I attended two concerts conducted by Karajan and yes, there was something
of that "spell" in his movements.  Whether his gestures made musical sense
to me, I don't recall.

At about the same time, I went to a concert featuring one of the longest of
Bruckner symphonies, conducted by Karl Bohm.  This was a very interesting
experience, and I had to admit that I'm no fan of Bruckner.  I happened to
have a seat at the very end of the balcony, almost above the orchestra -
from where you can see the face and gestures of the conductor better than
from any other place.  Watching Bohm was quite fascinating.  His gestures
were so precise and so musically adequate that just by watching his
gestures one had an impression of reading and following the score.  Quite
amazing.

-Margaret Mikulska