Eloquence Classics

George Szell’s reputation as a perfectionist is legendary, and these recordings, taped between 1949 and 1970, offer a vivid portrait of a conductor whose clarity, discipline and structural command set new standards in orchestral performance. The New York Times praised his ‘uncompromising precision and taut rhythmic control’ and critics have long admired the ‘incisive, diamond-cut playing’ he drew from orchestras, yet also the elegance and lyricism that balanced his rigour. These recordings, described by Gramophone as ‘models of orchestral refinement and integrity’ bring together Szell’s complete legacy for Decca, Philips and Deutsche Grammophon, preserving performances that still set benchmarks of style and authority.

Besides purely symphonic repertoire, including Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Dvořák’s Eighth and Brahms’s Third Symphonies, a fiery account of the incidental music for the composer’s Egmont, and luminous versions of Rosamunde (Schubert) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn) the set also includes concerto recordings with Clifford Curzon (Mozart, Brahms and Tchaikovsky) and his sole recording for Deutsche Grammophon, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with Pierre Fournier. Included by way of bonus is a 30-minute rehearsal extract for the recording of Handel’s Water Music – never before published.

Even while involved with the Cleveland Orchestra (from 1947 until his death in 1970) Szell continued to work with the great European ensembles in London, Amsterdam and Vienna even after taking up the post in Cleveland. Their mutual respect and affinity is evident throughout this set. Szell may have earned his reputation as a podium autocrat, but he knew how to get the best out of orchestras, who valued the fact that he never wasted a word or a gesture.

The 1962 account of Brahms’s First Concerto with Clifford Curzon was acclaimed as a definitive recording on its first release, and has hardly been toppled from that peak since. Also made with the LSO, the Handel collection is more of a period piece, featuring Hamilton Harty’s reorchestrations of the Water Music and Fireworks Music, but Szell’s Romantic-era phrasing holds its own charm.

A fascinating new essay by Tully Potter surveys the life and career of a conductor who never settled for anything less than perfection. The booklet includes rare session photographs.