Christoph von Dohnanyi:Opinions?

[BBMmk2]

I have some of his recordings, when he was at Cleveleand, eg the Dvorak Symphonies and the Wienna Philharmnoniker, doing the Brahms-Schoenber Piano quartet in Gmin or. Both very lively and atmospheric imo. Brings a new slant to this scores, imo.

[Petrushka]

My experience of von Dohnanyi is rather mixed. I recall a splendid 1990 Prom with the Cleveland Orchestra that included the Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra and Beethoven 7 and from the same year a Covent Garden Meistersinger (the night Ben Heppner replaced Reiner Goldberg in Act 3). There was also a fine Bruckner 4 in the RFH a few years ago.

On the debit side I've been in the RAH for a routine Mahler 5 and a dull Beethoven 9, both with the Philharmonia.

[Alison]

Superior to Barenboim, on a par with Salonen.

[alywin]

Oh dear. Well, all I can say is that, after a few concerts with the Philharmonia which struck me as dull, I haven't attended any of his concerts for some years. Plus I don't find the repertoire he seems to conduct particularly enticing.

[Hornspieler]

A solid working conductor, I would say, but never likely to set the roof of the Albert Hall on fire.

There are many worse (IMO) who get a lot more attention - Michael Tilson Thomas, for example.

HS

[cloughie]

Superior to Barenboim, on a par with Salonen.

What a curious statement - why were those two picked out? - and where are they in the grand league table of baton wavers?

[Steerpike]

I'm with Hornspieler with both his points in #20.

At the risk of going a teensy-weensie bit off-thread: in my humble(ish) opinion, Oliver von D (I think a distant relation of Christoph) is a truly outstanding conductor and musician. I've heard him in 4 performances over 3 operas and rate him very highly. He reminds me of Kempe, not in musical style, but in his ability to make performances feel really alive from the first moment to the last. Don't know what ENO insiders think.