Favorite 20th Century Conductor

[Ouled Nails]

It would not be surprising if we listened to classical music in a different way. I, for one, do not believe in the "great" composer/conductor numerous threads on musical fora. Sure, there are plenty of "great" artists out there. But the concept of singling out one or two "great" conductor is laden with assumptions about what "great" music really is. Is it that hard to understand that not a single conductor has tremendous insights on composers from different eras and different countries. There's no such individual out there. So, why bother looking for one?

 

[Corno Dolce]

I heartily agree with your assumptions dear sir. You have carefully delineated certain conductors for certain repertoire in one of your previous postings and they should fully satisfy the more conscientious listeners out there who understand the language of music.

 

[Todd]

Certainly Kubelik and both Kleibers should be included in any such list. Irrespective of the number of conductors included, I can't pick a favorite. No one conductor was or is equally good in everything, and they don't all conduct the same repertoire. Where's Furtwangler's Debussy and Schoenberg, for instance? No, I have no favorite.

 

[methodistgirl]

I like the one who conducted the Boston Pops orchestra. You didn't mention Fidelier.
judy tooley

 

[Krummhorn]

I like the one who conducted the Boston Pops orchestra. You didn't mention Fidelier. judy tooley

Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979) was the director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a group that specialized in "popular music", not "classical music." Although Fiedler was a very popular and respected conductor, the genre' of this thread is classical music conductors, which is why he [Fiedler] is not mentioned here.

 

[Mahlon]

Wow, I am very thankful that such an interesting debate has been started over conductors in general and how it really is impossible to generalize and say there is one "Great" conductor that is the be all and end all for all music. What I think the original point of this thread was, as I stated for me, a way to learn about new music, and what conductors are the most well known/most qualified/well liked at playing that music. Sadly I now realize I wasn't specific enough for I did not realize I had such an intelligent audience! I am humbled. I hope I can fix my errors by stating the revised question, Who are your favorite conductors for certain types of music, i.e. who stands out to you as a "great" (but thats only for conveince, and yes i use that term loosely would u prefer talented? or maybe genious? or interesting?) conductor in the classical symphonic style, or in the baroque style, who stands out to you as an "interesting" performer or who is your favorite perfomer/conductor of works that lie under a more specific category, either being classical, baroque, romantic, modern, avante-garde, etc.. can be from any century this time! :grin: Yes I suppose I am a wuss for the passion of the italian maestro.. on that note.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RpDhX2CHLE&NR=1 can't get enough of toscaninni.. so there i've attempted to revise the question, any further thoughts?

 

[Sybarite]

Why do you like his style so much?
Jan

Since I listed von K too, I'll attempt to answer as well.

I find his conducting fascinating and think that he produced wonderful results of extraordinary smoothness, not just in the Richard Strauss that I mentioned earlier, but also in terms of work by the likes of Debussy. I studied Debussy at school when I was doing 'A' level music and the recordings that our teacher used were with von Karajan conducting the Berlin Phil. I remember the shock, almost, at the stunning sensuality of Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune – in fact, I think that this is a characteristic of von Karajan's work that is sometimes forgotten or overlooked – the sensuality. Given the way in which, in recent history, Germans (and, therefore, by default, Austrians) have been considered to be straitlaced and humourless etc, that sense of sensuality beneath an apparently disciplined exterior is something that fascinates me, not just in von Karajan's case, but in the case of other German artists, not least the writer Thomas Mann.

I find the anecdotes about him fascinating. His importance as a classical musician in terms of working with recording technology is perhaps sometimes forgotten – he embraced technological advances, even to the extent of how he created a sense of legato on recordings.

In general, I'm intrigued by authority – some people seem to have it completely naturally. And von Karajan was certainly one of those.

 

[rojo]

This is a tough question. I don't really have a favourite either. I like French composer 'specialists' like Charles Munch with the Boston Symphony Orchestra because of my favourite pieces. But all the ones on the list are certainly worthy of being favourites. Barbirolli is perhaps worth mentioning also?

(Why are there always annoying people like me who feel the need to add more to lists? :grin

And of course Beecham has to be a favourite of many, I would think; not only for his conducting, but also for his character and hilarious quotes. :grin:

 

[NEB]

This is a curious thing. I've never really analysed one conductors work versus anothers. I'm not even sure I'd know where to start either. But from a musician's point of view, I know who I have enjoyed working under in my orchestral career, and I guess that really colours what I think of them. I can't really say that some of the complete B******* I've come across on the rostrum are necessarily any better musicians than the real gentlemen, or that their renditions of things were necessarily any more wonderful.

I think one of the things of the greats is that they generally managed to gain the respect of the musicians working under them, and that was generally given in both directions. Not necessarily as easy to achieve as it might on the surface appear.

 

[Kromme]

Böhm,Jochum,Knappertsbusch,Giulini,Mravinsky and de Sabata are also forgotten in this list(Alongside with Kubelik and Kleibers who are mentioned earlier.).Because of voting before reading multiple choices are available I voted for Furtwangler only.Music he makes moves me deeper than any other.Whenever i listen to his wartime recordings of Beethoven,Brahms and Bruckner i simply can not manage not to cry.He is as passionate in Tchaikovsky and Berlioz too but not as insightful.He conducts the most gripping music i have ever heard.Had i voted multiple i would also vote for Klemperer who is considered by some as the absolute master of the conducting art.

To my ears Herbert von Karajan is overrated.His performances are always too string dominated to my tastes.(Berlin Philharmonic's sound still described as creamy after all.Surely that was not the case in Furtwanglers tenure.)Whatever he conducts he takes the grand approach.In R Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra for example not at all unpredictable or Nietzschean just huge virtuosity.The sound is too polished.I find his three cycles of Beethoven symphonies are also disappointing misses.Did not Karajan conduct anything special?Of course he did his Brahms symphony cycle in 1978 and his Wagner highlights from early 1970s are very special of course.Excellent music but this is not enough to compete against the aforementioned conductors.