For me, conductor Carlos Kleiber was the all-time greatest conductor ever! While it likely is not possible to explain why, I will try to do so:
Kleiber came from a musical family. His father, Erich Kleiber, was a famous conductor in Europe. However, the father gave his son absolutely no encouragement or support when Carlos expressed interest in becoming a conductor, too.
As a child, the father would introduce his young son and say: “this is my son, Carlos; he has absolutely no ability in music…”
But Carlos persisted. He was hired at a number of different Opera houses in Germany as a coach, and slowly he also began to get some conducting assignments. The results were spectacular, because Carlos was meticulous, required total commitment, and cancelled if he was not supported in his views.
If you have the interest, there is just one book that covers Carlos Kleiber in detail. The book title is: “Corresponding with Carlos”.
Below is one amazing video. For those of you who do not understand German, something will be lost in how he coaxes the orchestra to give him the interpretation he wants. Watch him, though: You’ll see that he conducts Strauss like a Ballet dancer.
Here he is as he prepares a concert of the Operetta “One thousand nights in Venice”. Even if you do not understand his instructions in German, watch the results…
