My 10 Favorite Conductors

The following is a list of conductors who have influenced me or shaped my conducting:

1 Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Mariss Jansons.

These three form the triumvirate of modern conductors who seem to represent my ideal conductors. They lead their respective orchestras with ease. Each is mild mannered in their approach and supportive of the musicians. When they lead performances, they move out of the way and the musicians breathe and feel as chamber musicians and the composer’s intent is clear. Each has mastered the art of allowing the players to play and inviting them to listen more and play more passionately. The listener, when listening to their performances, feel as if they are hearing it for the first time. Levine and Jansons are highly regarded as orchestra builders and Abbado, himself, is extremely adept. They conduct a wide variety of repertoire and boast an extremely ambitious work ethic. As programmers, their programs reveal connections between pieces of music and are decidedly less traditional. These conductors are always learning and perfecting their craft. This triumvirate represents the absolute finest in conducting.

4 Bernard Haitink

Bernard Haitink leads orchestras in performance which are highly revelatory. Each detail of the score is magnified by the over arching architecture of the piece. Wisdom of age characterizes his performances.

5 Daniel Barenboim

Daniel Barenboim always leads performances which cause you to feel that you have never heard the piece before. He is especially adept at interpreting Mozart and Haydn and does not succomb to over interpreting these works.

6 Riccardo Muti

Riccardo Muti is a passionate purist. His music-making is astounding. Never satisfying for tradition, he is always seeking to present the composers ideas with perfection.

7 David Zinman

David Zinman boasts some of the best Beethoven around. His ability to build orchestras put Baltimore on the map.

8 Esa-Pekka Salonen

Esa-Pekka Salonen’s tenure with L.A. may have redefined what the American music director must do. He effectively placed classical music in the center of L.A.’s cultural fabric.

9 Michael Tilson Thomas

Michael Tilson Thomas has brought San Francisco into international acclaim. Through his adventurous programming, active recording, and careful conducting; the San Francisco Symphony haqs become a very fine orchestra.

10 Gustavo Dudamel

Gustavo is a bit of a gamble. He is extremely young but very convincing. He is extremely talented. (I recently watched him rehearse Beethoven’s 7th from memory!) Time will tell if he deserves his spot on the list. If Abbado, Rattle, Salonen, and the L.A. Philharmonic are on his bandwagon, I think he may be the next great conductor.

Honorable Mention: Seiji Ozawa, Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel