There's an alarming trend on this list. All of a sudden, list members are referring to conductors as "maestro". Sorry, but I can't abide a designation that has a larger than life or royal aura to it. What I really can't comprehend is how a reasonable person who is aware of his/her human qualities and happens to be a conductor could possibly want to possess that designation. I side with Jerry Seinfeld on this issue. In one episode, he poked great fun at a small-time conductor who insisted on all his acquaintances calling him "maestro". The guy was truely obnoxious, and this would also apply to any famous conductor who liked the term. Don "The Duke" Satz