Trout

Albert7 said:


> 10. Mahler


Um... care to point out any recordings by him you enjoy?


----------



## Heliogabo

My list for tonight, no particular order

1 Bernstein
2 Stokowsky
3 Ormandy
4 Karajan
5 Beecham
6 Dorati
7 Abbado
8 Ivan Fischer
9 Barbirolli
10 Mata


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I almost forgot how fanatical you are about Russian music.


Everyone's got a place in the world. I just discovered mine prematurely.


----------



## Albert7

Trout said:


> Um... care to point out any recordings by him you enjoy?


None but accounts of his conducting are sufficient enough to prove his genius. Also the piano rolls for his works indicate much there too.


----------



## ArtMusic

One of my favorite conductor is the great harpsichordist, musicologist William Christie.


----------



## Trout

Albert7 said:


> None but accounts of his conducting are sufficient enough to prove his genius. Also the piano rolls for his works indicate much there too.


But this thread is asking for your personal favorites, not simply "genius" or the "best." I suppose Liszt would appear on your favorite pianist list too?


----------



## Xaltotun

10 for today: 

Klemperer, Karajan, Bernstein, Monteux, Davis, Rilling, Ferencsik, Furtwängler, Wand, Sinopoli...

plus ten extra

Dorati, Kleiber, Barenboim, Solti, Neumann, Ancerl, Böhm, Giulini, Kempe, Richter...

and another ten

Stokowski, Ansermet, Reiner, Vänskä, Sawallisch, Berglund, Mravinsky, Chailly, Kubelik, Segerstam...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Otto Klemperer has appeared on many people's lists....Klemperer is a conductor I don't think I could put in any top ten list of mine, or in fact any list at all. I love many various recordings he has made, his own compositions, but the huge variety of interpretations he has made throughout his career seems to make him rather inconsistent. There will always be a Klemperer that I love and a Klemperer that I hate.


----------



## Xaltotun

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Otto Klemperer has appeared on many people's lists....Klemperer is a conductor I don't think I could put in any top ten list of mine, or in fact any list at all. I love many various recordings he has made, his own compositions, but the huge variety of interpretations he has made throughout his career seems to make him rather inconsistent. There will always be a Klemperer that I love and a Klemperer that I hate.


I agree with you, even though Klemperer might be my #1. It's not about the misses, it's about the hits - the misses don't bother me at all.


----------



## Templeton

A pretty conventional list from me:

Carlos Kleiber
Furtwängler 
Szell
Wand
Böhm
Levine
Kubelik
Jansons
Barenboim
Abbado

The following just missed out but still superb:

Solti
Karajan
Marriner
Boult
Paavo Järvi
Ashkenazy

It seems to be the thing to minimise the contributions of Marriner and Karajan, I assume, because both are/were so prolific. I think that the the fact that they maintained such high standards, despite their huge performance and recording workloads, is a positive reflection of their overall abilities and rather than denigrate their contributions, I am very grateful that they did record works that the likes of Kleiber did not and to such high standards to boot.


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## michaels

Albert7 said:


> 10. Mahler





Trout said:


> Um... care to point out any recordings by him you enjoy?


To be fair, the question was about conductors, not conductors recording. To follow that theme, here's my magical wishlist:

1. Mahler
2. Prokofiev conducting Rostropovich playing Prokofiev
3. Mozart
4. Beethoven
5. Bach 
6. Sibilius
7. Kleiber 
8. Tchaikovsky
9. Berlioz
10. Brahms

I'd re-order this list every... single... time.. I look at it.


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## Albert7

Trout said:


> But this thread is asking for your personal favorites, not simply "genius" or the "best." I suppose Liszt would appear on your favorite pianist list too?


He would be my favorite top 10 seriously. I would die and live in the 19th century to see him run an orchestra. Honestly.


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## Trout

michaels said:


> To be fair, the question was about conductors, not conductors recording.


No, but the question asked about personal preferences, which I don't see how one could have for things one has not heard. I'm all for expressing a wishlist of conductors, but when you list those conductors within a list of personal preferences without context leads to confounding and a loss of credibility. It makes me wonder what other conductors listed are there by hearsay and reputation alone.


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## michaels

Trout said:


> No, but the question asked about personal preferences, which I don't see how one could have for things one has not heard. I'm all for expressing a wishlist of conductors, but when you list those conductors within a list of personal preferences without context leads to confounding and a loss of credibility. It makes me wonder what other conductors listed are there by hearsay and reputation alone.


My list was clearly a list to make that point that listing conductors based on reputation and not your own hearing is.. absurd.


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## Vito Lattarulo

1. Carlos Kleiber, by far! - Whatever he did was simply out of this world. 
2. Claudio Abbado - The continuos artistic evolution of this man led him to free himself from his body and become pure music!
3. Sergiu Celibidache - An amazing technique and knowledge of the orchestra. And what a sound!!!
4. Dmitri Mitropoulos - The man who knew EVERYTHING. He could rehearse without the score.
5. Yevgeny Mravinsky - The most amazing of all Russian conductors.
6. Gennady Rozhdestvensky - I call him "the ninja" for his out of this world baton technique. 
7. Leonard Bernstein - Do I need to say why! 
8. Thomas Beecham - What a class!
9. Wilhelm Furtwängler - The big man! Freedom and passion with an amazing sound quality. 
10.Jascha Horenstein - The visionary!


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## Lord Lance

Huilunsoittaja said:


> My top 10 conductors for Russian music:
> 
> 1. Neeme Jarvi
> 2. Evgeny Svetlanov
> 3. Jose Serebrier
> 4. Valery Gergiev
> 5. Mikhail Pletnev
> 6. Gennady Rozhdestvensky
> 7. Evgeny Mravinsky
> 8. Yuri Temirkanov
> 9. Vassily Sinaisky
> 10. Vladimir Fedoseyev
> 
> It's almost in a particular order. Jarvi takes the gold for sure, and Svetlanov wins for his sheer level of advocacy and discography of literally hundreds of Russian works. After that it's case by case basis, where one excelled in one field over another. Gergiev is impressive theater conductor (includes opera and ballet), and a number of these conductors did complete Symphonic cycles of many Russian composers.


I am Lord Lance and I approve this post.

Very, very good list. Although, I would put Svetlanov for his sheer mastery of such a massive repertoire and his advocacy of lesser known Russian music and composers. In fact, Rozhdestvensky at second. Since he did tons of Russian and a mind-numbingly versatile non-Russian repertoire [Search Rozhdestvensky on Spotify! ]

Ah, what the hell:
1. Svetlanov
2. Rozhdestvensky
3. Mrvanisky
4. Gergiev
5. N. Jarvi
6. Temirkanov 
7. Pletnev

That's my rearrangement at least.

Damn you, fluteybear, you got me hooked on Russian music!

Overall:
1. Kapellmeister Karajan
2. Herr Furtwangler
3. Lennie Bernie
4. Everyone else.

I don't believe in ranking.


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## Lord Lance

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Otto Klemperer has appeared on many people's lists....Klemperer is a conductor I don't think I could put in any top ten list of mine, or in fact any list at all. I love many various recordings he has made, his own compositions, but the huge variety of interpretations he has made throughout his career seems to make him rather inconsistent. There will always be a Klemperer that I love and a Klemperer that I hate.


Love your new signature, J-dog.

That's one of the things that make Klemperer so _fascinatingly fantastic. _Compare his WDR '50s mono live Sinfonia Eroica to his '70s Philharmonia Video Sinfonia Eroica and you see two well-fleshed out but different and yet masterly interpretations.

Klemperer forever!

(That was both bizarre and unnecessarily fanatical.)


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## Albert7

Lord Lance said:


> Love your new signature, J-dog.
> 
> That's one of the things that make Klemperer so _fascinatingly fantastic. _Compare his WDR '50s mono live Sinfonia Eroica to his '70s Philharmonia Video Sinfonia Eroica and you see two well-fleshed out but different and yet masterly interpretations.
> 
> Klemperer forever!
> 
> (That was both bizarre and unnecessarily fanatical.)


Hangs his head in total shame.


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## Lord Lance

Albert7 said:


> Hangs his head in total shame.


Aw, don't worry! It's never too late to realize your errors and embrace the light!


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## Albert7

Lord Lance said:


> Aw, don't worry! It's never too late to realize your errors and embrace the light!


More ashamed of your entrance into the ninth circle. Good luck down there.


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## Lord Lance

Albert7 said:


> More ashamed of your entrance into the ninth circle. Good luck down there.


Fallout references? You know I haven't played that game, right? No clue what you mean.

Secondly, I am saddened at your inability to enjoy the two Klemperer. Where's the all-loving Alfie?


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## Albert7

Lord Lance said:


> Fallout references? You know I haven't played that game, right? No clue what you mean.
> 
> Secondly, I am saddened at your inability to enjoy the two Klemperer. Where's the all-loving Alfie?


I enjoy Klemperer but worshipping him is another story. He was not a god. Also my reference is literary so if you guess which poem I am referring to you get some special brownies or Scooby snacks.


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## omega

I don't know enough "older" conductors, like Klemperer, Böhm, Knappertsbusch, to include them in my list.

I would go for:

1. *Abbado *- apart from his Bruckner, I was very rarely disappointed by him. In my opinion, he is able to communicate some of the very profound aspects of music.
2. *Karajan *- no need to explain why!
3. *Gardiner *- for his Beethoven
4. *Pinnock *- for his performances of baroque music, and for his Mozart symphonies
5. *Haitink *- a master when it comes to late romantic works
6. *Chailly *- one of my favourite living conductors, for symphonic music as well as opera
7. *Bernstein *- sometimes too excentric for my taste, but he has some impressively powerful interpretations
8. *Muti *- a very fine opera conductor, and his orchestral music is good too (I like his Schumann very much)
9. *Blomstedt *- he has a quite wide repertoire, and very appropriate interpretations. I know him less than the others, though.
10. *Harding *- I hope he will be able to climb up my "top-10-conductors"-ladder


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## Lord Lance

Albert7 said:


> I enjoy Klemperer but worshipping him is another story. He was not a god. Also my reference is literary so if you guess which poem I am referring to you get some special brownies or Scooby snacks.


*coughs* I worship only one conductor and you know his name. Why, you would hang your head in shame baffles me. Do you have self-respect deficiency?

The film from 1960?


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## Albert7

Lord Lance said:


> *coughs* I worship only one conductor and you know his name. Why, you would hang your head in shame baffles me. Do you have self-respect deficiency?
> 
> The film from 1960?


Hmm... you know Karajan but this will be my reaction to you 










1 S'io avessi le rime aspre e chiocce,
2 come si converrebbe al tristo buco
3 sovra 'l qual pontan tutte l'altre rocce,

4 io premerei di mio concetto il suco
5 più pienamente; ma perch'io non l'abbo,
6 non sanza tema a dicer mi conduco;

7 ché non è impresa da pigliare a gabbo
8 discriver fondo a tutto l'universo,
9 né da lingua che chiami mamma o babbo.

10 Ma quelle donne aiutino il mio verso
11 ch'aiutaro Anfione a chiuder Tebe,
12 sì che dal fatto il dir non sia diverso.

13 Oh sovra tutte mal creata plebe
14 che stai nel loco onde parlare è duro,
15 mei foste state qui pecore o zebe!

16 Come noi fummo giù nel pozzo scuro


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## Lord Lance

Albert7 said:


> Hmm... you know Karajan but this will be my reaction to you
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1 S'io avessi le rime aspre e chiocce,
> 2 come si converrebbe al tristo buco
> 3 sovra 'l qual pontan tutte l'altre rocce,
> 
> 4 io premerei di mio concetto il suco
> 5 più pienamente; ma perch'io non l'abbo,
> 6 non sanza tema a dicer mi conduco;
> 
> 7 ché non è impresa da pigliare a gabbo
> 8 discriver fondo a tutto l'universo,
> 9 né da lingua che chiami mamma o babbo.
> 
> 10 Ma quelle donne aiutino il mio verso
> 11 ch'aiutaro Anfione a chiuder Tebe,
> 12 sì che dal fatto il dir non sia diverso.
> 
> 13 Oh sovra tutte mal creata plebe
> 14 che stai nel loco onde parlare è duro,
> 15 mei foste state qui pecore o zebe!
> 
> 16 Come noi fummo giù nel pozzo scuro


Oh, _of course! _How could I forget?! Dante's Inferno!

Not the ninth circle but Ninth Circle of Hell! Silly me. Yes, I certainly know about it even if I have never dared to read epic poems - perhaps because poems have a tendency to bore me to tears. That is my shortcoming, indeed. Perhaps, when I am 25 or 30, I'll enjoy them.

Also, Satan is looking unusually warm and fuzzy. I want to hug him.


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## Albert7

Lord Lance said:


> Oh, _of course! _How could I forget?! Dante's Inferno!
> 
> Not the ninth circle but Ninth Circle of Hell! Silly me. Yes, I certainly know about it even if I have never dared to read epic poems - perhaps because poems have a tendency to bore me to tears. That is my shortcoming, indeed. Perhaps, when I am 25 or 30, I'll enjoy them.
> 
> Also, Satan is looking unusually warm and fuzzy. I want to hug him.


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## Abraham Lincoln

In no particular order...

Dudamel
Dudamel
Dudamel
Dudamel
Dudamel
Dudamel
Toscanini
Dudamel
Dudamel
Dudamel


...I just like watching Dudamel conduct, okay?


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## CDs

My list in no particular order.

1. Mackerras
2. Bohm
3. Szell
4. Abaddo
5. Kubelik
6. Harnoncourt
7. Herreweghe
8. Kleiber
9. Haitink
10. Barenboim


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## Brahmsian Colors

No specific order...

Walter
Klemperer
Kertesz
Weingartner
Van Beinum
Jochum
Karajan
Reiner
Szell
Bernstein


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## jdec

Karajan
Abbado
Bernstein 
Reiner
Munch
Szell
Furtwängler 
Solti
Boehm
C. Kleiber


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## mbhaub

In no order:
1) Monteux
2) Reiner
3) Munch
4) Walter
5) Cluytens
6) Barbirolli
7) N Jarvi
8) Boult
9) Handley
10) Paray


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## licorice stick

Highly appreciated in many works, but not quite in contention: Bernstein, Karajan, Böhm, Mitropoulos, Mravinsky, Beecham, Ormandy, Levine, Cluytens, Monteux, Klemperer, Toscanini, Eschenbach, Skrowaczewski, Solti, Stokowski, Walter, Wand, Zinman, Münch, Paray, Martinon, Markevitch, K. Sanderling, T. Sanderling, Rozhdestvensky, Minkowski, N. Järvi, Sinopoli, Savall, Jacobs, Chung, Boult, Marriner, I. Fischer, A. Fischer, Mehta, Giulini

Near misses: C. Davis, Abbado, Doráti, Kubelík, Tilson Thomas, Reiner

10. TIE: Vänskä and Blomstedt
9. Mengelberg
8. Dohnányi
7. Szell
6. Jochum
5. Tennstedt
4. M. Jansons
3. Furtwängler
2. Fricsay
1. C. Kleiber


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## Eusebius12

I'm pretty cold to Karajan nowadays for whatever reason. Perhaps because he is so cold. I live Erich Kleiber, Klemperer, Gardiner, Mackerras and Marriner of those not mentioned in licorice stick's post above. Dudamel is energetic, and Marcus Stenz seemed to have a little vision.


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## Brahmsianhorn

1. Wilhelm Furtwangler
2. Victor de Sabata
3. Sir John Barbirolli
4. Willem Mengelberg
5. Leopold Stokowski
6. Otto Klemperer
7. Bruno Walter
8. Sir Thomas Beecham
9. Vaclav Talich
10. Serge Koussevitzky


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## Over the Rainbow

1/ FURTWANGLER THE...
2/ VON KARAJAN a lot of great recordings
3/ KLEIBER Carlos I have a kind of fascination for him
4/ ABBADO especially his late performances
5/ ANCERL for eastern europe music and more , the sound of the CPO
6/ SZELL Cleveland of course, a perfect association
7/ MRAVINSKY russian music and a lot more
8/ BOULEZ for composers of the 20 century who are not romantic 
9/ JOCHUM
10/ ....


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## Merl

I like stuff from nearly every conductor but currently I've been listening to a lot of:

Skrowaczewski
Jochum 
Dorati
Markevitch
Ticciati 
Neumann
Sanderling
Dudamel
Szell
Munch 

This is just over the past few weeks. Next week it will change.


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## Dimace

1.Sergiu Celibitache
2.Dimirtis Mitropoulos
3.Paul Paray
4.Charles Dutoit
5.Günter Wand
6.Maris Jansons
7.Neeme Järvi 
8.James Levin
9.Hans Zender
10.Gennady Rozhdestvensky


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## larold

_Question: Is Daniel Barenboim a highly rated conductor, lets say compared to Boulez and Abbado??_

I would recommend you listen to Barenboim's Tchaikovsky 4th or 5th symphony recordings and judge for yourself. I think you'll find them flaccid, dull and uneventful. That is my commentary on just about everything I heard him direct.

I don't think he compares to Abbado who has a much wider repertoire. Boulez was more of a specialist that broadened in the later years of his career. Barenboim thought he was Furtwangler reinvented, Abbado was Bruno Walter reinvented, and Boulez was the epitome of clarity who concentrated mainly on modern music. I don't see comparisons between the three.

My top 10:

1. *Stokowski*, always found something in a score others did not.
2. *Ansermet*, a combination of romance, clarity and precision.
3. *Ormandy*, probably the most underrated conductor in history, made Stokowski's orchestra even greater.
4. *Marriner*, if not Ormandy, then he was the most underrated conductor in history. The 4th- or 5th-best selling artist in classical music history depending on your source.
5. *Toscanini*, I didn't always like him but his role in history cannot be denied.
6. *Karajan*, ditto above.
7. *Furtwanger*, same as above pair.

Of living conductors...

8. *Claus Peter Flor*, a 65-year-old German mostly under the radar who is always wonderful.
9. *Lan Shui*, an Asian destined for greatness.
10. *James Gaffigan*, intense yet poetic.


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