[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.