Mats Norrman wrote:

>The little biography also dabbled with "the angry conductors" of Toscanini,
>Reiner and Walter - these conductors who weren't ashamed to scold a
>musician totally in front of the whole orchestra.  But the biographer
>argued that Walter was the worst of those, as Reiner and Toscanini at least
>had some sort of outer, concret, reason when they did.  Walter just seemed
>to need to please his own need for "all lights on me" that he often also
>pretended that a musician played wrong just to get a chance to give him a
>scolding.  Peculliar family, those great conductors.

All I have heard about Walter, and I know many musicians and others who
played under him and attended his recording sessions, is the opposite from
what you said here.  He was the furthest from a tyrant.  There have been
many rehearsal and recording session tapes and none evidence the sort of
behavior you mention.  Quite the opposite.  Toscanini and Reiner, sure.
They were famous for that.

Bill S