Favorite Orchestras/performers/conductors in classical music?

[Det_Nosnip]

Ok, people can list off their favorite composers with general ease, but how about the actual people who perform those pieces today? I've heard some pieces performed by two different ensembles before, and the difference was rather pronounced...I LOVED the first version, and hated the second! It occured to me that, if the same piece can be performed so differently by two different groups, perhaps we should take care when exploring different composers, as a bad performance may unfairly reflect poorly upon the composer.

So...especially you buffs, do you have any orchestras, conductors, or in the case of solo pieces, performers that you feel consistently represent the music effectively? What are some of the characteristics of some of the major orchestras (e.g. London Symphony, Chicago, San Francisco, etc)? I've noticed that some orchestras tend to be heavier and more dramatic than others, which tends to cater to my tastes a bit better.

[morrissey]

Tbqh I'm not well-versed in any of the major orchestras, I haven't really paid attention to their individualities. I will read over this thread though as it gets more replies to see which ones appeal to me the most.

[Zappa]

I trust Bernstein.

[even if they were canadian]

I don't know of any specific orchestras that appeal to me, but I have definitely heard major variations between various orchestras. I have three versions of a mozart concerto, and they are all completely different. One of them is played quite a bit slower than the other two, and the difference in tone of the soloist is really a lot more than I would have though. I also tend to like a more dramatic feel.

[Ned]

I trust Bernstein.

Never trust the affected, narcissistic Bernstein, especially late Bernstein (to say nothing of the late Bernstein). My favorite conductor is Andre Previn.

[Det_Nosnip]

Hmm...any examples of pieces that he conducted particularly well?

[what]

I think Bernstein conducted Pictures at an Exhibition pretty good.

I like how Boulez conducted and London Philarmonic played Rite of Spring.

Haitnik was also good in Rite of Spring.

I like a lot of Russian conductors and orchestras, they seem to put a lot more into music.

[PDWAB]

I'm pretty partial to Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony seeing as that's the only major symphony I am somewhat familiar with. Although I have a few George Czell recordings with the... uh.. Chicago? Symphony and I dig those a lot too.

[Mazeppa]

My favourite pianist is Claudio Arrau (http://www.princeton.edu/~gpmenos/biography.html). I have the Beethoven sonatas played by him and they are wonderfull, definitely better then other recording I have heard.

[Ned]

Hmm...any examples of pieces that he conducted particularly well? Previn (along with Adrian Boult and former Saint Louis Symphony leader Leonard Slatkin) is one of the foremost interpreters of Ralph Vaughan Williams. His Shostokovich Fifth Symphony and his Beethoven Seventh Symphony are revelatory.

[bassaholica2004]

I heard Bernstein's version of Beethoven's 7th Symphony and I thought it was amazing. While we're on the subject, does anyone know any more symphonies or conductors that are very powerful or dramtic as the 7th Symphony? What I've been looking for in Classical music is sadder, downbeat mournful stuff, but I'm having a trouble finding some. Can anyone help me?

[joshmay]

bernstein is rad




kzrysztof penderecki is a 20th century composer whose work i find AMAZING (a polish requiem, threnody for the victims of hiroshima)

[what]

I heard Bernstein's version of Beethoven's 7th Symphony and I thought it was amazing. While we're on the subject, does anyone know any more symphonies or conductors that are very powerful or dramtic as the 7th Symphony? What I've been looking for in Classical music is sadder, downbeat mournful stuff, but I'm having a trouble finding some. Can anyone help me?

Look into Russian conductors, espescially Evgeny Mravisnky, there's also a checzh (sp?) conductor Karel Ancerl

Shostakovich wrote a lot of very dark music, his 5th Symphony is very heavy piece.

Editl: yeh, Penderecki is crazy, I've heard of a pice he wrote for a choir which is all sung in quarter tones... but I haven't heard it yet.

[hatebreeder]

as far as preformers Norbert Kraft and Xuefie Yang are incredible guitarists to see or hear live or on cd, Composers : Charles Ives, Igor Stravinsky, Pagannini, Mendelssohn.

[Lady Lex]

I trust Bernstein.
Whilst I find Leonard a bit OTT (*over the top - sorry) I have to laugh: if he hasnt orgasmed at some point, it hasnt been worth it :lol:

Favourite Conductors: Toscannini and Simone Young.

My favourite classical moment: Horowizt performing Tachikovsky Bb concerto with Toscannini: EXPLOSIVE! :)

[Lady Lex]

I like a lot of Russian conductors and orchestras, they seem to put a lot more into music.

They do hey - and I suspect that has to do with their backgrounds. Music was so important during the communist regime. Tho Shostokovich *sigh.. such beauty

Russians are extremely passionate too - and I have to wonder if thats from the Vodka or the cold ;)

[bassaholica2004]

Does anyone know of any sites where I can download Classical music for free? This would let me know which conductors and stuff I like, and what CD's to get. Sites with samples (preferably long samples) would be really cool too. Thanks.

[Ned]

Once upon a time I compared a recording of Bernstein conducting and playing piano on Rhapsody in Blue to a recording of Andre Previn conducting and playing piano on the same piece. The Previn recording was in every respect better, but two things struck me in particular. At one point Bernstein's piano goes into swing eighths, on the ostensible ground that Gershwin is jazz. In fact, Gershwin's conception of jazz rhythm was much closer to ragtime, which Previn, an accomplished jazz pianist himself, knew very well. At another point the Bernstein recording has a glaring wrong note which Bernstein decided to leave, presumably because he thought punching-in over it would destroy the spontaneity or expressive continuity of the performance, which to my mind is greatly to over-prize it. McCoy Tyner plays a wrong note in his solo on the John Coltrane recording of "My Favorite Things", and it's left, as well it needs to be, but that's jazz--where spontaneity and expressive continuity are all.

Milan Kundera (author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being but trained as a composer and son of an internationally famous Czech pianist and musicologist) devotes a conspicuous section of his Testaments Betrayed to what he views, convincingly, as Bernstein's unforgivable distortion of The Rite of Spring.

[Relmar]

Bernsteid here.

[Ned]

Bernsteid here.

I hope you sprayed.