While Weber, Spohr, Mendelssohn, and Berlioz were all conductors of repute, it was the thoughts and practices of Richard Wagner that laid the foundation for the modern virtuoso conductor. Though he was more celebrated for his dramatic operas, Wagner’s experience as a conductor brought a set of practices and principles that affected the interpretations of future generations, and conductors continue to pursue his example today.This book examines Wagner’s conducting career and the principles of his musical performance. It then tracks the central European style through some of the greatest figures of modern music—Nikisch, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Weingartner, Furtwangler, Toscanini, Walter, Klemperer, Beecham, Boult, and others through to von Karajan, Bernstein, and George Szell. In each case Holden, himself a professional classical conductor, traces the rise from apprenticeship to international acclaim, comparing rehearsal technique, the baton, eye contact, repertoire, tempo, recordings, vision, style, and performance practice. The result is a deeply informative, intriguing, and highly readable portrait of the finest exponents of the conducting tradition.
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“Holden’s strong suit is his practical experience as a professional conductor. Abundant enthusiasm and love of the craft ensures a stimulating book.”—Cyril Ehrlich
(Cyril Ehrlich )
About the Author
Raymond Holden was formerly an orchestral, choral, and operatic conductor, and is tutor in postgraduate conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointing,
By Mogulmeister "mogulmeister" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Virtuoso Conductors: The Central European Tradition from Wagner to Karajan (Hardcover)
I was very disappointed by this book. I was hoping that there would be insightful comments that effectively conveyed what it was that made these great conductors so great, but remarkably little of that is provided. Instead, we more often get a blow-by-blow of how many concerts were conducted where, how many times each work was performed by the conductor, and almost an itinerary of their engagements. I was hoping for probing insights, but generally they are not to be found in this book. Perhaps given the amount of time that has passed and the lack of recorded materials for the Nikischs and von Bulows of the world, maybe it's not possible to really make these determinations. But even in the modern era's most well-documented conductors, Furtwangler and Karajan, there were remarkably few insights to be found. It's a shame, because this is a subject matter that could make for a fascinating and great book. But this is not that book.
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