Thread: If You Could Only Save Five Conductors for Humanity?

Stokowski, Bernstein, Karajan, Toscanini, and Williams (conducting his own music)

In contrast to Stravinsky, Williams' works in a complete form have been recorded and conducted nearly exclusively by him. To lose these recordings is to lose the intended interpretations conducted within days or weeks from when the music was written, performed by top form London Symphony Orchestra or elite gig musicians for whom the athletics in it were intended.

Stokowski, Bernstein, Karajan, and Toscanini put together should save a significant chunk of the main repertoire in at least very good interpretations.

Originally Posted by Fabulin

Stokowski, Bernstein, Karajan, and Toscanini put together should save a significant chunk of the main repertoire in at least very good interpretations.

That is why I named Reiner and Monteux as essential conductors...between the two, they produced great interpretations of virtually the entire repertoire...they excelled at a huge range of music...Solti and Bernstein did extremely well also, maybe not quite as consistent as Reiner and Monteux, but their successes are quite spectacular...Toscanini excelled at so much as well...
Another important criterion in favor of Reiner and Monteux is their skill at orchestra building...both had outstanding records of raising their various orchestras to top level or greatly improved level of status....remarkable records of achievement for both Maestros....

Originally Posted by Coach G

I have a 22 disc box set (that I got for about $20!) of Stravinsky's works conducted by the composer (or under the composer's "supervision", whatever that is supposed to mean.

Originally Posted by Fabulin

In contrast to Stravinsky, Williams' works in a complete form have been recorded and conducted nearly exclusively by him.

Oh, am I wrong about that? My old CDs and even older LPs listed Stravinsky himself as "conducting" nearly all the works in the big CBS/Sony set, but perhaps that was done for marketing reasons.

In that case, the CBS/Sony set would still be of interest to posterity, but only as much interest as we'd have in a Beethoven set conducted by Hans Richter or Nikisch, certainly not a Mahler set conducted by Mahler.

If so, delete Stravinsky from my list, and put someone else on it. Perhaps Hindemith?

Originally Posted by gvn

5. And, to represent very recent music, perhaps Penderecki? (Not so much competition here. How many other contemporary composers have been recorded conducting their own works to any significant extent?!)

"gvn" might regret asking the above ... after regarding my reply:

Thomas Adès
Malcolm Arnold
Simon Bainbridge
George Benjamin
Luciano Berio
Arthur Bliss
Pierre Boulez
Henry Brant
Earle Brown
Marius Constant
Péter Eötvös
Robert Farnon
Jerry Goldsmith
Heinz Karl Gruber
Christopher Gunning
Cristóbal Halffter
Anthony Iannaccone
Andre Jolivet
Geert van Keulen
Oliver Knussen
Meyer Kupferman
Marcel Landowski
Jukka Linkola
Witold Lutosławski
William Mathias
Peter Maxwell Davies
Thea Musgrave
Andrzej Panufnik
Vincent Persichetti
Laurent Petitgirard
Matthias Pintscher
Andre Previn
Horațiu Rădulescu
Rolf Urs Ringger
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Lalo Schifrin
Gunther Schuller
Gerard Schurmann
Leif Segerstam
Stanisław Skrowaczewski
Michel Tabachnik
Emil Tabakov
Tan Dun
Mikis Theodorakis
László Tihanyi
Joseph Vella
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Roger Vuataz
Jean-Jacques Werner
Charles Wuorinen
Hans Zender
Udo Zimmermann

[Penderecki's invisible - but audible - competition ]

Originally Posted by gvn

Oh, am I wrong about that? My old CDs and even older LPs listed Stravinsky himself as "conducting" nearly all the works in the big CBS/Sony set, but perhaps that was done for marketing reasons.

In that case, the CBS/Sony set would still be of interest to posterity, but only as much interest as we'd have in a Beethoven set conducted by Hans Richter or Nikisch, certainly not a Mahler set conducted by Mahler.

If so, delete Stravinsky from my list, and put someone else on it. Perhaps Hindemith?

I meant something else - that Stravinsky's works have (or usually can get) plenty of re-recordings, whereas in the case of Williams there is the frequent problem of:
1. assembling a 100+ piece orchestra with some unique instruments added
2. recording 2 hours of music that gets quite marathonesque for the musicians (especially winds) when played in one go, and
3. assumes world's best sight-reading skills in the first place, and if that's not enough
4. has random quirks such as requiring several months of preparation by the harpist (E.T.)

Only to have to match the recordings in a fairly good quality (mostly 1980s and later) made by the composer himself with either the LSO, an ensemble of best freelancers money could buy, or sometimes other great orchestras such as Boston or Chicago SO.

Doing that 50 times would take a century even with just one recording for each work (never mind the likely inferior conducting interpretations!).

In contrast to Stravinsky's (or Richard Strauss's) sometimes bored late interpretations of their works [or so they say - I enjoy authentic recordings anyway], Williams has never done that, even when over 80.

It's pure speculation anyway. I like your choice of Stravinsky, in my view one of the 3 greatest 20th century composers, and with some claim for being the most important one in his lifetime.

Hard topic!

1. Furtwängler : an excellent example of the romantic school.
2 Klemperer: a league on his own. many approaches to lots of masterpieces, that are stunning and unforgettable.
3. Karajan: not my fave, but....unavoidable.
4. Giulini: Lyrical, transparent. a Master of humanity.
5. Bernstein: Composer, conductor, genius, genius!

I miss in this list the following conductors: C.Kleiber, maestro Celibidache, Haitink, Mravinsky (a taste of russia), and Toscanini ( not my fave, but very influential).

Claudio Abbado

Ferenc Fricsay

John Eliot Gardiner

Carlo Maria Giulini

Herbert von Karajan

If any of the five above pulls a "Bruno Walter with the New York Philharmonic" and calls in sick with the flu then Chailly, Hogwood, Rattle, Solti, or Szell.

Add Pierre Monteux to the list.

How about composers who also were conductors?

Mahler
Mendelssohn
...

Furtwängler
Toscanini
Karajan
Bernstein
Sinopoli/Abbado