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Conductors you trust, and ones you don’t

Herbert Blomstedt conducting in Salzburg, 1950:

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He’s been working for at least 73 years.
 
The sun has set on Rattle’s tenure with the LSO. One of his final performances as chief conductor last night, the Brahms Deutsches Requiem in Edinburgh.

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In October he begins his first season with the Bavarian RSO as Antonio Pappano arrives with his new orchestra, the LSO. Where did all the time go?


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JEG has cancelled all remaining 2023 engagements in order to undertake counselling. He’s also issued profuse apologies to those he’s offended. It appears he indicated a desire to put his beer over the singer before sticking one on him at a back stage celebration.
 
Came across a hilarious post on a classical forum: “Slap that bass Jiggy” ( the nickname he’s known by among people who’ve worked with him). I hadn’t known before but he’s notorious apparently.
 
I'm sure I heard the Edinburgh Festival Chorus refused to work with him ever again after doing Dvorak Requiem with him about 20 years ago.
 
Alex S said:
I guess Bernstein is the conductor I trust most, hardly ever lets you down if you like gusto but he can do finesse. Dutoit I almost always like. Perhaps Sir Simon is near the other end. I’m generally a fan but he’s hardly trustworthy.
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Three conductors near the bottom of my list. Rattle is sometimes interesting, mostly uninspired. Dutoit rather bland. Can't stand Bernstein at all, I absolutely don't go for his kind of melodrama and never listen to his recordings.

Top of my list would be Boulez, Ansermet, Fricsay, Van Beinum, Bruno Walter, Segerstam, Beecham, Mravinsky, Harnoncourt, Karajan, Michael Gielen.
 
lordsummit said:
Mackerras is absolutely brilliant at Czech music. Sublime in Dvorak and Smetana.
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No he's not. He's nowhere near as good as the authentic Czech conductors. All his Janacek operas are available in more idiomatic Czech versions by Jilek, Gregor and Neumann. I know - I have them all and listen to them often. Then add Ancerl, Talich, Sejna and a few others.

Mackerras was a great champion of Czech music, but there'a a lot of mythology around his actual recordings - all those rosettes while better Czech conductors were sidelined. I can't think of a single Czech work where I wouldn't prefer another conductor.
 
les24preludes said:
No he's not. He's nowhere near as good as the authentic Czech conductors. All his Janacek operas are available in more idiomatic Czech versions by Jilek, Gregor and Neumann. I know - I have them all and listen to them often. Then add Ancerl, Talich, Sejna and a few others.

Mackerras was a great champion of Czech music, but there'a a lot of mythology around his actual recordings - all those rosettes while better Czech conductors were sidelined. I can't think of a single Czech work where I wouldn't prefer another conductor.
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Aren’t opinions wonderful! Mackerras is in my opinion fabulous at Czech music. I was lucky enough to play under him a few times, once doing Dvorak. I’d say he definitely had an affinity for it. However, YMMV!
 
lordsummit said:
Aren’t opinions wonderful! Mackerras is in my opinion fabulous at Czech music. I was lucky enough to play under him a few times, once doing Dvorak. I’d say he definitely had an affinity for it. However, YMMV!
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Ah! You're a musician? Me too - I'm a bass player. I was at the Royal Academy with Rattle, he was in my harmony class for a year. I didn't play under him, though. I was lucky enough to play under Penderecki, which was quite an experience. I didn't stay long in the classical world - I played mostly jazz.

I listen to a lot of Czech music, and saw 3 Janacek operas live in Prague and Brno. Wonderful experience. My son lived in Prague for a few years.
 
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