Who is your Favorite Historical Conductor?

And throw Stokowski into the mix.

Walter is my #1, in fact he’s one of my all-time favorite conductors. His interpretations are able to put me in a zen-like state, fully absorbing me in the music. Performances can be very emotional. I read that he would sometimes cry after a performance, the music must have brought his emotions to the surface.

I absolutely love Furtwängler’s Bruckner. This was my introduction to this maestro and I continued to explore his interpretations of other composers. He’s criticized for his changes in tempi which purists say were not the composers’ intent, but for me, this is what separates him from other conductors. My appreciation of Furtwängler began by listening to his late Beethoven stereo recordings. After Music & Arts remastered his early works, I realised these performances (recorded in mono) were superior. I have the three symphonies composed by Furtwängler, all modern day recordings. I took to Symphony #2 pretty quickly, I’m still working my way through the others.

It took me awhile to appreciate Toscanini due to the intensity and drive he applied to his symphonies. I was put off initially by his interpretation of Beethoven, preferring Walter and early Karajan’s style. But now I become transfixed by his mastery of the composition and that of his orchestra. His Beethoven and Brahms have a brilliant Germanic style.

BTW, Klemperer should be included in your list.

@goofyfoot , thanks. I found it on Qobuz and it does sound very good. Listening to his Brahms no.4 right now. I have the Music & Arts Beethoven and the Bruckner, both live. I believe some of these early recordings needed to be restored so not the best quality, but historically important.

@mahler123 

I'm a big fan of Brahms no. 2, but apparently the performance isn't the whole story on this disc. Thank you for adding the historical details of that night. I didn't know about this. I'll read more about it online. 

Furtwängler was walking a tightrope throughout the Nazi's reign of terror.

@goofyfoot 

Nice find. This looks very interesting. I'd like to see (hear) if they were able to improve the dry, lean DG recordings.

I wonder if they're paying for the rights to sell copyrighted material. 

I contacted High Def Tape Transfers for some info. There are a few options for download; DSD, DXD FLAC, PCM FLAC.

Since I no longer have a computer audio setup, I asked about discs. They stopped selling Hires DVD, I doubt there was much demand. Gold Redbook CDs are the highest quality discs from the master ($25). Next, they have what is referred to as "budget CD" ($8.99).

I like that they publish details of the original recordings; ie, Szell Mahler:

Source used for Transfer: Transferred from a Columbia 4-track Tape
Recorded October 1 and 2, 1965 at Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio

@mahler123 

I listened to the Pristine version of Furtwängler's Beethoven no. 3 (1944) and the sound is astonishing. Going from memory, it sounds way better than Music & Arts. I assume they're the same performance. Do u know if the rest of this cycle sounds this good?

It's pricey, maybe I can find a used CD.

Continued...

Here's an excerpt from the review on the above link:

Compared to the Music & Arts remastering that colleague Henry Fogel reviewed in 18:3, the sound here is far more natural—the frequency and dynamic ranges are opened up, and an annoying rippling sound in the background has been totally removed.

@goofyfoot 

What is your digital setup that enables you to play DSD? Mine is Redbook through a PS Audio transport, Bluesound Node2i (Qobuz), to an Audio Note 2.1x Signature (24/96). Needless to say, mastering is the most important element in my playback.

@goofyfoot 

I've read a lot about using DSD in the mastering process and have read the reviews. The result seems to be a very high quality product, even when cut to vinyl. Regarding HDTT, these remasters are starting with presumably good quality tape transfers and will remain in the DSD domain. I expect the downloads to be of high quality and the Redbook discs to exceed the quality of the record label releases.

I could try a download to my computer, then use a thumb drive to play back through my Bluesound. My DAC is limited to 24/96, but this might be a good way to go for me.

@goofyfoot

Very nice all around. Your digital is top-class, very well assembled. Not familiar with your amp but your system must sound wonderful through the Quads.

I’m all tubes; Atma-sphere 30W OTL amp, Audio Note M3 preamp with phono, the AN DAC, Devore Gibbon Super 8’s. I’ll PM the details.

Edit... I just realised our virtual systems aren't displayed by way of your moniker.