OK, I couldn't resist; in no particular order (except, as he is for Mark Seeley, Szell is-now and forever-on top): 1. Szell 2. Sanderling 3. Solti 4. Harnoncourt 5. C. Davis 6. MTT 7. Mackerras 8. Bernstein 9. Furtwangler 10. Gardiner 11. Marriner 12. Boulez 13. Dutoit 14. Barbirolli 15. Rattle 16. Norrington 17. Shaw 18. Klemperer 19. Kleiber 20. Pinnock 21. Giulini 22. Christoph von Dohnanyi 23. Boehm 24. Pickett 25. Hogwood Note: in good conscience I have to limit the list to conductors whose recordings or performances I have heard a good deal. This leaves out some pretty big names, obviously. John Halbrooks <[log in to unmask]>