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.
