Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Ten extinct conductors you should know

A dusting off of some masters who are now gone

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. — Leopold Stokowski
A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. — Leopold Stokowski

There are certain names one should know when it comes to conductors. Not just names but their contributions. Here are 10 dead conductors whom everyone should know of. I have limited to conductors of whom recordings are readily available.

Also, this list is for mainstream classical music. However, conductors of such immense fame and status as Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan are not here. This isn't a top 10 dead conductors contest but merely a dusting off of some venerable masters who are now gone.

Video:

Carlos Kleiber

Traces to Nowhere

Traces to Nowhere

Carlos Kleiber: Kleiber was the son of German conductor Erich Kleiber. When Carlos told his father that he wanted to conduct, the elder Kleiber is reported have said, “One Kleiber is enough.” Carlos Kleiber is considered by many to be the greatest conductor of the 20th Century. However, his range was limited. He didn’t conduct Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Schumann, Bruckner, and the only Wagner he conducted was Tristan. The fact remains that when he conducted the results were magnificent.

Video:

Arturo Toscanini, NBC Symphony Orchestra

Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture

Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture

Arturo Toscanini: He conducted the premieres of Pagliacci and La Boheme. He became a household name in the U.S., in part, because of his many radio and television broadcasts as the director of The NBC Symphony Orchestra. The broadcast documents are a reminder of how great he was.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Willem Mengelberg

...Concertgebouw Orchestra (1931 Movie)

...Concertgebouw Orchestra (1931 Movie)

Joseph Willem Mengelberg: Mengelberg is something of an unknown to but the very, very, old or the very, very, dedicated. He was the general director/dictator of the Concertgebouw from 1895-1945. In 1945 he was banned by the Dutch for his collusion with the Germans during World War II.

Video:

Yevgeny Mravinsky

...Soviet Conductor, Russian Aristocrat

...Soviet Conductor, Russian Aristocrat

Sergiu Celibidache: I've given Celibidache his due here in the column but he's worth every word ever written about him.

Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky: Premiered Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12. Conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra from 1938-1988, Mravinsky never conducted in the U.S. and only toured Great Britain once.

Video:

Leopold Stokowski

...Bugs Bunny Opera

...Bugs Bunny Opera

Georg Solti: In 1993 Solti received a Kennedy Center Honor. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement in 1996. Solti is almost too famous to be on this list. There is almost no debate as to the greatest Ring Cycle ever documented — in stereo. That would be Solti’s with The Vienna Philharmonic.

Video:

George Solti

Siegfried Funeral Music - Götterdämmerung

Siegfried Funeral Music - Götterdämmerung

Leopold Stokowski: He was impersonated by Bugs Bunny. There is no truer test of greatness.

Video:

Furtwängler

...conducting Mozart's Don Giovanni Overture Salzburg 1954

...conducting Mozart's Don Giovanni Overture Salzburg 1954

Wilhelm Furtwängler: He was the great man at The Berlin Philharmonic before the von Karajan era. Furtwängler was the conductor during Hitler’s era. In 1935 he was to succeed Toscanini as the music director of The New York Philharmonic but the Nazi propaganda machine went to work after Furtwängler accepted and he never came to New York. The 2001 film Taking Sides deals with the subject of Furtwängler’s denazification hearings.

Video:

Mozart: Symphony No. 40, Finale

...Bruno Walter conducts (1930)

...Bruno Walter conducts (1930)

Bruno Walter: As a pupil of Mahler, Walter connects us directly with the milieu of turn of the century Vienna. Walter premiered Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 and Das Lied von der Erde both after the composer’s death. As was often the case with European musicians, the United States was a refuge for Walter during the Third Reich. He was offered the head position at The New York Philharmonic. He initially declined but later accepted and served for two years. During the war his home was in Beverly Hills.

Video:

Carlo Maria Giulini

Overture to "I Vespri Siciliani"

Overture to "I Vespri Siciliani"

Carl Maria Giulini: A meditative genius with a recording of Bruckner Symphony No. 8 for the ages Giulini was the bodhisattva of the conducting podium. Of all the conductors on this list he was surely the most noble and humane. Forced into Mussolini's army in 1941 Giulini never fired his rifle. While the Germans occupied Rome after the Allied Invasion Giulini was in hiding for nine months while posters of his face decorated the city instructing German soldiers to shoot him on sight. Giulini directed the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the late '70s and early '80s.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Digital Currency Wave Hits the Shores of San Diego

Next Article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)
A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. — Leopold Stokowski
A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. — Leopold Stokowski

There are certain names one should know when it comes to conductors. Not just names but their contributions. Here are 10 dead conductors whom everyone should know of. I have limited to conductors of whom recordings are readily available.

Also, this list is for mainstream classical music. However, conductors of such immense fame and status as Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan are not here. This isn't a top 10 dead conductors contest but merely a dusting off of some venerable masters who are now gone.

Video:

Carlos Kleiber

Traces to Nowhere

Traces to Nowhere

Carlos Kleiber: Kleiber was the son of German conductor Erich Kleiber. When Carlos told his father that he wanted to conduct, the elder Kleiber is reported have said, “One Kleiber is enough.” Carlos Kleiber is considered by many to be the greatest conductor of the 20th Century. However, his range was limited. He didn’t conduct Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Schumann, Bruckner, and the only Wagner he conducted was Tristan. The fact remains that when he conducted the results were magnificent.

Video:

Arturo Toscanini, NBC Symphony Orchestra

Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture

Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture

Arturo Toscanini: He conducted the premieres of Pagliacci and La Boheme. He became a household name in the U.S., in part, because of his many radio and television broadcasts as the director of The NBC Symphony Orchestra. The broadcast documents are a reminder of how great he was.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Willem Mengelberg

...Concertgebouw Orchestra (1931 Movie)

...Concertgebouw Orchestra (1931 Movie)

Joseph Willem Mengelberg: Mengelberg is something of an unknown to but the very, very, old or the very, very, dedicated. He was the general director/dictator of the Concertgebouw from 1895-1945. In 1945 he was banned by the Dutch for his collusion with the Germans during World War II.

Video:

Yevgeny Mravinsky

...Soviet Conductor, Russian Aristocrat

...Soviet Conductor, Russian Aristocrat

Sergiu Celibidache: I've given Celibidache his due here in the column but he's worth every word ever written about him.

Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky: Premiered Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12. Conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra from 1938-1988, Mravinsky never conducted in the U.S. and only toured Great Britain once.

Video:

Leopold Stokowski

...Bugs Bunny Opera

...Bugs Bunny Opera

Georg Solti: In 1993 Solti received a Kennedy Center Honor. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement in 1996. Solti is almost too famous to be on this list. There is almost no debate as to the greatest Ring Cycle ever documented — in stereo. That would be Solti’s with The Vienna Philharmonic.

Video:

George Solti

Siegfried Funeral Music - Götterdämmerung

Siegfried Funeral Music - Götterdämmerung

Leopold Stokowski: He was impersonated by Bugs Bunny. There is no truer test of greatness.

Video:

Furtwängler

...conducting Mozart's Don Giovanni Overture Salzburg 1954

...conducting Mozart's Don Giovanni Overture Salzburg 1954

Wilhelm Furtwängler: He was the great man at The Berlin Philharmonic before the von Karajan era. Furtwängler was the conductor during Hitler’s era. In 1935 he was to succeed Toscanini as the music director of The New York Philharmonic but the Nazi propaganda machine went to work after Furtwängler accepted and he never came to New York. The 2001 film Taking Sides deals with the subject of Furtwängler’s denazification hearings.

Video:

Mozart: Symphony No. 40, Finale

...Bruno Walter conducts (1930)

...Bruno Walter conducts (1930)

Bruno Walter: As a pupil of Mahler, Walter connects us directly with the milieu of turn of the century Vienna. Walter premiered Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 and Das Lied von der Erde both after the composer’s death. As was often the case with European musicians, the United States was a refuge for Walter during the Third Reich. He was offered the head position at The New York Philharmonic. He initially declined but later accepted and served for two years. During the war his home was in Beverly Hills.

Video:

Carlo Maria Giulini

Overture to "I Vespri Siciliani"

Overture to "I Vespri Siciliani"

Carl Maria Giulini: A meditative genius with a recording of Bruckner Symphony No. 8 for the ages Giulini was the bodhisattva of the conducting podium. Of all the conductors on this list he was surely the most noble and humane. Forced into Mussolini's army in 1941 Giulini never fired his rifle. While the Germans occupied Rome after the Allied Invasion Giulini was in hiding for nine months while posters of his face decorated the city instructing German soldiers to shoot him on sight. Giulini directed the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the late '70s and early '80s.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad
Next Article

Will L.A. Times crowd out San Diego U-T at Riverside printing plant?

Will Toni Atkins stand back from anti-SDG&E initiative?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.