George Szell: The Complete Columbia Album Collection
Release Date: 08/10/2018
Label:
Sony
Catalog #: 547185
Composer:
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Johannes Brahms,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Antonín Dvorák,
...
Performer:
Jane Hobson,
Adele Addison,
Donald Bell,
Richard Lewis,
...
Conductor:
George Szell,
Louis Lane,
Robert Shaw,
Erich Leinsdorf,
...
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra,
Cleveland Orchestra members,
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus,
...
Number of Discs: 106
This title is currently unavailable.
Notes and Editorial Reviews
A complete tracklist for this release is currently in development. -
ArkivMusic
To coincide with the Cleveland Orchestra’s centenary in 2018, Sony Classical is excited to announce one of the most ambitious reissue projects of recent times, George Szell – The Cleveland Orchestra: The Complete Columbia Album Collection, a comprehensive collection of the Clevelanders’ recordings made under the baton of their iconic fourth music director, George Szell. These recordings span the period between 1947 – a year after Szell (born in Budapest in 1897) inherited a fine provincial orchestra and began transforming it into the elite ensemble it remains to this day – and 1969, a year before his sudden death shocked the musical
Read more
world. Szell’s dream was to create an ensemble that combined “the Americans’ purity and beauty of sound and their virtuosity of execution with the European sense of tradition, warmth of expression and sense of style,” in the words of his biographer Michael Charry. That he fulfilled that dream is amply documented in this huge discography that fills Sony’s new mega-box of 106 CDs, “recordings that are prized for their stylistic rightness, clarity of structure, rhythmic tension, and transparency of texture”
The New Yorker.
Contained in this vast box are rare mono recordings, some of which have never before appeared on CD, including a Dvorák “New World” from 1952, a Beethoven Fifth from 1955 and orchestral extracts from Wagner’s Ring from 1956. There are also the recordings Szell made in the early 1950s as guest conductor of the New York Philharmonic, including the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with Vladimir Horowitz. There are the pianist George Szell’s outstanding chamber music recordings, including Mozart with the Budapest Quartet, and substantial interviews with the maestro. But the main attraction of this stupendous new set is the prospect of having all the Szell-Cleveland repertoire under a single roof for the first time and in optimal sound.
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REVIEW:
Go ahead. Pull out any disc at random. Chances are you’ll be holding a reference recording for the work in question.
Based on the recorded evidence, George Szell was simply the finest conductor of the 20th century. No one else approached him in the consistently exalted quality of the results that he achieved. His recordings of the Viennese classics: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, have been in the catalog nearly constantly since the 1950s, and deservedly so. They are stunning. In the romantic repertoire, his Schumann was legendary, his Mendelssohn perfection itself, his Brahms nearly so, and his Dvorák uniformly exceptional (including this happily remastered Piano Concerto with Rudolf Firkusny). He owned the two Brahms piano concertos. His collaborations with soloists–Fleisher, Graffman, Serkin, Casadesus, Browning, and Horowitz (in a smoking live Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto)–were almost all spectacular.
Although he played much more contemporary music than was preserved on disc, those recordings that he did make often became instant classics: works by Walton, Hindemith, Barber, Bartók, Kodály, and Prokofiev. His Richard Strauss was incomparable and carried with it the imprimatur of the composer himself. The two discs of Wagner opera excerpts remain unequaled. Although he came late to Bruckner and Mahler, with the exception of a relatively tepid live rendition of the latter’s Sixth Symphony, the results there were otherwise equally persuasive. In short, the 106 discs in this attractively packaged box represent an unparalleled achievement in terms of musical excellence.
Is everything equally good? No. Szell could sound overly controlled. His Janácek Sinfonietta really lacks the raw edge that the music demands, but even the vanishingly few lapses tend to stem from an unidiomatic musical approach, rather than from any diminution in the quality of the results that he obtained. I have often shocked colleagues by asking them to identify the artist behind these astonishingly brilliant accounts of theoretically non-Szell repertoire, such as Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, or Debussy’s La Mer. His motto seems to have been: “If you’re going to do it at all, be the best.” Most often, he was.
Given the abundance of great performances in this set, we are spoiled for choice in coming up with representative works to sample. I have chosen two. The first is the Infernal Dance from the Firebird Suite, Szell’s only Stravinsky recording. It’s as exciting as any performance yet set down, but played with a precision and intensity that would make Pierre Boulez blanche (sound clip). The other extract comes from his Cleveland recording of Smetana’s The Moldau, which remains the only version in the catalog to realize the duetting trumpets in the closing bars as the composer actually wrote them–followed by a breathtakingly-graded combination diminuendo/deceleration. It’s what great conducting, and great playing, is all about.
The sonics for most of these performances also have been cleaned up nicely. The stereo recordings sound as good as they ever have, and even the early New York Philharmonic monos from the 1940s have plenty of detail and presence for the most part. Many collectors will already own a good chunk of the contents of this set, but that’s not really the point. To have all of the Columbia mono productions, Szell’s two outings as a pianist (in Mozart violin sonatas and piano quartets), the disc of interviews, and then all the stereo recordings too, all in original jackets–which Szell insisted on approving himself–is simply too good an opportunity to pass up. Get it while you can, and treasure it forever.
– ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz) Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Jane Hobson (Mezzo Soprano),
Adele Addison (Soprano),
Donald Bell (Baritone),
Richard Lewis (Tenor)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1822-1824; Vienna, Austria
2.
Symphony no 8 in F major, Op. 93 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1812; Vienna, Austria
3.
Symphony no 7 in A major, Op. 92 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1811-1812; Vienna, Austria
5.
Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1807-1808; Vienna, Austria
8.
Symphony no 2 in D major, Op. 36 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1801-1802; Vienna, Austria
9.
Symphony no 1 in C major, Op. 21 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1800; Vienna, Austria
10.
King Stephan, Op. 117: Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1811; Vienna, Austria
12.
Egmont, Op. 84: Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1810; Vienna, Austria
17.
Concerto for Piano no 1 in D minor, Op. 15 by Johannes Brahms
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1854-1858; Germany
Date of Recording: 02/1958
Venue: Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 46 Minutes 48 Secs.
18.
Concerto for Piano no 2 in B flat major, Op. 83 by Johannes Brahms
Performer:
Jules Eskin (Cello),
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1878-1881; Austria
Date of Recording: 10/1962
Venue: Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 47 Minutes 26 Secs.
19.
Concerto for Piano no 1 in C major, Op. 15 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1795; Vienna, Austria
21.
Concerto for Piano no 3 in C minor, Op. 37 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1800; Vienna, Austria
22.
Concerto for Piano no 4 in G major, Op. 58 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1806; Vienna, Austria
24.
Concerto for Piano no 25 in C major, K 503 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
25.
Symphony no 1 in C minor, Op. 68 by Johannes Brahms
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1855-1876; Austria
28.
Symphony no 4 in E minor, Op. 98 by Johannes Brahms
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1884-1885; Austria
31.
Tragic Overture, Op. 81 by Johannes Brahms
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1880; Austria
33.
Le nozze di Figaro, K 492: Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
36.
Symphony no 40 in G minor, K 550 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1788; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1955
41.
Exsultate jubilate, K 165 (158a) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Judith Raskin (Soprano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1773; Milan, Italy
42.
Symphony no 39 in E flat major, K 543 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1788; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1947
44.
Serenade no 9 in D major, K 320 "Posthorn" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Bernard Adelstein (Posthorn)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1779; Salzburg, Austria
46.
Requiem in D minor, K 626: Lacrymosa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Robert Shaw
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra,
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Period: Classical
Written: 1791; Vienna, Austria
47.
Minuet in C major, K 409 (383f) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Erich Leinsdorf
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1782; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1946
48.
Concerto for Clarinet in A major, K 622 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Robert Marcellus (Clarinet)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1791; Vienna, Austria
49.
Concerto for Piano no 25 in C major, K 503 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
54.
Quartet for Piano and Strings no 1 in G minor, K 478 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Boris Kroyt (Viola),
Joseph Roisman (Violin),
Mischa Schneider (Cello),
George Szell (Piano)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest String Quartet members
Period: Classical
Written: 1785; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1946
55.
Quartet for Piano and Strings no 2 in E flat major, K 493 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Mischa Schneider (Cello),
Joseph Roisman (Violin),
Boris Kroyt (Viola),
George Szell (Piano)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest String Quartet members
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1946
58.
My Fatherland: The Moldau by Bedrich Smetana
Conductor:
George Szell
Period: Post-Romantic
Written: circa 1872-1879; Czechoslovakia
Length: 12 Minutes 55 Secs.
59.
Bartered Bride, B 143/T 93 by Bedrich Smetana
Conductor:
George Szell
Period: Romantic
Written: 1863/1870; Czech Republic
Length: 17 Minutes 10 Secs.
64.
Don Quixote, Op. 35 by Richard Strauss
Performer:
Pierre Fournier (Cello),
Rafael Druian (Violin),
Abraham Skernick (Viola)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1896-1897; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/1960
65.
Concerto for Horn no 1 in E flat major, Op. 11 by Richard Strauss
Performer:
Myron Bloom (French Horn)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1882-1883; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/27/1961
66.
Don Juan, Op. 20 by Richard Strauss
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1888-1889; Germany
Date of Recording: 03/1957
69.
Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24 by Richard Strauss
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1888-1889; Germany
70.
Symphonia domestica, Op. 53 by Richard Strauss
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1902-1903; Germany
71.
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28 by Richard Strauss
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1894-1895; Germany
Date of Recording: 03/1957
Venue: Masonic Temple, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 14 Minutes 18 Secs.
72.
An der schönen, blauen Donau, Op. 314 by Johann Strauss Jr.
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 01/05/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 9 Minutes 45 Secs.
73.
Delirien, Op. 212 by Josef Strauss
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 01/05/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 8 Minutes 48 Secs.
74.
Frühlingsstimmen, Op. 410 by Johann Strauss Jr.
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1883; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 01/05/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 5 Minutes 48 Secs.
75.
Dorfschwalben aus Österreich, Op. 164 by Josef Strauss
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1865; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 01/05/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 8 Minutes 57 Secs.
76.
Perpetuum mobile, Op. 257 "Musikalischer Scherz" by Johann Strauss Jr.
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1862; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 01/05/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 5 Minutes 24 Secs.
77.
Die Fledermaus: Overture by Johann Strauss Jr.
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 03/01/1958
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 8 Minutes 1 Secs.
78.
Pizzicato Polka by Johann Strauss Jr.
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1870; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 01/05/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 2 Minutes 26 Secs.
86.
Symphony no 97 in C major, H 1 no 97 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1792; London, England
Date of Recording: 1957
87.
Symphony no 88 in G major, H 1 no 88 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: circa 1787 ; Eszterhazá, Hungary
89.
Symphony no 4 in A major, Op. 90 "Italian" by Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1833; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/26/1962
Venue: Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 27 Minutes 40 Secs.
90.
Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61 by Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1842; Germany
Date of Recording: 01/13/1967
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 30 Minutes 18 Secs.
91.
Hebrides Overture, in B minor Op. 26 "Fingal's Cave" by Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1829-1832; Rome, Italy
Date of Recording: 01/1963
Venue: Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 10 Minutes 52 Secs.
92.
Concerto for Violin in E minor, Op. 64 by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Zino Francescatti (Violin)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1844; Germany
Date of Recording: 1961
Length: 24 Minutes 14 Secs.
93.
Háry János, Op. 15: Suite by Zoltán Kodály
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1927; Hungary
94.
Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60 by Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1934; Paris, France
95.
Concerto for Piano no 3 in C major, Op. 26 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:
Gary Graffman (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1917-1921; USA
Date of Recording: 03/25/1966
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 27 Minutes 52 Secs.
96.
Concerto for Piano no 1 in D flat major, Op. 10 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:
Gary Graffman (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1911-1912; Russia
Date of Recording: 03/25/1966
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 15 Minutes 4 Secs.
97.
Sonata for Piano no 2 in D minor, Op. 14 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:
Gary Graffman (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1912; Russia
Date of Recording: 12/26/1962
Venue: Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York, N
Length: 16 Minutes 35 Secs.
98.
Sonata for Piano no 3 in A minor, Op. 28 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:
Gary Graffman (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1907/1917; Russia
Date of Recording: 12/07/1962
Venue: Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York, N
Length: 7 Minutes 5 Secs.
99.
Symphony no 5 in B flat major, Op. 100 by Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USSR
Date of Recording: 10/1959
Venue: Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 38 Minutes 47 Secs.
100.
Concerto for Orchestra, Sz 116 by Béla Bartók
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; USA
Date of Recording: 01/1965
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 34 Minutes 40 Secs.
101.
Concerto for Piano no 1, Sz 83 by Béla Bartók
Performer:
Rudolf Serkin (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1926; Budapest, Hungary
Date of Recording: 4/1962
102.
Symphony no 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 "Spring" by Robert Schumann
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1841; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/1958
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 30 Minutes 25 Secs.
103.
Symphony no 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 "Rhenish" by Robert Schumann
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1850; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/21/1960
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 32 Minutes 14 Secs.
104.
Manfred, Op. 115 by Robert Schumann
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1848-1849; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/1958
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 11 Minutes 5 Secs.
105.
Symphony no 2 in C major, Op. 61 by Robert Schumann
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1845-1846; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/24/1960
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 36 Minutes 8 Secs.
106.
Symphony no 4 in D minor, Op. 120 by Robert Schumann
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1851; Germany
Date of Recording: 03/12/1960
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 25 Minutes 18 Secs.
107.
Oberon, J 306: Overture by Carl Maria von Weber
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1825-1826; Dresden, Germany
Date of Recording: 01/1963
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 9 Minutes 9 Secs.
108.
Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16 by Edvard Grieg
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1868/1907; Norway
109.
Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 54 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Leon Fleisher (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1841-1845; Germany
110.
Rosamunde, D 797/Op. 26 by Franz Schubert
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1823; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 01/07/1967
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 25 Minutes 10 Secs.
111.
Symphony no 8 in B minor, D 759 "Unfinished" by Franz Schubert
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1822; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 03/12/1960
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 23 Minutes 1 Secs.
112.
Symphony no 9 in C major, D 944 "Great" by Franz Schubert
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: ?1825-28; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 11/01/1957
Venue: Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 44 Minutes 55 Secs.
113.
Symphony no 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1888; Russia
Length: 45 Minutes 37 Secs.
114.
Capriccio italien, Op. 45 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1880; Russia
Length: 14 Minutes 45 Secs.
116.
Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1854; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/1968
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 6 Minutes 34 Secs.
117.
Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1856; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/1968
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 5 Minutes 23 Secs.
118.
Die Walküre: Magic Fire Music by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1856; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/1968
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 4 Minutes 41 Secs.
119.
Siegfried: Forest Murmurs [Instrumental] by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/1968
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 6 Minutes 53 Secs.
120.
Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/07/1968
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 11 Minutes 56 Secs.
121.
Götterdämmerung: Siegfried's Funeral Music by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Germany
Date of Recording: 10/07/1968
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 14 Minutes 6 Secs.
122.
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Act 1 Prelude by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867; Germany
Date of Recording: 01/26/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 9 Minutes 31 Secs.
123.
Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1859; Germany
Date of Recording: 01/26/1962
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 16 Minutes 55 Secs.
124.
Tannhäuser: Overture by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philadelphia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1845/1861; Germany
125.
Tannhäuser: Festival March by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philadelphia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1845/1861; Germany
126.
Lohengrin: Act 3 Prelude by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philadelphia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847; Germany
127.
Lohengrin: Act 1 Prelude by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847; Germany
129.
Rienzi: Overture by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1840-1843; Germany
130.
Faust Overture by Richard Wagner
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1840-1844; Germany
131.
Fra Diavolo: Overture by Daniel-François Auber
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1830; France
Date of Recording: 11/02/1957
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 7 Minutes 38 Secs.
132.
Le carnaval romain Overture, Op. 9 by Hector Berlioz
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1843-1844; France
Date of Recording: 05/15/1958
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 8 Minutes 28 Secs.
133.
Il viaggio a Reims: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1825; Italy
Date of Recording: 01/14/1967
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 6 Minutes 56 Secs.
134.
La scala di seta: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1812; Italy
Date of Recording: 05/12/1967
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 6 Minutes 24 Secs.
135.
L'italiana in Algeri: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1813; Italy
Date of Recording: 05/05/1967
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 7 Minutes 42 Secs.
136.
Il turco in Italia: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1814; Italy
Date of Recording: 01/14/1967
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 8 Minutes 41 Secs.
137.
La gazza ladra: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1817; Italy
Date of Recording: 05/05/1967
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 8 Minutes 50 Secs.
139.
Symphony no 4 in G major by Gustav Mahler
Performer:
Judith Raskin (Soprano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1892-1900; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 10/1965
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 57 Minutes 48 Secs.
140.
Symphony no 6 in A minor "Tragic" by Gustav Mahler
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1904/1906; Austria
Date of Recording: 10/1967
Venue: Live Severance Hall, Cleveland
Length: 73 Minutes 39 Secs.
141.
Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1887; Russia
142.
The enchanted lake, Op. 62 by Anatole Liadov
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1909; Russia
144.
Peer Gynt Suite no 1, Op. 46 by Edvard Grieg
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1875/1888; Norway
Date of Recording: 01/21/1966
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 19 Minutes 30 Secs.
145.
L'arlésienne: Suite no 1 by Georges Bizet
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1872; France
Date of Recording: 03/1966
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 20 Minutes 28 Secs.
146.
Khovanshchina: Act 1 Prelude "Dawn on the Moscow River" by Modest Mussorgsky
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1872-1880; Russia
Date of Recording: 1958
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 45 Minutes 53 Secs.
148.
Symphony no 2 by Sir William Walton
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1959-1960; England
Notes: First recording.
150.
Variations on a Theme by Hindemith by Sir William Walton
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1962-1963; England
Date of Recording: 10/09/1964
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland
Length: 22 Minutes 45 Secs.
151.
Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1919/1945;
Date of Recording: 1961
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 19 Minutes 40 Secs.
152.
Symphony no 10 in f#/F#: 3rd movement, Purgatorio by Gustav Mahler
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1910; Austria
Date of Recording: 11/01/1958
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 4 Minutes 2 Secs.
153.
Partita for Orchestra by Sir William Walton
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1957; England
Date of Recording: 01/21/1959
Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Length: 15 Minutes 21 Secs.
155.
Irmelin: Prelude by Frederick Delius
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1890-1892; Paris, France
157.
Concerto for Piano, Op. 38 by Samuel Barber
Performer:
John Browning (Piano)
Conductor:
George Szell
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cleveland Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1962; USA
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 2 Customer Reviews )
Szell - Complete Columbia/Epic Studio Recordings November 24, 2018
By SIDNEY S K. (PENSACOLA, FL) See All My Reviews
"Sony Classical has released a wonderful 106 CD compilation of all of the studio recordings that George Szell made for Columbia/Epic from 1947 to 1969. There is one major difference between this compilation and earlier Sony Classical sets such as the LEON FLEISHER: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION. For example, the Fleisher set had a CD duplicating Epic BC 1025 (Betthoven Concerto No. 4 and Mozart Concerto No. 25) and a second CD duplicating Epic BC 1137 (Beethoven Concerto Nos. 2 & 4). Thus, purchasers of that set acquired two copies of the same performance of Beethoven Concerto No. 4. The Szell set only duplicates Epic BC 1025 - the Beethoven Concerto No. 2 is paired with Concerto No. 3 (from Epic BC 1138), avoiding the duplication. In my opinion, the producer has carried this idea too far in some cases. For example - the Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3 is coupled with Beethoven Symphony No. 4 (Epic BC 1264) as in the original LP release. However, Leonore No. 3 is omitted from the Beethoven Overtures CD with the contents of Columbia MS 6966 and MS 7068. Thus, the listener who wants to hear the Szell recordings of the four Leonore overtures (Columbia MS 7068) is forced to listen to two different CDs and change the order of the tracks. Observation, there was adequate "room" on the Beethoven Overtures CD at ~55 minutes to include the ~14 minute Leonore Overture No. 3. One reviewer lamented the absence of Szell-Cleveland Orchestra broadcast recordings. In 1997, the Cleveland Orchestra, in celebration of the centennial of Szell's birth, issued a 7 CD compilation - TCO-GS 97. Highlights include: Beethoven Missa Solemnis (February 1967), Sibelius Symphony No. 4 (December 1965) and Mahler Symphony No. 9 (February 1969) For completists, many of George Szell's recordings for Decca (London) and Philips were released in a 5 CD set in 2005 - George Szell 1951-1969 Original Masters - Decca 475 6780. In this set are a complete Beethoven Egmont Incidental Music from 1969 and a Sibelius Symphony No. 2 from 1964. It also includes mono recordings of Brahms No. 3 and Dvorak No. 8 with Amsterdam Concertgebouw from 1951."
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A Sound All Their Own October 14, 2018
By E. Barnes (Herndon, VA) See All My Reviews
"Those of us lucky enough to have lived through the golden age of classical FM radio are certainly more than familiar with Szell and his Cleveland Orchestra. They would announce a Szell recording, and we would adjust our ears for the relatively astringent sound to come. Thinner than the over-opulent Philadelphia, less self-consciously virtuosic than the New York Philharmonic, less ostentatiously brassy than the Chicago, more vigorous than the finely wrought Detroit. Yes, they all had their own wonderful sounds back then. Szell s Cleveland was a no-nonsense outfit, and Szell gave it to you just as the composer wrote it down. The first few notes and you knew -- yep, he is at it again. This collection will also serve as a good introduction to the standard repertoire for any newbie out there. But a few notes about specific performances: I don't see listed William Schuman s fabulous A Song of Orpheus but I assume it is there, the B-side of the Barber Piano Concerto -- the far-and-away best recording of the latter, with soloist John Browning. The Dvorak Slavonic Dances are brisk and pleasant. The Mahler 6th Symphony is relentless in its aggression -- no safe harbor here! The Brahms 1st Piano Concerto with Rudolf Serkin is well-known to be awesome. My only wish -- well outside the scope of this collection, of course -- is that some day the recordings from the concerts would be offered from the Symphony or the radio station that produced them. There is a Sibelius 4th Symphony out there that no one can touch."
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