# Who are America's best conductors?



## OwenK (Nov 24, 2014)

I'm fortunate enough to live in Chicago, where we have Riccardo Muti as the music director of the CSO. I was reading this article on the New York Times, about the New York Philarmonic's struggle to find a new music director. This got me wondering... who are the shining lights in America's orchestras? That is to say, who are the best music directors in the US? Is Riccardo Muti head and shoulders above the others? Of course, the conductor can be foreign born, so long as he is the music director of an American orchestra. I'd be curious to know who are the most renowned, who can compete with Muti's sterling resume, and who are the most coveted.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Alan Gilbert, the NY Philharmonic music director is supposed to be pretty good. However, I no longer live in NYC and have neither heard him conduct "live" or auditioned any of his recordings.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Gustavo Dudamel is definitely the best American-based conductor that we have now... LA Phil in case you need to know which orchestra he leads.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

OP: How can a conductor be considered to be "American" if he was foreign born and is simply conducting on American turf?

That's like saying because a Cuban guy is temporarily playing baseball for the NY Yankees, he's a New Yorker.

Alan Gilbert the principal conductor of the NY Philharmonic qualifies because he is a native New Yorker.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Conductors of american orchestras who I have seen either live or on simulcast listed in order of my personal valuation...
Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Gustavo Dudamel, Osmo Vanska, Alan Gilbert, Riccardo Muti


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

hpowders said:


> OP: How can a conductor be considered to be "American" if he was foreign born and is simply conducting on American turf?
> 
> That's like saying because a Cuban guy is temporarily playing baseball for the NY Yankees, he's a New Yorker.


We New Yorkers are very open minded here ... You don't even have to be standing in Times Square longer than five minutes near the podium there and we consider you one of us.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

As a New Yorker, I'm afraid I'm not hugely impressed with Alan Gilbert.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

What about Michael Tilson Thomas/SF

Pardon my ignorance if something has happened that takes him out of the running. Is he no longer with San Francisco? (Just asking )


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

isorhythm said:


> As a New Yorker, I'm afraid I'm not hugely impressed with Alan Gilbert.


Good to know. I've been away a long time now and haven't been keeping in touch.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

QuietGuy said:


> What about Michael Tilson Thomas/SF
> 
> Pardon my ignorance if something has happened that takes him out of the running? Is he no longer with San Francisco? (Just asking )


Good question. I don't know either.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

isorhythm said:


> As a New Yorker, I'm afraid I'm not hugely impressed with Alan Gilbert.


I listen to the NY Philharmonic on WFMT every Wednesday night here (Oregon). I love his renditions.

But I don't complain about performances too often. Only if I have heard it several times or something blatantly stands out.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

QuietGuy said:


> What about Michael Tilson Thomas/SF
> 
> Pardon my ignorance if something has happened that takes him out of the running? Is he no longer with San Francisco? (Just asking )


He is, also the New World Symphony in Miami, however I didn't include him because I haven't seen any of his concerts.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Carl St Clair in Orange County Calif has recorded a Ring cycle, complete Villa Lobos synph cycle and some Takamitsu.

Hes principal conductor for the Pacific Symphony.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

I don't know how to participate in a thread that isn't a poll.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

How about Leonard Slatkin (Detroit) and Marin Alsop (Baltimore)? Both were pretty good when they were conducing here in the UK (BBC and Bournemouth).


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Gerard Schwarz
Lorin Maazel, who we lost recently.
James Levine


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

techniquest said:


> How about Leonard Slatkin (Detroit) and Marin Alsop (Baltimore)? Both were pretty good when they were conducing here in the UK (BBC and Bournemouth).


Marin Alsop is one busy woman. I can't wait to get my hands on her Barber set!


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Although I haven't seen him conduct, I have been impressed with some of his recordings - David Robertson of St Louis Symphony


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

hpowders said:


> OP: How can a conductor be considered to be "American" if he was foreign born and is simply conducting on American turf?


There hasn't been an impressive response to best 'home country' conductors on this thread yet - is there any reason for this in a country of over 200 million inhabitants?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

On the Coast Starlight, Peter Ramos. Courteous, efficient.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I admire MTT's Mahler 7 with London SO and also some of his Ives, Copland and Stravinsky recordings - maybe not a bulky portfolio to give him my support with, but for me he's never been a let-down.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Michael Christie, former music director of the Phoenix Symphony, is an outstanding conductor. He and the group have almost no commercial recordings, so he is lesser known, but the quality is very high.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

QuietGuy said:


> What about Michael Tilson Thomas/SF
> 
> Pardon my ignorance if something has happened that takes him out of the running. Is he no longer with San Francisco? (Just asking )





Becca said:


> He is, also the New World Symphony in Miami, however I didn't include him because I haven't seen any of his concerts.


Indeed! He is in his 20th year here!

I only moved to SF last summer and have only seen MTT conduct a single piece, Stravinsky's _The Soldier's Tale_ for septet and voices. I want to get to know his conducting before he moves on but the season has not been very inspiring.

I saw Alan Gilbert a number of times when I lived in NYC; I thought of him as an insightful and engaging conductor.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

bharbeke said:


> Michael Christie, former music director of the Phoenix Symphony, is an outstanding conductor. He and the group have almost no commercial recordings, so he is lesser known, but the quality is very high.


I saw some of his guest conductor performances with the Phoenix Symphony as well as quite a few after he was named Music Director. I thought he was great.

And now he's Music Director at Minnesota Opera; they are definitely getting some notice.


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## phlrdfd (Jan 18, 2015)

I would say James Levine, who still has a position with the Met and also happens to be from Cincinnati, OH.

But this is very subjective. There is really no clear-cut answer.

On Muti, I have mixed feelings. I started going to Philadelphia Orchestra concerts when he was the music director here. I don't have the positive memories of his concerts that I do of some other conductors I saw in my early concert-going years. At this point, I'd say he is probably second to none when it comes to getting what he wants from an orchestra, be it precision or a certain type of sound or orchestral texture. However, I often find his interpretations to be flat out dull. I get the feeling that he is so firm in his principles when it comes to sticking strictly to the score that he thinks pushing tempos a bit here or there would be vulgar and unacceptable. That's an attitude worthy of respect, but it often leads to performances that are very well-played, but not very memorable from an interpretive standpoint. I've heard a handful of broadcasts of him leading the CSO, and I've had very mixed feelings (never mixed on the quality of the play; just his take on the works he is leading). There was a Brahms 2nd symphony that stands out in my memory as having one of the dullest finales I've ever heard for that symphony, for instance. And a Schubert 9th that needed a lot more oomph (on the other hand, I love his way with Bruckner's 6th and have been thrilled with performances of it I've heard him lead with several different orchestras in recent years). He's got that great orchestra in front of him. Sometimes I wish he'd take the reigns off and just let them play all-out.
I agree that there are some very talented young conductors working in the U.S. now. I wouldn't put Nezet-Seguin, Nelsons or Dudamel in the Muti or Levine category yet in terms of their maturity and understanding of the orchestra and the music, but they all look very promising. There was a Verdi Requiem Nezet-Seguin led a couple seasons ago in Philly that was bar none the most thrilling Verdi Requiem I've ever heard (it just lacked a great quartet of soloists). The Requiem has been a specialty of Muti for decades, but I've never heard a performance of it from him that could touch the raw emotion and excitement of that Requiem that Yannick led (I think it was his first subscription program as music director in Philadelphia).


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Native born. Levine or MTT

Imports. Muti or Dudamel


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

starthrower said:


> Gerard Schwarz
> Lorin Maazel, who we lost recently.
> James Levine


I have a big heart for Schwarz. A wonderful Hovhaness' advocate.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Kent Nagano perhaps? (born in Berkley, third generation American, fwiw)

edit: dammit...he's not conducting US orchestras at the moment


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

SimonNZ said:


> Kent Nagano perhaps? (born in Berkley, third generation American, fwiw)
> 
> edit: dammit...he's not conducting US orchestras at the moment


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You can time his Bruckner 8 with a sundial


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Another vote for Marin Alsop here.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Triplets said:


> zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
> 
> You can time his Bruckner 8 with a sundial


Um, okay...

I was thinking more of his Messiaen, Unsuk Chin, John Adams, Saariaho etc


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Levine probably.

I would like to hear a Beethoven set by him


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

If Gustavo Dudamel doesn't count as an American conductor because he was foreign-born, does that mean that William Christie does count because he was US born... in spite of currently working in France?

What of Harry Christophers of The Sixteen fame who is currently the Artistic Director of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Massachusetts?

How about Martin Pearlman and the Boston Baroque?


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## opus55 (Nov 9, 2010)

I would agree with Levine and Alsop


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Add in Thierry Fischer as a wonderful American conductor for the Utah Symphony. So consistent and fun to watch as well. Ten thumbs up for him.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

I don't mean to be provocative here, but .... there seem to be relatively few *top-notch * American-born conductors who are active in 2015. Very few compared to the size of the American population and the number of orchestras.

Why is that?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

For me it's Tilson Thomas and James Levine.

Wish they would record some great 20th century American composers like Schuman and Mennin.

I don't need any more Beethoven and Brahms recordings.


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