Kickass Classical Forums

Interesting to read the overrated/underrated composer thread. How about conductors?
IMHO and in no particular order,

Overrated:
Gustavo Dudamel -- if he were a balding 55 year old European nobody would care.

Underrated:
Ivan Fischer -- a balding 50-something year old European with tremendous grasp of repertoire and novel ideas every time he mounts the podium.

Overrated:
Herbert von Karajan -- perhaps not the younger Herb, but boy those digital-era recordings hardly raise an emotional ripple.

Underrated:
Yevgeny Mravinsky -- besides the stunning command of Russian repertoire, has anybody ever given his Beethoven and Bruckner their due?

I'm now prepared for my flaming.

Don't know if Ronaldo has seen any of BBC Proms concerts from the past few years, but Dudamel and his Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra really made the Royal Albert Hall JUMP! when playing the dances from West Side Story by Bernstein. I would urge him to check it out. He is a product of El Sistema, as is the orchestra.
Full marks for your comments about Mravinsky and Fischer. Here in the West, former Eastern Bloc musicians do tend to be overlooked.