Many conductors began their careers as pianists, concert performers or simply as vocal coaches. This was the case with Furtwängler, as it was with Walter, Klemperer, Kleiber and many others.
A few came from the world of strings: Nikisch the violinist, Toscanini the cellist, Monteux the violist, Koussevitzky the double bassist…
Would conductors from the first category be at a disadvantage when conducting an orchestra in which the string section appears to dominate? As for Furtwängler, what did he know about playing the bow?
The brief study we present here will surprise more than a few.
