Who is your Favorite Historical Conductor?


For discussion purposes I am limiting this to

1) Wilhelm Furtwangler

2) Arturo Toscanini 

3) Bruno Walter

 

feel free to introduce others.  I will be arbitrary and cut off Conductors who worked after the death of Leonard Bernstein.

  Furtwangler and Toscanini died just short of the onset of the stereo era.  They were however recorded with the best technology of the times, and the work of restoration technology of today has done wonders.  Walter recorded until 1962 but perhaps his best work was done in the mono era.

  Walter was renowned for his “humanity” Furtwangler for his near mystical ability to rechannel German/Austrian music, and Toscanini for his finely chiseled intensity

mahler123

Mengelberg is an interesting choice!  I recall reading somewhere that Mengelberg thought he could just make changes to Beethoven's scores because, after all, Beethoven was deaf, not to mention dead, and who would know better what would work than the conductor himself!  

My choice would be Furtwangler.  Just this morning we listened to his wartime live Bruckner 9th.  It is driven, ferocious, and transcendent.

I’ll add George Szell into the mix.

Boulez as well, but may be too new for ‘historical’…still one of my favs.

Maazel too

Bernstein….Karajan

Knappertsbusch, Klemperer, Szell. All concert masters at heart and really understanding how orchestras get ‘in the groove’

Most of my earliest record were Szell and Cleveland.  $2.75 each at the Michigan Student union in Ann Arbor.  I imbibed the Beethoven PCs, Symphonies , most of the great Richard Strauss works, the great Dvorak Symphonies.  I never cared much for his Brahms, though.

  Kna?  those slow tempos always kind of stopped me at the gate, but some of his Wagner is pretty transcendent.  Hitler is reputed to have detested Kina so that is a recommendation of sorts.

  Boulez and Maazel were great Conductors, well represented in my collection.  Since all their work is from the stereo era, and they haven't been passed that long, they don't seem to be historical figures to me, but depending on where someone is on the generational scale, they may appear to be Historical.

…and then there is Celibidache. Few recordings but if you’ve heard him live you’ll remember