How do you become invested in a conductor?

Principally, by accident of circumstance. You "bump into" them. But you don't stay with everyone. Sometimes, they convince you.

The reasons are as different as the people who do the finding. You could fill 1000 posts with the proclamations of advocates.

So the only meaningful answer is "Here's who i found."

Then, you can tell your tale.

Talk about a good read :-)

Here's my list :

Pierre Boulez
Claudio Abbado
Gardiner
Jocum
Reiner

and dozens of others, including simon rattle, and stokowski, but there's more fun in the itches you have to scratch NOW ...

how about you? Let's tell some tales.

This is meant to give things a start ...

Abbado/Berlin Brahms Symphonies :

The first thing that struck me about abbado's brahms was the use of a true, and metered, rubato. In a rubato, you are allowed to stretch and contract, but more ofter stretch, the beat. the beat can be a constant factor throughout the duration of a piece, or a movement. when it is, it unifies the piece in a way not attainable otherwise. abbado elicits from the orchestra a rhythmic response that preserves the beat through every twist and turn. tension is maintained from beginning to end.

you don't always get that.