Conductors are very special, because they communicate music through their own unique musical morales. Most artforms are seen by the public the way that a single creator intended them to be seen, such as paintings and architecture. A single musical work can be seen many different ways, without jeopardizing the composer's written intentions.

It is surprising how different a Bruckner symphony can sound in the hands of Pierre Boulez and Herbert von Karajan, or a Beethoven symphony conducted by Georg Szell and Karl Boehm.

I have hypothesized that great conductors must have two essential traits: they must have a balance of tempo control as well as flexibility. Tempo control is the ability to make an immediate change of tempo and to understand the tempo relationships within a given work. It is most necessary when conducting symphonies. A conductor must also have flexibility, the ability to "breathe" with the soloist, whether instrumental or vocal.

In my opinion, there are too many conductors out there that cannot give an ideal tempo instantly. They have to slide into it, which drives me crazy in symphonies, especially those of Brahms and Schubert. There is a difference between slowing the tempo and relaxing it. In Beethoven symphonies, there are indications to relax the tempo; it is a change of aesthetic or "feel," rather than a change of actual speed. These are two of the reasons I cannot appreciate Daniel Barenboim completely, even though he has mastered the art of flexibility. I do not like conductors who are indulgent. Leonard Bernstein could never let the music speak for itself.

Sir Georg Solti and Herbert von Karajan were not great at everything, but the recordings that brought out the best in them were some of the best ever made. Solti was really an opera conductor at heart, those being his finest recordings. Karajan brought deep perception to his music-making, so he was at his best in serious works. Their recordings are some of the easiest to find, and great interpretations usually are. Try Wilhelm Furtwangler, Carlos and Erich Kleiber, Fritz Reiner, Leopold Stokowski, George Szell, and Arturo Toscanini. These are all conductors of the past with unique interpretations, if just a little colored by today's standards.

Herbert von Karajan once compared the conductor's relationship with an orchestra to that of a jockey's relationship with a race horse. A good jockey does not lift the horse over the fence; a good jockey puts the horse into the position to jump the fence. Regardless of the orchestra, the conductors mentioned above have the ability to bring out the best in the orchestras they conduct.