The great conductors in rehearsal: 15 vintage practice room pictures

Those intense rehearsal moments captured - with history's finest conductors and composers at the podium.

1. 

   1. Riccardo Chailly

   1980: Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly rehearses with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, London. Photo: Getty

2. 

   2. Leonard Bernstein

   1970: Leonard Bernstein, American conductor composer and pianist, conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal at the St Pancras Town Hall, London. Photo: Getty

3. 

   3. Colin Davis

   1980: English conductor Sir Colin Davis (1927 - 2013, right) rehearsing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, 21st July 1980. Photo: Getty

4. 

   4. Igor Stravinsky

   1961: Composer Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971) cups a hand to his ear as he listens to the BBC Symphony Orchestra rehearsing one of his compositions. Photo: Getty

5. 

   5. Otto Klemperer

   1957: German conductor Otto Klemperer in rehearsal with an orchestra. Photo: Getty

7. 

   6. Peter Pears

   1962: English tenor and organist Peter Pears singing at the rehearsal for the premiere of Benjamin Britten's 'War Requiem' at Coventry Cathedral. Behind him German baritone and conductor Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau waits for his cue. Photo: Getty

8. 

   7. Seiji Ozawa

   1965: Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa rehearsing with the London Symphony Orchestra at Festival Hall, London. Photo: Getty

9. 

   8. Wilhelm Furtwangler

   1948: German conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in rehearsal at the Royal Festival hall, London. Photo: Getty

10. 

    9. Dmitri Shostakovich

    1960: Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich, right, discusses his Cello Concerto with German conductor Gennady Rozhdestevensky of the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra, left, and Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, centre, during rehearsals for the London premiere at the Royal Festival Hall. Photo: Getty

11. 

    10. Zoltan Kodaly

    1960: Hungarian composer and teacher Zoltan Kodaly conducts his 'Hary Janos' suite in rehearsal. Photo: Getty

13. 

    11. Sir John Barbirolli

    British conductor Sir John Barbirolli conducting the Hallé Orchestra in rehearsals at the Royal Albert Hall, 24th August 1953. Photo: Getty

14. 

    12. Sir Thomas Beecham

    1958: The English conductor and impresario Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.Photo: Getty

15. 

    13. André Previn

    1979: Principal Conductor, Andre Previn, conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in the 75th Anniversary Concert at the Festival Hall Photo: Getty

16. 

    14. Ralph Vaughan Williams

    1953: Ralph Vaughan Williams at 81 years old, conducting the Boyd Neel Orchestra in rehearsal. Photo: Getty

17. 

    15. Sir Adrian Boult

    1958: At a rehearsal of Sir Michael Tippett's Second Symphony are from left, conductor Sir Adrian Boult, composer Sir Michael Tippett, composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, with Ursula Vaughan Williams. Photo: Getty

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