West Coast Brawl: Tilson Thomas vs. Salonen vs. Dudamel vs. Blomstedt

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In this poll, we have two San Francisco Symphony Conductors vs. two Los Angeles Philharmonic conductors in an all out conducting battle. Now vote for your favorite!

[TheGSMoeller]

Oh, I'm the first vote!

I chose Blomstedt, I've never seen any of these conductors live, other than concert video, but it's based purely on recordings, Blomstedt's recordings of Sibelius, Nielsen, Strauss and a few of Grieg, Bruckner and Schubert I find to be enjoyable and exciting.

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I voted for Tilson Thomas. His contributions to Ives, Copland, Reich, Adams, Gershwin, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Debussy, and that incredible recording of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass and Sinfonietta have brought so much happiness into my life. Another facet of MTT that I admire is his dedication to music education. His Keeping Score series has been superlative.

Edit: He's also a noted Mahlerian which I'm sure will push the vote in his favor for our resident GMGer, Daniel.

[DavidW]

MTT for Ives, Ruggles, Mahler etc

[TheGSMoeller]

Oh, I'm the first vote!

I chose Blomstedt, I've never seen any of these conductors live, other than concert video, but it's based purely on recordings, Blomstedt's recordings of Sibelius, Nielsen, Strauss and a few of Grieg, Bruckner and Schubert I find to be enjoyable and exciting.

Blomstedt with SFO performed my favorite recording of Mahler's 2nd.

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MTT for Ives, Ruggles, Mahler etc

Ha! I forgot Ruggles! Man, what a smokin' performance.

[TheGSMoeller]

MTT for Ives, Ruggles, Mahler etc

If I did vote for MTT it would be for his Ives recordings. Good call, Dave.

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Blomstedt and Dudamel just seem like the weakest links here IMHO. Blomstedt's Nielsen recordings are great, but I was less impressed with his Sibelius, which puts him down a couple of notches. What also brings Blomstedt down in rank is his more traditional approach to repertoire. I realize Blomstedt is from an older generation than MTT, Salonen, and Dudamel, but I just don't get excited when I think about Blomstedt nor has hardly any of his performances kept bringing me back. MTT, on the other hand, had such a broad range of composers that he conducted that his versatility is much more admirable than Blomstedt who mostly stuck with Scandinavian and Germans.

[TheGSMoeller]

Blomstedt and Dudamel just seem like the weakest links here IMHO. Blomstedt's Nielsen recordings are great, but I was less impressed with his Sibelius, which puts him down a couple of notches. What also brings Blomstedt down in rank is his more traditional approach to repertoire. I realize Blomstedt is from an older generation than MTT, Salonen, and Dudamel, but I just don't get excited when I think about Blomstedt nor has hardly any of his performances kept bringing me back. MTT, on the other hand, had such a broad range of composers that he conducted that his versatility is much more admirable than Blomstedt who mostly stuck with Scandinavian and Germans.

I sometimes find the "traditional approach to repertoire" to be quite rewarding.

Plus, we are discussing this based more on recordings and I'm not always convinced that's the best way to judge. I've heard of some strange methods and inconsistencies with orchestras recording.

Now if we are judging based on hair, that goes to Dudamel, he looks like Troy Palamalu. 

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I sometimes find the "traditional approach to repertoire" to be quite rewarding.

Plus, we are discussing this based more on recordings and I'm not always convinced that's the best way to judge. I've heard of some strange methods and inconsistencies with orchestras recording.

Now if we are judging based on hair, that goes to Dudamel, he looks like Troy Palamalu. 

Blomstedt just bores the hell out of me most of the time. I think if you look back in history all the best conductors had unique approaches to the repertoire they chose to conduct. Blomstedt just sounds so workaday and ordinary compared to many of the conductors working today.

[Lisztianwagner]

All those conductors are excellent, it's a little hard to choose between Salonen and Blomstedt in particular; I think I will vote for Blomstedt though, I really adore his interpretations of Nielsen, Beethoven, Schubert and Richard Strauss, so beautiful and impressive.
I saw Dudamel conducting Mahler No.2 live last December, it was an incredibly brilliant and passionate performance, maybe except the Andante moderato, which was a bit too slow and sounded more like an Adagio.

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All those conductors are excellent, it's a little hard to choose between Salonen and Blomstedt in particular; I think I will vote for Blomstedt though, I really adore his interpretations of Nielsen, Beethoven, Schubert and Richard Strauss, so beautiful and impressive.
I saw Dudamel conducting Mahler No.2 live last December, it was an incredibly brilliant and passionate performance, maybe except the Andante moderato, which was a bit too slow and sounded more like an Adagio.

Dudamel is the weakest link of them all IMHO. A product of the overhyped media machine. Someone said to me once "Give him time, he'll be a great conductor." Well, I've given him plenty of time and I'm still waiting to be inspired.

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I've seen all of these in concert, in London.  Dudamel once only (so-so), Blomstedt a couple of times (OK), MTT a lot when he was with the LSO (but that was a long time ago), and Salonen right now with the Philharmonia, where his concerts have been some of the highlights of my past year.  His Bartok season was generally excellent, and included a semi-staged Bluebeard's Castle (with John Tomlinson as Bluebeard) that was way the best I've seen or heard, live or recorded.  And a Rite of Spring that was pretty shattering.  And other goodies too numerous to mention.  So it's gotta be Salonen for me.

Good to see Salonen get some love. I really enjoy his conducting. I really hope there are some releases of his Bartok Philharmonia performances.

[madaboutmahler]

John, you really are one to create the most incredibly difficult polls!

MTT and Salonen are two of my all-time favourite conductors so it is difficult to choose between them.

Salonen is one of the most exciting conductors around in my opinion, but I suppose in the end I shall go with MTT. Various reasons, including the ones you mention, John. And also, of course, as you also imply also, because he is a great Mahler conductor. I have not the money to buy his complete cycle (although desperately want it if any of you can spare £150 to give it to me as a birthday present tommorow! ) but what I have heard of his Mahler so far is absolutely excellent. In particular his performance of no.7 with the SFO which I watched on youtube.

[North Star]

Dudamel is the weakest link of them all IMHO. A product of the overhyped media machine. Someone said to me once "Give him time, he'll be a great conductor." Well, I've given him plenty of time and I'm still waiting to be inspired.

According to Strad, though, Berliners were very much impressed with his rehearsals. This, of course, doesn't make him a great artist, rather, a great teacher, and it helps to explain why he's been so successful with Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar. That and his good looks, of course. 

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John, you really are one to create the most incredibly difficult polls!

MTT and Salonen are two of my all-time favourite conductors so it is difficult to choose between them.

Salonen is one of the most exciting conductors around in my opinion, but I suppose in the end I shall go with MTT. Various reasons, including the ones you mention, John. And also, of course, as you also imply also, because he is a great Mahler conductor. I have not the money to buy his complete cycle (although desperately want it if any of you can spare £150 to give it to me as a birthday present tommorow! ) but what I have heard of his Mahler so far is absolutely excellent. In particular his performance of no.7 with the SFO which I watched on youtube.

Go ahead and pick MTT, Daniel. You know you want to.

Edit: What makes my polls so difficult, in most cases, is I don't include the "banana" option. People either choose or they don't vote at all.

[TheGSMoeller]

http://www.youtube.com/v/NtrkWJYv-2o


I don't deny his musical talents, but I do know that this sort of conducting is not necessary, it's a little distracting, and the musicians spend more time reading their sheet music than watching the conductor.

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http://www.youtube.com/v/NtrkWJYv-2o


I don't deny his musical talents, but I do know that this sort of conducting is not necessary, it's a little distracting, and the musicians spend more time reading their sheet music than watching the conductor.

Dudamel is like Bernstein minus the musical ability.

[springrite]

Salonen by a country mile over the other three, with MTT a distant second and the other two in the dust.

[eyeresist]

I think the only one of these four I've really heard is Blomstedt (in Beethoven, Hindemith, Nielsen EMI). Like MI, I don't care much for his working, finding it fatally gutless in Beethoven and Hindemith.

Dudamel is like Bernstein minus the musical ability.

How can you tell?