On top of the list was Arturo
He was a veritable conjuror
Total precision,
His ultimate vision,
Is what he accomplished with furor.
Toscanini
Chailly and Mehta
Yet another conductor from Italy,
Riccardo Chailly initially
(Before Don Carlo
And also Un Ballo)
Assisted Abbado sporadically.
Mehta’s got a reputation for being vigorous
Which he needed to do justice to Figaro’s
Mariage and symphonies
That became epiphanies
Of his work so verily vigorous.
Cantelli and Mitropoulos
Guido Cantelli was destined for greatness
His recordings are simply priceless.
He died very young
But not unsung.
Toscanini thought his talent was peerless.
Dimitri Mitropoulos is the only Greek
In my distinguished list, a freak,
With Bernstein, his friend,
They managed to send
The Philharmonic to an all time peak-
Busch and Marriner
Fritz Busch was a man whose name
We must mention. His fame
The Nazis tried to scupper,
But he kept the upper
Hand, and justly renowned he became.
Marriner and St.Martins-in-the-Fields
Is a concept that readily yields
Triumphs galore,
And what’s even more,
An impresive discography it wields!
Dorati and Giulini
Another Hungarian needs mentioning
(My list of conductors is lengthening–)
Dorati Antal
A Budapest natal
Could do ANYTHING, right up to his pensioning.
Carlo Maria Giulini
Approached the genie of Toscanini.
They came from the same nation,
Had a great reputation
And both of them adored their pannini—
Solti and Kubelik
Georg Solti had fantastic career
So many orchestras he ably did steer
And Wagner’s “Der Ring”
Was ultimately the thing
That made him the Bayreuth peer.
Rafael Kubelik was Czech
Who was in trouble with the Nazis up to his neck.
But then he fled
And subsequently led
The world’s greatest orchestras, just check!
Gardiner and Gergiev
Gardiner is one of those jerks
In whom apparently lurks
An unbridled ire
But also a fire
Which makes him come up with the works.
The Russian Gergiev Yevgeny
Is widely considered a genie
But his designer beard
I have sometimes feared
Gives him a look ta bit too zany.
Bernstein and Dudamel
A Hurrah for Leonard Bernstein.
He wasn’t a conducting Einstein,
But his verve
Let him serve
Up some musical champagne!
The very latest Wunderkind
Is Dudamel, no straw in the wind.
His latino dash
Brings in the cash
And for future greatness he’s pinned.
Masur and Richter
I don’t want to leave out Masur.
Whose reading of Bach’s so mature.
Leipzig was his venue,
Baroque was his menu.
He was brilliant, able and pure.
Bach too was Karl Richter’s domain-
But he would never think to disdain
Bruckner or Haendel-
He was able to handle
All manner of music, that’s plain.
Karajan and Abbado
The name of Herbert of Karajan
Is renowned, but I’m not a fan, man..
His unbridled ego
Would never let me go
To his concerts though truly Himalayan.
In total contrast Abbado
Conducted without such bravado.
With utter finesse
Like a move in chess
(The only thyme I can think of’s avocado—-)
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