I don’t know how one could actually come up with a list like this and keep a straight face, but I guess it’s akin to the coaches/journalists polls that determine college football/basketball rankings. At least orchestras don’t have to navigate the inanities of the BCS system…
UPDATE: Robert Levine skewers this idiotic ranking with his usual wit and intelligence here.
1.       Concertgebouw-Orkest, Amsterdam
2.       Berliner Philharmoniker
3.       Wiener Philharmoniker
4.       London Symphony Orchestra
5.       Chicago Symphony Orchestra
6.       Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
7.       Cleveland Orchestra
8.       Los Angeles Philharmonic
9.       Budapest Festival Orchestra
10.      Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
11.      Boston Symphony Orchestra
12.      New York Philharmonic
13.      San Francisco Symphony
14.      Mariinsky Theater Orchestra
15.      Russian National Orchestra
16.      Leningrad Phillharmonic
17.      Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
18.      Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
19.      Saito Kinen Symphony Orchestra
20.      Tschechische Philharmonie