OLD
WINE IN NEW BOTTLES
Fine old
recordings
re-released
By
Bruce Surtees
It must be remembered
that
when George Szell came to prominence in the United States in
the mid
1940s (and his mid-forties) he was a highly respected conductor and
musician in
Europe. He had a very solid grip on his repertoire which soon expanded
to new
works which he was debuting and championing. However, all that most
music
lovers around the world today know about Szell’s artistry they have
divined
from the recordings made by Columbia in Cleveland from the late 1940s
on. In an
interview with Szell as an intermission feature in one of the weekly
broadcast
concerts, he stated that Columbia allowed him to record items that he
requested
only if they were not in conflict with Ormandy or Bernstein. Those he
did make
revealed meticulously prepared performances which could be
misinterpreted as a
somewhat objective. The lean balances of those LPs and then CDs only
reinforced
that impression.
Happily, two new four discs
(priced as three) sets of live Szell performances from Cleveland and
New York
tell another story. It is very clear throughout that Szell was not a
conductor
working on his interpretations. He knew exactly what he wanted and he
got it.
These sets, published by West Hill Radio Archives of Don Mills
are
derived from immaculate sources and contain many revelations. The
Art of
George Szell Volume One (WHRA-6018) opens with Szell’s
debut concert
with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra from Carnegie Hall on
July 4,
1943. WW2 was still raging and as was the custom in all countries, the
concert
opened with orchestra and audience joining in the national anthem. I
must say
that most national anthems really touch me and this one is no
exception. Fine
performances of the Beethoven Seventh, The Moldau, and the Tannhäuser
Overture follow and the concert ends with The Stars and Stripes
Forever.
A concert from the following week on the second disc includes the
Mendelssohn
Fourth, Don Juan, and Rhapsody in Blue with Eugene List
in an
‘uptown’ symphonic performance with lots of energy and bravura... a far
cry
from Paul Whiteman.
From Szell’s debut concert
with the Cleveland Orchestra on November 2, 1944 we are treated to The
Overture to The Bartered Bride, Szell’s orchestration of Smetana’s
Quartet
in E minor, and Till Eulenspiegel. Szell worked closely with
Strauss and
we know that at least one, if not more, of the recordings ‘conducted’
by
Strauss were actually from the baton of young George. Other highlights
of the
set include Capriccio Espagnol and the Prokofiev First Violin
concerto
with Szigeti and the Philharmonic from 1945.
The Art of George
Szell
Volume Two (WHRA-6019)
contains exceptional performances of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole
(four
movements) with Alfredo Campoli, and Brahms’ second piano concerto with
Clifford Curzon both from 1953 with the Philharmonic. Concerts in
Cleveland
during 1957 included the Euryanthe Overture, The Prelude
and Good
Friday Music from Parsifal, the Beethoven Sixth, Haydn 97th
and the
Schubert 9th. Finally, from 1953 we hear the Franck Symphony in D minor
and one
of Szell’s specialities, the Sibelius Second Symphony.
I was taken aback by the
high quality of the sound throughout these discs, which is clear and
dynamic,
giving very few clues to the vintage. Only the Prokofiev shows its age.
These sets are pressed in
Europe and are not available, for copyright reasons, in the United
States.