Your Ten Favorite Conductors

[The Raven]

After 24 votes, conductors with 5 votes or more:

Bernstein    13
Abbado       10
Karajan       9
Kleiber        9
Gardiner      8
Kubelik        8
Barbirolli      7
Boulez         7
Giulini          6
Harnoncourt 6
Klemperer    6
Szell            6
Furtwangler 5
Haitink        5
Mackerras    5
Mravinsky    5

[George]

As a subtopic, can folks tell me what they believe to be the most essential recordings of these conductors?

Kleiber        9
Kubelik        8
Boulez         7
Giulini          6
Harnoncourt 6
Klemperer    6

Thanks!

[The Raven]

The first 3 recordings that came to my mind are:

Kleiber        9

Beethoven Symphonies 5 & 7 VPO
Brahms Symphony 4 VPO
Schubert Symphonies 3 & 8 VPO

Kubelik        8

Beethoven Piano Concertos with Serkin BRSO
Dvorak Symphonies 8 & 9 BPO
Mozart Piano Concertos 23 & 27 with Curzon BRSO

Boulez         7
I don't listen to him

Giulini          6

Mozart Don Giovanni with Wachter, Sutherland PO
Verdi Requiem Mass with Ludwig PO
Chopin Piano Concertos 1 & 2  with Zimerman LAPO

Harnoncourt 6

Brahms Violin Concerto & Double Concerto with Kremer, Hagen RCO
Beethoven Missa Solemnis with Mei COE
Bach Orchestral Suites VCM

Klemperer    6

Beethoven Symphony 6, Etc with Nilsson PO
Mozart: Symphonies 29, 35, 38, 39, 30, 41 PO
Die Zauberflote with Popp PO

[George]

Thanks, Raven!

[springrite]

As a subtopic, can folks tell me what they believe to be the most essential recordings of these conductors?

Kleiber        9
Kubelik        8
Boulez         7
Giulini          6
Harnoncourt 6
Klemperer    6

Kleiber       
Beethoven 5, 7
Brahms 4

Kubelik       
Mahler 1

Boulez         
Bartok Wooden Prince, etc.

Giulini         
Mahler 9
Verdi Requiem
The Chicago Recordings (4 CD set, including Beethoven 7, Mahler 1, Bruckner 9, Berlioz Romeo and Juliet, and Stravinsky)

Klemperer   
Mahler 2
Beethoven Overtures

[Conor71]

Karajan
Klemperer
Jarvi (N)
Previn
Bohm
Haitink
Boult
Marriner
Solti
Abbado

[Old Listener]

Old Listener, could you reduce your choices from 9 plus dozens to 10 as intended?...or I won't be able to include them in total count

Hard to do.

Perhaps Galliera.  His recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with Grumiaux has been my overwhelming favorite for 40 years.

Bill

[The Raven]

Perhaps Galliera. 

Galliera it is. Thanks

[George]

Kleiber       
Beethoven 5, 7

Giulini         
Verdi Requiem

Looks like these two are the ones to get, so far. I have the first, but for the second (Verdi Requiem), I already have 2 Fricsays that I love and an Abbado.

[springrite]

Looks like these two are the ones to get, so far. I have the first, but for the second (Verdi Requiem), I already have 2 Fricsays that I love and an Abbado.

You need the Giulini. It is THE ONE to get, if only for the ending.

[Sergeant Rock]

As a subtopic, can folks tell me what they believe to be the most essential recordings of these conductors?

Klemperer

Essential? Essential to me:

Beethoven Symphony #6
Beethoven Missa Solemnis
Brahms Symphony #1
Brahms Ein Deutches Requiem
Bruckner Symphony #6
Janacek Sinfonietta
Mahler Das Lied von der Erde
Mahler Symphony #7 (unique  )
Mahler Symphony #9
Wagner Der Fliegende Holländer
Mozart Symphony #33
Mozart Masonic Funeral Music
Mozart Adagio and Fugue C minor K.546
Mozart Symphony #25 (the most fiery, passionate Little G minor I've ever heard)
Mozart Symphony #29

The last three on this CD:

[asin]B00004RITX[/asin]

Actually, I think all his Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn is essential.

Sarge

[The Raven]

26 votes and 96 different conductors...

Bernstein   13
Abbado      11
Karajan      10
Kleiber        9
Gardiner     8
Klemperer   8
Kubelik       8
Barbirolli     7
Boulez        7
Szell           7
Giulini        6
Haitink       6
Harnoncourt 6
Bohm         5
Furtwangler 5
Mackerras   5
Mravinsky   5
Solti           5

[George]

The last three on this CD:

[asin]B00004RITX[/asin]

Yay! I have that CD and yes, it's great!

Actually, I think all his Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn is essential.

Sarge

How's that PC and Symphony Beethoven box on EMI?

[George]

You need the Giulini. It is THE ONE to get, if only for the ending.

The DG or EMI? And if EMI, which one sounds best?

[Sergeant Rock]

Yay! I have that CD and yes, it's great!

How's that PC and Symphony Beethoven box on EMI?

Essential    But you aren't a Barenboim fan, are you? Weighty readings but rhythmically incisive. Barenboim, Klemp and I go way back. Bought the Fourth in London, June 1972. Being old friends with the pair, I may not be a neutral critic but I love their Beethoven.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Yay! I have that CD and yes, it's great!

I'm so glad    I posted the link without noticing it was OOP. Used copies are expensive. I hate to recommend something like that.

Sarge

[George]

Essential    But you aren't a Barenboim fan, are you? Weighty readings but rhythmically incisive. Barenboim, Klemp and I go way back. Bought the Fourth in London, June 1972. Being old friends with the pair, I may not be a neutral critic but I love their Beethoven.

Sarge

I am a Barenboim fan, I love his own set of the symphonies, his DG sonatas are very good and many of his other chamber Beethoven recordings are great too. I will keep an eye out for a cheap copy, thanks!

[jwinter]

George, lots of great recs here already...

For Giulini, I'd certainly add the late 80s - early 90s DG Vienna Bruckner (7, 8, & 9) and Brahms symphonies.  His Vienna Brahms 1 is probably my favorite recording of that symphony (although the LAPO is also excellent).  The LAPO Eroica is also good, though rather slow -- I think the Penguin Guide described it as being for those who like Furtwangler, but with better sound.

If you're sampling Klemperer's Beethoven (and you should), make sure you try one of his Eroicas.  Both the EMI mono and the stereo one in the complete set are great -- most folks prefer the mono, though I think the 2nd movement's fugue in the stereo version is by far the most powerful I've ever heard, it still sends shivers down my spine every time i hear it.

[TheGSMoeller]

A little late but I would like to add to those totals...


Minkowski
Harnoncourt
Russell Davies
Slatkin
Reisman
Kempe
Boulez
Solti
Sinopoli
Herreweghe

[jlaurson]

As a subtopic, can folks tell me what they believe to be the most essential recordings of these conductors?

Kleiber        9
Kubelik        8
Boulez         7
Giulini          6
Harnoncourt 6
Klemperer    6

Thanks!

Kleiber       

all the mainstream stuff on DG -
Beethoven Symphonies, Brahms Symphonies,
His Wagner (Tristan either DG or Bayreuth) and most of all his (minimally, accidentally cut) Otello.

Kubelik        8

His Mahler (Audite 1, DG 5), all his Wagner (Meistersinger, Parsifal, Lohengrin), lots of Czech stuff, Hartmann (Wergo, DG) et al.
Very little of his isn't worth hearing, actually. Almost as sure-fire a hit as with Fricsay or Wand.

Boulez         7

Mahler 5, Mahler 6, Mahler 7
Bruckner 8, Bartok Concertos
Varese

Giulini          6

Chicago Recordings EMI -- but otherwise not the person to ask, although I'm generally impressed with Giulini. His DG Bruckner.

Harnoncourt 6

Dvorak Concertos, Mozart Requiem, Verdi Requiem, Clemenza di Tito DVD... there was a period in the early aughts where he was on fire, one thing better than the next.

Klemperer    6

I'm not the person to ask... Klemperer I don't respond to much. Sarge is better at that, although he sure is very enthusiastic about Klemperer. Maybe something about the age?