The hard Szell?

[Biffo]

I can second the recommendation of the Szell/Haydn Symphonies box.

Another strange ommission, I have been unable to find out very much about Knappertsbusch. Very little in English and one longish internet posting in German which seemed rather opaque (to my admittedly inadequate German).

[HighlandDougie]

Flying my tartan flag, 2 items from his sojourn in Glasgow as Conductor of the-then Scottish Orchestra:

"That year Sir John Barbirolli was invited to New York, and was soon appointed as Toscanini's successor at the Philharmonic. While he was negotiating his contract in New York, (Evelyn) Rothwell continued to play for the Scottish Orchestra. She turned down an offer of marriage from its new conductor, George Szell, and in 1939, after Barbirolli was divorced from the singer Marjorie Parry, they were married, and she went to live with him in New York." - quoted from the obituary of Evelyn Rothwell in The Times. Szell clearly found an alternative as he married the 2nd Mrs Szell in 1938.

And, for interest, see

http://www.sickinger.com/rsoconcerts.html

for the programmes from his seasons in Glasgow.

Haydn symphonies duly ordered from Amazon - I'd forgotten about this box. His late 1950s set of the Schumann Symphonies is, for me, incomparable. Sony, when they re-mastered some recordings as 2-channel SACDs, included some Szell recordings which still sound pretty amazing, not least the afore-mentioned Schumann - 1 and 2 only, alas.

[jayne lee wilson]

Don't forget the justly famous "Live in Tokyo" Szell/Cleveland set on Sony with Mozart 40 and Sibelius 2...

And a fine Schumann 2 live (reading - similar to Cleveland stereo one) with the Berlin Phil from the Philharmonie in 1969 on Testament, c/w Strauss Don Juan and Brahms Tragic Overture.

If you love his Mahler 4, there's an open-reel transfer as a high-definition download (said to be 24/96) at High Definition Tape Transfers... be warned, it is warts and all, but despite some roughness you'd be amazed at what's been missed from the CD issues, which sound muted by comparison. Can't say this site offers the best customer services though!

[Barbirollians]

Szell's Tchaikovsky 4th and 5th symphonies are my favourite recordings of both works . I agree about that Mahler 4 and would throw in his Eroica too.

[Colonel Danby]

I have always been fascinated by the life and work of David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London, especially as I love medieval music and we were at the same school in Birmingham. I was amazed that no biography has appeared about him, and my researches only came up with a few obits in the broadsheets otherwise nothing. Might ít be that his tragic death by suicide in 1976 makes a study of a wonderful musician a little beyond the pale?

[Dave2002]

Szell's Beethoven 5 cw Sibelius 2 with the Concertgebouw Orchestra has to be one of the great CDs.

Now, is anyone going to fill in the details about Szell renegotiating his contract. It has been left as a tease in an earlier post in this thread.

[Tony Halstead]

I don't know about Szell's contract.
There is a story about a young musician ( possibly David Zinman - anybody know?) visiting Szell for a conducting 'lesson'.
Szell asks
"are you another one of those virtuoso pianists who thinks he can turn into a conductor?"
"No" comes the reply,
"actually I can't play the piano at all".
"Aha" snorts Szell, " then you will never, ever be a conductor!"

[Biffo]

Szell was also a fine pianist. The Sony Original Jacket Collection of his Mozart recordings has him accompanying Rafael Druian in four of the Piano & Violin Sonatas and also with members of the Budapest String Quartet in the Piano Quartets. Anyone who has enjoyed his Haydn Symphonies would probably like his Mozart as well. The 10 -CD set contains symphonies, concertos, serenades etc. Unfortunately, it also contains 'bonus' material- mono recordings of Symphonies 39, 40 & 41 and some non-Szell material. They are not really bonuses, just filling up what would overwise be short-measure discs.

[Richard Tarleton]

Andre Previn told a story about how, as a young man, he visited Szell in a hotel room with a view to discussing a possible performance of the Strauss Burlesque. Szell told him to play a bit of it. Previn looked around for a piano - there was none. Szell indicated that he should play it on the coffee table. Previn did so - Szell said it was too slow (or fast, I forget which). Previn replied it was because he wasn't used to Szell's table, and played it much better on his own table at home.

The performance never took place.

[remdataram]

Szell's Tchaikovsky 4th and 5th symphonies are my favourite recordings of both works . I agree about that Mahler 4 and would throw in his Eroica too.

Barbirollians,

Are you able to provide more information on the Tchaikovsky 4/5 and Beethoven Eroica recordings please? I recall a Decca Tchaik 4 but am unsure if this is the recording you refer to.

I, too, just love Szell's Mahler 4 - Abbado's recent Lucerne DVD is also very fine.

Best wishes......

[aeolium]

I am very fond of Szell's recording of the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the great Pablo Casals and the Czech Philharmonic - the more poignant as it was recorded only a couple of years before Czechoslovakia was occupied. I don't think I've heard a more eloquent performance.

[Dave2002]

Barbirollians,

Are you able to provide more information on the Tchaikovsky 4/5 and Beethoven Eroica recordings please? I recall a Decca Tchaik 4 but am unsure if this is the recording you refer to.

As I recall Szell's T4 was originally on a Decca LP, while T5 was on CBS. He may have done more, but those were the ones which I think were most praised. I'm guessing that these are the CD re-releases you want to know about -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-Symphony-Beethoven-Music-Egmont/dp/B00000E475/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317300000&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Sy.../dp/B0000025PK Note - you might have to hunt around a bit to get a CD version of this one. Amazon UK appears to offer downloads, but the US site has the CD.

[remdataram]

Many thanks,

I'll pursue copies of both.

Was the Beethoven Eroica originally a CBS issue?

bws

[jayne lee wilson]

It's a great disc yes, but the Live (unedited) 1970 Tokyo Sibelius 2 has a blazing power and intensity, and it is the Clevelanders - try to get it (prices!) if you're a fan!

I don't know that anecdote but here's a good one...
"After he [Szell] had stalked out of the New York Met. in 1954, someone observed to Rudolf Bing, the manager, that George Szell was his own worst enemy.
"Not while I'm alive," said Bing.

Szell's Beethoven 5 cw Sibelius 2 with the Concertgebouw Orchestra has to be one of the great CDs.

Now, is anyone going to fill in the details about Szell renegotiating his contract. It has been left as a tease in an earlier post in this thread.

[Curalach]

It's a great disc yes, but the Live (unedited) 1970 Tokyo Sibelius 2 has a blazing power and intensity

I totally agree, it is a blistering performance. I had heard them do it at the Edinburgh Festival not long before which was, without doubt, the finest live performance of Sibelius 2 I have ever heard.
At the same festival I heard the Berlin Phil with Karajan and for my money the Cleveland and Szell knocked them into a cocked hat!!