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great conductors

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"Great Conductors" celebrates the towering maestros whose interpretive genius and podium mastery have shaped our understanding of classical music across generations. Unlike generic classical, soundtrack, or opera tags that categorize repertoire by form or function, this genre honors the individuals—the visionary interpreters who transform notation into transcendent performance. From Wilhelm Furtwängler's metaphysical probings of Beethoven and Bruckner to Arturo Toscanini's electrifying precision, from Carlos Kleiber's meticulous spontaneity to Sergiu Celibidache's meditative tempos, each conductor brought a distinctive sonic philosophy, revealing hidden dimensions in symphonic and operatic masterworks.

These artists—Otto Klemperer's granite-hewn architecture, Leopold Stokowski's lush sonorities, Fritz Reiner's diamond clarity, Sir Thomas Beecham's wit and warmth—didn't merely lead orchestras; they forged enduring sonic legacies through recordings that remain benchmarks decades later. Their interpretations of Mahler, Wagner, Brahms, and Mozart continue to spark debate and devotion, proving that the conductor's art is as vital as the composer's page.

Dive into this genre to experience classical music not as museum artifact but as living drama—to hear how a single baton can unlock universes of emotion, structure, and meaning that lesser hands leave dormant.

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List updated:

Top Releases

#21
Beethoven: Symphony 9 ("Choral")
ByFritz ReinerReleased:1940-10-06
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#69
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1/The Nutcracker (Excerpts)
ByFritz ReinerReleased:1940-10-06
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#67
Mussorgsky: A Night on Bald Mountain
ByFritz ReinerReleased:1946-12
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#70
Classical Masters
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:1947
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#15
Beethoven: Symphony No.6 'Pastoral'
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1951
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#4
Mahler: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection'
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1951
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#20
Beethoven: Fidelio, Overture Leonore No.3
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1955
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#64
Landmarks Of A Distinguished Career
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:1957-10
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#76
Sir Thomas Beecham: The Later Tradition
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1958
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#40
Carmen Highlights
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1960
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#31
Beethoven : Symphonies 5 & 7
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1960
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#57
Brahms: Symphonies Nos.1-4
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1961-04-15
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#26
Haydn: Symphonies
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1961-12-01
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#13
Beethoven Symphonies 2 & 5
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1961
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#8
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1962-01-01
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#100
Bach : St Matthew Passion
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1962-09
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#28
Bruckner: Symphony 6/Humperdinck & Wagner Overtures
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1963
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#44
Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7, Coriolan Overture, Op.62, Fidelio Overture Op. 72b
ByFritz ReinerReleased:1964-02-15
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#85
Wilhelm Furtwängler: Mendelssohn, Rossini, Beetle
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:1966
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#25
Bach: Mass in B Minor
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1968-01-01
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#96
Wagner: The Flying Dutchman
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1968
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#93
Hallelujah Chorus - The Great Handel Choruses
ByEugene OrmandyReleased:1969-01-01
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#24
Mahler: Symphony No.5
BySir John BarbirolliReleased:1969
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#41
Rachmaninoff Greatest Hits
ByEugene OrmandyReleased:1969
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#73
Beethoven: Symphonies & Overtures
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1970
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#84
The Phase 4 World Of Leopold Stokowski
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:1971
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#52
Mozart: Symphony 41/Wind Concertos
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1972-01-01
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#78
Sir Thomas Beecham - The Great Communicator
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1972-01-01
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#81
Sir Thomas Beecham: The French Collection
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1972-01-01
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#95
Sir Thomas Beecham: The English Collection
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1972-01-01
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#29
Klemperer - Große Fuge Op.133 etc
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1973
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#49
Grieg: Peer Gynt, etc.
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1975
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#45
Stokowski Spectacular
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:1976
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#89
Bach, J.S.: Stokowski Transcriptions, Vol. 2 (Stokowski) (1929-1950)
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:1977
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#27
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture / Marche slave
ByEugene OrmandyReleased:1978
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#23
Puccini : La Bohème
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1983
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#11
Holst The Planets
ByEugene OrmandyReleased:1986
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#1
Strauss: Wiener Walzer
ByEugene OrmandyReleased:1988-01-01
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#55
Furtwängler Performs Beethoven & Haydn
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:1990
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#48
Viennese Waltzes and Polkas
ByEugene OrmandyReleased:1992-06-02
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#43
Mozart: Die Zauberflote
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1992
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#56
Mendelssohn: Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream (Remastered)
ByOtto KlempererReleased:1992
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#54
Bach: Ouverture N. 3; Hindemith: Symphonische Metamorphosen; Pfitzner: Sinfonia in Do maggiore Op. 46
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:1993
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#10
Richard Strauss: Tone Poems
ByRudolf KempeReleased:1994
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#7
Verdi: Requiem
BySergiu CelibidacheReleased:1995
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#97
Beethoven: Fidelio
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:1997-07-24
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#18
Stokowski: Bach By Stokowski
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:1997
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#58
Mozart: Piano Concertos No. 20+21
ByEugen JochumReleased:1997
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#50
Sergiu Celibidache Recital
BySergiu CelibidacheReleased:1997
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#53
Sibelius: The Storm; Oceanides
ByEugen JochumReleased:1997
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#88
Mozart, W.A.: Symhonies Nos.36, 33 & 39
ByEugen JochumReleased:1997
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#2
Grieg: Peer Gynt etc
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:1998-01-01
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#35
First Authorized Edition
BySergiu CelibidacheReleased:1998
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#74
Beautiful Wedding Melodies
ByCarlos KleiberReleased:2000-01-01
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#63
Fidelio
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2001-01-01
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#19
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2001-02-15
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#14
Icon: Rudolf Kempe
ByRudolf KempeReleased:2001
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#37
Stravinsky: Petrushka & The Rite Of Spring
ByErnest AnsermetReleased:2001
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#3
Wagner: Orchestral Excerpts
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2002-01-01
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#91
Fidelio Op.72
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2002
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#61
Sir Thomas Beecham: Great Conductors of the 20th Century
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:2003
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#60
Handel: Solomon & Love in Bath
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:2003
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#38
Verdi: La Traviata
ByCarlos KleiberReleased:2004-01-01
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#17
Two Immortal Concerts in Copenhagen
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2004-01-01
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#75
Mozart: Requiem
BySergiu CelibidacheReleased:2004-11-01
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#5
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade / Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale
ByFritz ReinerReleased:2004
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#6
Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 2 & 7; Mass in C, etc
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:2005-04-04
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#32
Historical Series: Mozart, Requiem
ByRudolf KempeReleased:2006-05-05
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#47
Bizet . Chabrier . Fauré
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:2007-03-05
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#39
Nicolai Malko - The Danish Connection
ByNicolai MalkoReleased:2007-04-06
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#62
Wagner: Symphonic Syntheses by Stokowski
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:2007-09
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#51
Mahler: Symphony No.9 . Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen, Tod und Verklärung
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2007
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#30
Fidelio
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2009-10-19
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#68
Beethoven: Fidelio
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2009-10-19
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#94
Wilhelm Furtwängler: Beethoven
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2009
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#87
Wilhelm Furtwängler: Tchaikovsky, Pfitzer, Mozart)
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2010-01-03
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#9
Haydn: The Seasons
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:2010-04-04
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#86
The Legend
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2011-01-17
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#82
Sir Thomas Beecham: Haydn & Mozart
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:2011-02-07
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#16
Conducts Holst & Schoenberg
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:2011-03-01
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#34
Wagner: Lohengrin
ByRudolf KempeReleased:2011-08-08
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#46
Overtures
ByArturo ToscaniniReleased:2012-04-01
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#79
Music For Strings
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:2012-05-15
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#98
Mozart: Così fan tutte
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2012-06-04
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#83
Mozart: Don Giovanni
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2012-10-01
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#66
Bruckner: Symphonies 4-9
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2012-10-29
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#36
Beethoven: Symphonies 7 & 8
ByRudolf KempeReleased:2012-11-19
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#99
The Brahms Symphonies Volume Two
ByKlemperer, The Philharmonia OrchestraReleased:2012
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#80
Brahms: Symphonies; Ein deutsches Requiem (Klemperer Legacy)
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2013-01-04
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#12
Wilhelm Furtwängler in Berlin (1943)
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2013-07-19
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#72
The Fascination of Furtwängler
ByWilhelm FurtwänglerReleased:2013-07-19
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#90
Bach: St.Matthew Passion
ByOtto KlempererReleased:2013
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#22
Berlioz: Nuits d'ete etc
ByErnest AnsermetReleased:2014
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#77
Classical Masters
BySergiu CelibidacheReleased:2016
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#92
Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
ByEugen JochumReleased:2021-02-11
classicalgreat conductors
#42
Richard Strauss: Scenes from Salome and Elektra
ByFritz ReinerReleased:2021-07-02
classicalgreat conductorssoundtrack
#71
Die Entführung aus dem Serail - Singspiel in three acts K384
BySir Thomas BeechamReleased:2025-06-27
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#33
FDS - Holst/Schoenberg: The Planets/Verklarte Nacht
ByLeopold StokowskiReleased:
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#59
Klemperer: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 / Merry Waltz / Marcia Funebre / Recollections / Scherzo
ByOtto KlempererReleased:
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#65
Tandem Strauss/Kleiber
ByCarlos KleiberReleased:
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