Reply #17: Here's a conductor who actually knows what he's fucking doing, conducting something better [View All]

[Rabrrrrrr]

Not to disparage the Beethoven Ninth at all - amazing, beautiful, wondrous, stupendous piece of music.

But the Mahler No. 2 - that's the true daddy of 'em all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKeH3oYkFiw

Claudio Abbado conducting this one. Of course, others have done this stunningly as well: Gilbert Kaplan, Solti, and so forth. Best performance I've ever attended, though, was Dennis Russel Davies - I've seen many performances, and Davies was hands down, far and away, the most brilliant rendition I've ever had the grace to witness. Quite likely the most brilliant rendition of any orchestral piece of music I've ever witnessed. Truly, amazingly stunning. I always cry during the final movement - Davies had me crying in every movement, it was so sublime; so fully emotional; and so perfectly clear in that he managed to get the orchestra to play in a way that every part was distinguishable. I heard stuff I've never heard before - and I know the score.