Since leaving the Cleveland Orchestra two years ago, Christoph von Dohnanyi has been “enjoying the kind of respectful attention the classical music world likes to bestow on elder statesmen of the baton… There aren’t many maestros of his pedigree around anymore… Dohnanyi knows it and doesn’t hesitate to speak of himself as a living link to the Austro-German performance tradition.” His demanding style and uncompromising work ethic have led him to clash with many top American orchestras, which are not fond of direct criticism, but as his career enters its final years, Dohnanyi increasingly seems deserving of a reputation as one of the great conductors of the last century.