# who is your favorite conductor??



## Doro

I know there are so many..., Karajan probably was the best but one of my favorites is Esa-Pakke Salonen of the LA Philharmonic. I like his new CD Wing on Wing a lot, too (god I spent to much money on those things  )

So who is your favorite conductor and why???


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## TristanChord

*Favorite Conductor*

Hi, Guys. I'm new to the forum so I wanted to make my humble entrance by answering such a tricky and slippery question such as "Who's your favorite conductor?" There ain't no best conductor (like my Brooklyn peeps would say - i love the way it sounds so definitive when you say "there ain't no..."). There are some conductors that are more suitable for certain types of music, like for example Charles Dutoit for French and Russian music is peerless. There's no better Russian Eastern Overture than the one by him, and there's hardly anyone that can capture the colors of Ravel like him (I highly recommended the complete works of Ravel with Dutoit and the MSO). Another perfect match for me is Otto Klemperer and Beethoven. I think it was Zubin Mehta who after hearing Klemperer conduct live once said that listening to him was a "sonic experience". With what other conductor can you have such a solid and at the same time luscious sound in a Beethoven symphony? A great example of the agreement of conductor and type of piece is Giulini. His Firebird with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is the best ever recorded but don't even try to listen to his Bruckner's 8th Symphony with the same orchestra, the worst and most uninteresting I've ever heard. I could keep making a list of conductor/works ad nauseam, but instead here's a short one: Mravinsky/Tchaikovsky, Paavo Berglund/Sibelius, Solti/Wagner, Barbirolli/Brahms, Giulini/Mozart (his Don Giovanni is my favorite), Gergiev/Prokofiev.

Just a little intro: I'm in New York City, play the cello for fun (amateur I would say), I've played with community orchestras in New York and now struggling my way through piano playing. Just started taking lessons and I'm enjoying immensely, and I have a wonderful Airedale Terrier. His name? YES, YOU GUESSED RIGHT: TRISTAN!


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## val

I think it depends on the repertory.
But among the greatest conductors performances I would choose:
Giulini, with the Vienna Philarmonic in Bruckner's 9th Symphony (1983).
Jochum with the Berlin Philarmonic in Bruckner's 8th Symphony.
Furtwängler with the Bayreuth Festspielhaus Orchestra in Beethoven 9th Symphony.
Furtwängler with the Berliner Philarmonic in Schumann's Manfred Ouverture.
Mravinsky with the Leninegrad Orchestra in Tchaikowsky's 4th Symphony.
Ancerl with the Czech Philarmonic in Mahler's 9th Symphony and Stravinsky's "Petrushka".
Karajan with Berlin Philarmonic in Mahler's 6th Symphony and Sibelius 4th Symphony.
Markevitch with the Suisse Romande Orchestra in Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring".


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## CML

Hello everyone. I'm new. This is my very first reply.
Anyway, I would have to say that so far, my favorite conductors are Riccardo Muti for his work with Andrei Gavrilov and the Philadelphia Orchestra (Rachmaninov's second and third piano concierti) and then there's Walter Weller for his recordings of Beethoven's symphonies (with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) .
The Rachmaninov is especially gorgeous, and quintessential .


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## Celloman

Karajan with Mozart's later symphonies.
The same conductor with all of Beethoven's symphonies.
Adrian Boult with Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony.
Lorin Maazel doing a 50's recording of the Firebird Suite.
John Barbirolli with the Halle Orchestra and Chorus doing Elgar's Dream of Gerontius.
Beecham conducting Scheherezade with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Just to name a few!


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## BassFromOboe

I am only judging by the recordings I have heard, but Beecham is my favourite from the "old school" of conducting.
More recently, Paavo Berglund in his days with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra was something special, as was the orchestra.
Currently I think that Mariss Jansons and practically any orchestra takes a lot of beating.


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## linz

Karl Bohm was excellent, unfortunately he is considered second to Karajan, most-assuredly, he was not! He conducted Austro-Germanic music that was truer to the 'music' then to 'himself'.


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## Topaz

Carlos Kleiber (Beethoven S 5/7)
Wilhelm Furtwangler (Beethoven S 9, Wagner Tristan)
Otto Klemperer (Beethoven S 3, lots of Wagner)
Karl Bohm (Beethoven S 6)
Fritz Reiner (Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra)
J Eliot Gardner (Bach Mass in B Min)
Michael Tilson Thomas (Symphony Fantastique)
Neville Marriner (lots of Mozart)
Adrian Boult (Elgar, RVW)
Bernard Haitink
Colin Davis
Charles Dutoit
Thomas Beecham
Simon Rattle
John Barbirolli
Ricardo Muti


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## 4/4player

*What about "Lenny"?*

Hello! This is my first reply so far....

I think a conductor that should not be overlooked (and is my role-model when I become a conductor someday) is ...Leonard Bernstein?


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## beethoven_fan92

Simon Rattle!! 
... and Von Karajan and Jukka- Pekka Saraste...


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## Gustav

Kubelik, Sawallisch, Jochum, Wand, Giulini....


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## World Violist

I like von Karajan, Zubin Mehta, and Furtwängler. Tilson Thomas is pretty good as well, and Simon Rattle can't be that bad to be conducting Berlin... I don't know if I particularly like Toscanini, but he does have his moments. Just not in Brahms' first. Please.


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## CHasR

Solti, Mehta, Reiner


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## CampOfTheSaints

I really like George Szell..... 

...... it's just sad that he's not with us anymore. 

But we still have a TON of of his recordings! 

Rest In Peace Mr. Szell.


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## Ephemerid

I have never been disappointed with Boulez-- his Debussy and Ravel are wonderful. And I love the clarity of many of his recordings. At the top of my list for sure. 

I trust Tilson Thomas and Salonen for their Stravinsky (though Nagano's recording of Persephone is better than Tilson Thomas' IMO).

And I still have a soft spot for Bernstein for many recordings...

~josh


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## RebLem

IMO, George Szell was the greatest conductor who ever lived. MD of the Cleveland Orch 1946-1970, he died in 1970 of cancer of the bone marrow about a month after coming back from a rigorous Asian tour with the orchestra. His last concert, on their way back, was in Anchorage, Alaska, of all places.

Szell's musical interests were extensive, but the core of the repertoire he knew well was Dvorak, and the great classical and early and middle romantics of the Germanic repertoire--Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms. And, among the late romantics, he was a champion of Richard Strauss. In his younger days, he was also a composer, but he abandoned that because, as he himself acknowledged, "they all sounded like Richard Strauss." He came late to the music of Mahler, but his Mahler 4th is one of the greatest performances of that work ever recorded. In fact, when I had a left nephrectomy in July, 2003, I asked the surgeon if I could choose the music played in the OR and he said yes. My choice was the Szell Mahler 4.

Szell, contrary to popular opinion, did have some interest in modern music. He gave the world premiere in Cleveland of Henri Dutilleux's _Metaboles_, which was a Cleveland Orch. commission. It is still, probably, his most famous and most often played composition, thanks in part to the fact that it was championed by Szell.


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## StlukesguildOhio

As others have noted it all comes down to the piece being performed... and perhaps even the specific recording. Among the finest I would include Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm, George Szell, John Elliott Gardiner, Otto Klemperer, George Solti, Sir Collin Davis, Sir Neville Mariner, Bruno Walter, Sir Thomas Beecham, Leonard Bernstein, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Pierre Boulez, Eugene Ormandy, René Jacobs, Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, Carlos Kleiber, Rafael Kubelik,
Mstislav Rostropovich, Ferenc Fricsay, Raymond Leppard, Christopher Hogwood, Andrew Manze, Tullio Serafin, Karl Richter, Phillipe Herreweghe, Fritz Reiner, etc...

Obviously I like a variety... from old lush orchestration to historically informed.


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## anon2k2

For some reason, I have always had an affinity to Bernard Haitink. Many find his interpretations boring, but I have found most of his work to be steady and reliable. I think he would rather that the music speak for itself than to have him need to comment on its behalf.

Others I enjoy are Colin Davis, Riccardo Chailly, and the late Giussepe Sinopoli.


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## CampOfTheSaints

I agree with Reblem, Szell was great, and if he had one weakness, it was that he was somewhat limited to the middle Romantics of Germany. 

It is my understanding, that he never conducted Shostakovich, (or many other Russian composers) which is a shame, because I really love Szell, Shostakovich, and the Cleveland Orch.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Childhood crush: Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia

Long-term affair: Georg Solti/Chicago-Vienna (& sometimes London)

Illicit relationship: Herbert von Karajan/Berlin-Vienna D)


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## RebLem

CampOfTheSaints said:


> I agree with Reblem, Szell was great, and if he had one weakness, it was that he was somewhat limited to the middle Romantics of Germany.
> 
> It is my understanding, that he never conducted Shostakovich, (or many other Russian composers) which is a shame, because I really love Szell, Shostakovich, and the Cleveland Orch.


To the best of my knowledge, Szell did not conduct any Shostakovich. And that is unfortunate, because he is one of my favorites. But he did conduct some Prokofiev, including a wonderful recording of the 5th Symphony, and excellent recordings of the Piano Concerti 1 & 3 with Gary Graffman.


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## BuddhaBandit

Well I'll put im my 2 cents: Bernstein's Mahler is fantastic, and Berstein in general is usually great (check out his rendition of Sibelius' "Finlandia"). However, some of my favorite performances come from Daniel Barenboim (Chicago Symphony Orchestra). His reading of the Brahms Double Concerto is stunning (but again, it includes Itzhak Perlman on violin and Yo-Yo Ma on cello).

Of course, Reiner and Von Karajan are classics...


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## fox_druid

mine is Nicolaus Hamencourt with Bach
I like his style especially in interpreting the 'baroqueness' of Bach!
most of the conductor tend to be too expresive (in association with the romantic music) even when they're performing baroque music, like their going to play chopin or the likes of it. But Nicolaus' style is soo 'baroque'. His elitism, the way he look down, and so on. He's like a living baroque man!


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## Rondo

For me, I would have to say that it's a tie between Herbert Blomstedt and Bruno Walter. Two totally different styles, it just depends on my mood.


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## Ephemerid

Kurkikohtaus' favourite is *Maximianno Cobra*. 

(don't hit me!)


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## EricIsAPolarBear

I like von Karajan's hair and his recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic. 

Also quite like Bernstein (great recording of Mahler's 5) and Marriner (Mozart, etc.)


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## EricIsAPolarBear

Forgot as well, Chailly with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw does a great Mahler. I got a DVD once off of iTunes (Conducting Mahler; I have lost touch with the world) with some great interviews and behind the scenes conducting with Chailly and Haitink that is just great. Chailly's renditions are pretty good, especially like his version of the 3rd.


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## SixFootScowl

Helmuth Rilling really stands out for me.


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## mstar

Though I don't have one favorite, I can usually depend on good ol' Karajan to interpret well. 
Favorite pianists might be a different story for me though.


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## Huilunsoittaja

Neeme Jarvi, Jose Serebrier, and Evgeny Svetlanov are my go-to conductors for excellent Russian music interpretations. Sure, there are a ton others (even many more Russians), but those 3 put lots of work into some of my favorite music of all time, and it shows.

For non-Russian music, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Paavo Jarvi, Seiji Ozawa, Michael Tilson Thomas, JUST TO NAME A FEW... I usually favor conductors that chose to conduct my favorite compositions, and although not all of them get it right, doing that sure helps!


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## lupinix

My personal favorites are Bernstein, Jarvi, Gergiev and Boulez.


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## Überstürzter Neumann

Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Always interesting, sometimes provocative. I don't love all he does, but I always approach it with respect and try to understand it. Usually that is rewarding.
Frans Brüggen, Christopher Hogwood and Günter Wand are other personal favourites.


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## Überstürzter Neumann

Ignore this post.


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