InPublishing: BBC Music Magazine poll puts Carlos Kleiber top

The poll, carried out by BBC Music Magazine, asked leading conductors including Sir Colin Davis, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev and Mariss Jansons to reveal who they are most inspired by. Kleiber, the Austrian maestro who conducted just 96 concerts and around 400 operatic performances in his 74 years, was voted ahead of Leonard Bernstein and Claudio Abbado, who took second and third places respectively.

Susanna Mälkki, Music director, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and one of the conductors polled, commented: "Carlos Kleiber brought an incredible energy to music… Yes, he did have about five times as much time to rehearse than conductors do today, but he deserved it because his vision was remarkable, he knew what he wanted, and his attention to detail was truly inspiring."

Jeremy Pound, Deputy Editor of BBC Music Magazine, added: "Asking 100 of today's conducting greats to name their idols and inspirations was a fascinating experience. Not least when so many named Carlos Kleiber, who in the course of his whole lifetime conducted fewer concerts than most of them manage in just a couple of years. Kleiber's incredible attention to detail, sheer enthusiasm for music, and astonishingly accomplished level of performance could never be doubted – perhaps 'less is more' is the real path to true greatness?"

Of the top 20 conductors voted for, no fewer than seven are still regularly seen on the rostrum today, including Brits Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Sir Simon Rattle. Conducting may have enjoyed its famous Golden Age in the mid-20th century but, in the opinion of those who know the art better than anyone, today's leading maestros also undoubtedly rank with the best of all time.

The 20 greatest conductors of all time is published in the April issue of BBC Music Magazine, on sale 17 March, priced £4.60.

In November 2010 BBC Music Magazine asked 100 leading conductors to name the maestros they admire above all others. When the votes were added up, the following top 20 emerged:

BBC Music Magazine's 20 greatest conductors of all time are:

1. Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004) Austrian

2. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American

3. Claudio Abbado (b1933) Italian

4. Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) Austrian

5. Nikolaus Harnoncourt (b1929) Austrian

6. Sir Simon Rattle (b 1955) British

7. Wilhelm Furtwängler (1896-1954)

8. Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) Italian

9. Pierre Boulez (b1925) French

10. Carlo Maria Giulini (1914-2005) Italian

11. Sir John Eliot Gardiner (b1943) British