Thread: Abbado..............great?

What do you guys think?

that's what i mean.........great.

yeah, i think he's sound and a fine musician, but extraordinary i don't see.
just mho.

maybe others do think he's great.............?

Originally Posted by emiellucifuge

Well hes probably among the best 1% of conductors alive in the whole world, so once could argue that he is great.
But more seriously, hes a conductor I can always trust to give a good performance.

If he was in an empty room and somebody said: "Who's the greatest conductor in this room?", the answer would be Abbado. But he is not great , never,never, never in a month of Sundays.

Originally Posted by GoneBaroque

I wonder, will Bernstein or Karajan be revered in 100 years?

Some people rever them both now, but to me thanks questionable.

Originally Posted by moody

Some people rever them both now, but to me thanks questionable.

see above, it is also questionable with no thanks, this what happens when you've been playing bridge all evening.

Abbado is interesting. He also now conducts historically informed performance practice with increasing frequency over the last few years.

I just happened on my copy of BBC Music Magazine from April 2011. 100 current conductors were asked to pick the conductors who most inspired them. Nine of them picked Abbado third. Three picked him second. Four picked him first. Overall, he came in third on the list.

I don't normally put a lot of stock in polls like this, but I'd certainly give more weight to the opinions of actual conductors than I would to "Talk Classical" posters.

My personal opinion? I think of Abbado as a solid conductor. I've listened to a lot of his recordings and he seldom, if ever, disappoints me. Occasionally great. And, fun to watch on DVD. So, I'd answer the OP, "Yes".

I'm with the Crudmeister all the way on this one...those days are gone,...and yes, Leonard and Herbert will be highly regarded 100 and 500 years from now as they were among the few last in what was a supernova of recorded classical music.

why "those days are gone?"

Originally Posted by Vesteralen

I just happened on my copy of BBC Music Magazine from April 2011. 100 current conductors were asked to pick the conductors who most inspired them. Nine of them picked Abbado third. Three picked him second. Four picked him first. Overall, he came in third on the list.

I don't normally put a lot of stock in polls like this, but I'd certainly give more weight to the opinions of actual conductors than I would to "Talk Classical" posters.

My personal opinion? I think of Abbado as a solid conductor. I've listened to a lot of his recordings and he seldom, if ever, disappoints me. Occasionally great. And, fun to watch on DVD. So, I'd answer the OP, "Yes".

We've been through this already on a thread of May 18th, 2011, i would look it up. "Carlos Kleiber Voted Greatest Conductor of All Time" That's not a good start in any case. First of all the panel of conductors were not an inspiring lot themselves so the inspirors didn't do much of a job. They were talking, as we know,of the conductors who INSPIRED them not wh o was great or otherwise. I wonder who you are to dismiss TC posters in such a cavalier fashion. I would think that I have seen more great conductors than most of this panel if not all.I saw Toscanini when he came to England sfter WW11and I have seen most of the "legends". So my opinion is valid as are those of other experienced members that's the whole point of this whole set-up.Abbado is certainly not a great conductor although you are free to think so naturally.We all ,I am sure, look forward to you acquainting us with your experience of "great" symphonic and operatic conductors.