Who are your favourite five conductors, seen live.?

[salymap]

I love this Forum - someone starts a Thread "Whom would you have liked to have seen live?" and gets three responses; someone else starts a Thread "Whom did you see live" and we start talking about the artists we would've liked to have seen live!

It's so adorably "English", somehow.

Well thought I'd give this a 'go'. Quite possible to post on both of course.
I'm shocked that Barbirollians hasn't seen his hero.
I've never been to Manchester and JB never seemed to me to get the hang of coping with the old, pre new roof, RAH acoustics.

[salymap]

This is even more off topic but I love the little things one is told or can pick up about musicians,
Colin with his knitting, Boult with his mind on his lunch, when at Maida Vale anyway. He wss known to queue twice for his grub according to friends in the BBCSO.

[verismissimo]

I always imagined that watching Boult you might be getting some idea what Nikisch was like.

I can't see Nikisch as a straight-laced Edwardian gent, which is how I always perceived Boult. Much prefer the latter on disc, where I'm not distracted by his visual aspects.

[Pabmusic]

This is even more off topic but I love the little things one is told or can pick up about musicians,
Colin with his knitting, Boult with his mind on his lunch, when at Maida Vale anyway. He wss known to queue twice for his grub according to friends in the BBCSO.

Yes, I've heard that one. I've posted before the anecdote about - when recording Elgar 1 - how he bent down to the leader (whose last broadcast this was) and said "It is beef on Thursday's, isn't it?". A little later (still during the playing) "I think it is, you know'.

[Pabmusic]

I can't see Nikisch as a straight-laced Edwardian gent, which is how I always perceived Boult...

I know what you mean, but he was only 21 when the Edwardian era came to an end (25 if you push it up to the start of WW1).

[Sir Velo]

This is even more off topic but I love the little things one is told or can pick up about musicians,
Colin with his knitting, Boult with his mind on his lunch, when at Maida Vale anyway. He wss known to queue twice for his grub according to friends in the BBCSO.

Nice to be able to eat two dinners and not put on an ounce of fat.

[salymap]

Dave's threadis about all musicians, this is about conductors. It'snothing to do with the other threadexcept in your mind,sugar.

[amateur51]

D'you know - when I first read this, I spent a moment or two wondering when Tippett had conducted Aida.

[amateur51]

I think people thought Stanford a lightweight because of his brother [?] Eric. SR was a Proms conductor , like Basic Cameron, who seemed to be regarded as second string. Very unfair as they all had their special talents.

I like this very much, salymap Not like you to go in for political commentary

[salymap]

GGGRRRRRRRRR,

[Barbirollians]

Well thought I'd give this a 'go'. Quite possible to post on both of course.
I'm shocked that Barbirollians hasn't seen his hero.
I've never been to Manchester and JB never seemed to me to get the hang of coping with the old, pre new roof, RAH acoustics.

Too young salymap I am afraid ! I was only a toddler when he died !

[salymap]

Too young salymap I am afraid ! I was only a toddler when he died !

I was sent, against my will, to do a publicity thing with our catalogues. I was twice sent to the RAM to see JB, when I got there he was 'unwell'.

I think he liked the bottle, not unknown amongst musicians, but a wasted trip.

[Nick Armstrong]

I think he liked the bottle, not unknown amongst musicians, but a wasted trip.

My parents went to a JB concert on their honeymoon, I understand. First half of relatively inconsequential music: disappointing, slapdash. Second half: Schubert 'Great' C major: electrifying.

A "sharpener" during the interval perhaps? Or lots of black coffee...?

[amateur51]

My parents went to a JB concert on their honeymoon, I understand. First half of relatively inconsequential music: disappointing, slapdash. Second half: Schubert 'Great' C major: electrifying.

A "sharpener" during the interval perhaps? Or lots of black coffee...?

A large Johnnie Walker Black Label was what I heard

[Stanfordian]

Well, as I've been unable to attend concerts for some time, my list is,no particular order.


Beecham
Boult
Sargent
Colin Davis
Furtwangler [once seen but never forgotten]


What about you?

I can't go back much before the 1980s. My favourite five conductors, seen live are:
Barenboim;
Rattle;
Jansons;
Maazel;
Elder;
My choice of Sir Mark Elder might surprise a few people but I have seen some fifty or so of his concerts with the Halle and I feel he is one of the most inspirational conductors around.