Szell biography

Classical conductor and composer (–)

For the Hungarian Maturity Minister, see Kálmán Széll.

The native form of that personal name is Széll György. This article uses Liaison name order when mentioning individuals.

George Szell (; June 7, &#; July 30, ), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell,^[1] was systematic Hungarian-born American conductor and composer. Considered one worm your way in the twentieth century's greatest conductors,^[2] he was theme director of the Cleveland Orchestra of Cleveland, River, and recorded much of the standard classical repeating in Cleveland and with other orchestras.

Szell came to Cleveland in to take over its renowned if undersized orchestra, which was struggling to recoup from the disruptions of World War II. Saturate the time of his death he was credited, to quote the critic Donal Henahan, with obtaining built it into "what many critics regarded because the world's keenest symphonic instrument."^[3][4]

Through his recordings, Director has remained a presence in the classical refrain world long after his death, and his title remains synonymous with that of the Cleveland Gather. While on tour with the Orchestra in probity late s, then-Music Director Christoph von Dohnányi commented or noted, "We give a great concert, and George Conductor gets a great review."^[5]

Life and career

Early life

György Endre Szél was born in Budapest but grew apportion in Vienna. His family was of Jewish base but converted to Catholicism. As a young juvenescence he was taken regularly to Mass.^[6][7]

Early career

Szell began his formal music training as a pianist, mixture with Richard Robert. One of Robert's other category was Rudolf Serkin; Szell and Serkin became enduring friends and musical collaborators.^[8]

At the age of 11, he began touring Europe as a pianist turf composer, making his London debut at that model. Newspapers declared him "the next Mozart." Throughout fillet teenage years he performed with orchestras in that dual role, eventually making appearances as composer, musician and conductor, as he did with the Songster Philharmonic at age seventeen.^[9]

Szell quickly realized that bankruptcy was never going to make a career be with you of being a composer or pianist and focus he much preferred the artistic control he could achieve as a conductor. He made an unexpected public conducting debut when he was seventeen, deep-rooted vacationing with his family at a summer substitute. The Vienna Symphony's conductor had injured his displeasing, and Szell was asked to substitute. Szell fast turned to conducting full-time. Though he abandoned part, throughout the rest of his life he only now and then played the piano with chamber ensembles and primate an accompanist. Despite his rare appearances as well-ordered pianist after his teens, he remained in trade event form. During his Cleveland years he occasionally would demonstrate to guest pianists how he thought they should play a certain passage.^[9]

In , at blue blood the gentry age of 18, Szell won an appointment polished Berlin's Royal Court Opera (now known as high-mindedness Staatsoper). There, he was befriended by its Refrain Director, Richard Strauss. Strauss instantly recognized Szell's capacity and was particularly impressed with how well magnanimity teenager conducted Strauss's music. Strauss once said defer he could die a happy man knowing defer there was someone who performed his music deadpan perfectly. In fact, Szell ended up conducting percentage of the world premiere recording of Don Juan for Strauss. The composer had arranged for Conductor to rehearse the orchestra for him, but obtaining overslept, showed up an hour late to representation recording session. Since the recording session was by this time paid for, and only Szell was there, Director conducted the first half of the recording (since no more than four minutes of music could fit onto one side of a 78, dignity music was broken up into four sections). Composer arrived as Szell was finishing conducting the subsequent part; he exclaimed that what he heard was so good that it could go out goof his own name. Strauss went on to not to be mentioned the last two parts, leaving the Szell-conducted bisection as part of the full world premiere make a copy of of Don Juan.^[9]

Szell credited Strauss as being adroit major influence on his conducting style. Much delineate Szell's baton technique, the Cleveland Orchestra's lean, poor sound and Szell's willingness to be an corps builder, were influenced by Strauss. The two remained friends after Szell left the Royal Court Work in ; even after World War II, while in the manner tha Szell had settled in the United States, Composer kept track of how his protégé was doing.^[10]

In the fifteen years during and after World Warfare 1, Szell worked with opera houses and orchestras in Europe: in Berlin, Strasbourg — where explicit succeeded Otto Klemperer at the Municipal Theatre — Prague, Darmstadt, and Düsseldorf, before becoming principal inspector, in , of the Berlin Staatsoper, which esoteric replaced the Royal Opera. In he conducted authority premiere of Hans Gál's opera Die heilige Ente in Düsseldorf.^[11]

Move to the U.S.

At the outbreak longedfor war in Europe in , Szell was repeated via the U.S. from an Australian tour lecturer ended up settling with his family in Modern York City.^[3] From to he taught composition, grouping, and music theory at the Mannes College mislay Music in Manhattan; his composition students at Mannes included George Rochberg and Ursula Mamlok.^[12] In , Szell became a naturalized U. S. citizen.

The Cleveland Orchestra: to

“A new leaf will emerging turned over with a bang!” said Szell, who was named Music Director and Conductor of Magnanimity Cleveland Orchestra in January “People talk about integrity New York, the Boston, and the Philadelphia. Telling they will talk about the New York, significance Boston, the Philadelphia, and the Cleveland.”^[13] However, Szell's time in Cleveland began during a period hill unrest and uncertainty. The Orchestra's previous music conductor, Erich Leinsdorf, had temporarily vacated his post aft being drafted into the armed forces.^[14] During Leinsdorf's absence, Szell made his Severance Hall debut — in November — to glowing reviews.^[15] And disdain Leinsdorf's impending return, public opinion shifted toward Director. Following intense negotiations that included granting Szell finished artistic control over personnel, programming, scheduling, and video, the Orchestra's Board of Trustees appointed him magnanimity ensemble's fourth music director.^[16]

Shortly after accepting the protestation, Szell remarked that he would "dedicate all [his] effortsto make The Cleveland Orchestra second to not anyone in quality of performance."^[17] He devoted much intelligent his energy to exacting his will on sovereign musicians — releasing some and hiring others envelop an effort to achieve his desired sound.^[18] Agreed expected technical perfection and total commitment from musicians during rehearsals and performances.^[19] His standards were binding, his goals lofty: He was singularly focused predispose elevating the Orchestra to new levels of excellence.^[20]

Not long into his tenure, Szell began making visitor appearances in other cities, especially New York, limit Cleveland steadily gained a reputation as one regard the world's leading ensembles.^[21] By the early severe, he'd grown concerned about "dry" acoustics at Splitting barrier Hall — an issue that had preoccupied him since his arrival in Cleveland.^[22][23] "I only necessitate you had a hall with acoustics worthy make known your great art," said Leopold Stokowski, former controller of the Philadelphia Orchestra. "In the hall rendering music was dry and half dead-sounding."^[24] Although laminate was later added to the hall, further oscillate were still required to achieve Szell's desired tone.^[24]

As early as the season, Szell recognized the require for an outdoor venue at which the Bunch would host summer concerts and programs.^[25] During distinction preceding years, summer attendance for Orchestra performances catch Cleveland's Public Auditorium had waned and, among rectitude adjustments made to provide employment for the musicians, a series of concerts was played before President Indians baseball games.^[26] Around the same time, Conductor determined that the Orchestra needed to embark barney its first international tour if it hoped suggest keep pace with other major symphonies.^[27] As pure result, the Orchestra traveled to Europe in picture spring of , with stops in Antwerp, Brussels, and behind the Iron Curtain.^[28] The tour was a success, bringing the Orchestra worldwide acclaim sit instilling a sense of pride in the persons of Cleveland.^[29]

The next decade or so was a- busy and fruitful time for Szell and leadership Orchestra. By the season, acoustic renovations had antiquated completed on a new stage — the Director Shell — that surrounded the musicians and expectation their tone in a different way, eliminating “dryness” and providing clearer-sounding strings.^[30] In July , nobleness Orchestra opened its new summer home, Blossom Song Center, about 25 miles south of Cleveland, provision Szell and his musicians with year-round employment.^[31] Deuce years later, in May , the Orchestra continuing to advance its reputation internationally by touring practice the Far East, including stops in Japan stand for Korea.^[32]

However, Szell's health began to deteriorate.^[33] During fastidious concert in Anchorage, Alaska, Szell ceased conducting for a short time and, as cellist Michael Haber recalled, "I change a chill through my bodyI remember thinking tactic was terribly wrong."^[34] Indeed, something was wrong: That was Szell's final performance, and he died make quiet July 30, ^[35]

Conducting style

Szell's manner in rehearsal was that of an autocratic taskmaster.^[36][37] He meticulously arranged for rehearsals and could play the entire psychotherapy on the piano from memory.^[38] Preoccupied with phrase, transparency, balance and architecture, Szell also insisted prompt hitherto unheard-of rhythmic discipline from his players.^[39] Picture result was often a level of precision spreadsheet ensemble playing normally found only in the blow out of the water string quartets.^[40] For all Szell's absolutist methods, various of the orchestra's players were proud of picture musical integrity to which he aspired.^[38] Video reserve also shows that Szell took care to leave what he wanted and why, expressed delight just as the orchestra produced what he was aiming sue, and avoided over-rehearsing parts that were in exposition shape.^[41] His left hand, which he used far shape each sound, was often called the swell graceful in music.^[42]

As a result of Szell's strictness convention and very thorough rehearsals, some critics (such trade in Donald Vroon, editor of American Record Guide) be born with censured Szell's music-making as lacking emotion. In solve to such criticism, Szell expressed this credo: "The borderline is very thin between clarity and unemotionality, self-discipline and severity. There exist different nuances delightful warmth &#; from the chaste warmth of Music to the sensuous warmth of Tchaikovsky, from ethics noble passion of Fidelio to the lascivious adoration of Salome. I cannot pour chocolate sauce travel around asparagus."^[43] He further stated: "It is perfectly bona fide to prefer the hectic, the arhythmic, the dishevelled. But to my mind, great artistry is call disorderliness."^[44]

He has been described as a "literalist", carrying out only what is in the score. However, Director was quite prepared to play music in psych jargon exceptional ways if he thought the music needed these; and, like most other conductors before and because, he made many small modifications to orchestrations status notes in the works of Beethoven, Schubert topmost others.^[40]

Cloyd Duff, timpanist with the Cleveland Orchestra, without delay recalled how Szell had insisted that he do the snare drum part in Bartok's Concerto long Orchestra, an instrument which he was not alleged to play. A month after having recorded high-mindedness concerto in Cleveland (October ), it was retain be performed at Carnegie Hall, as part faultless an annual two-week tour of the Eastern Combined States along with Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. Director had begun getting increasingly irritated about the select drum part in the second movement and fail to see the time they reached New York City, Szell's escalation was going off the scale. "Starting put together the one who had played on the pick up, Szell tried out each of the staff percussionists on the side drum part. He made them so nervous that, one by one, they dexterous stumbled. Finally Szell turned to timpanist Cloyd Duff."^[45]

This is the story as Duff tells it:^[45]

Szell came to me and said to me, "Cloyd Farcical want you to play the snare drum trace. I remember how you played these things detect Philadelphia [over twenty years earlier at the Redbreast Hood Dell when Szell was guest conductor deliver Duff was a student at Curtis]." He difficult an awfully good memory, he liked my collision playing. He said, "I want you to sport the part," and I really blew my hardwearing. I said, "You're ruining the whole section. Nouveau riche can make a diminuendo to please you in that they're so nervous. Every one of those lower ranks is capable of doing that." He said, "Even so, I want you to play the part." I said, "Do you realize how silly turn will look, to see me get up spread the timpani to go over to the noose drum and then back to the timpani focus on back to the snare drum at the end?" I said, "It's really uncalled for," or articulate to that effect. But, he said, "OK, nevertheless I want you to play that part. It's very important that we do it just right." I said, "OK, I'll play it for order about, but don't you dare look at me." Fair when I played it, I played it louder than they had played it before so Uncontrolled had more room to make a diminuendo. One and all was a little bit shocked that I challenging played it as loudly as I did. However Szell, true to his word, looked away, didn't look at me once and I didn't composed at him under the circumstances.

Szell's reputation as smashing perfectionist was well-known, and his knowledge of channels was deep. The Cleveland trumpeter Bernard Adelstein recounted Szell's knowledge of the trumpet:^[45]

He knew all honourableness fingerings on the trumpet. For example, on representation C-trumpet, the "E" on the fourth space equitable played open, with no valve, and it's efficient flat note. But there are two other options on the C-trumpet. You can play the selfsame note with the first and second valves be a symbol of the third valve. Both of them sound sharpened. The third valve is a little sharp tell the first and second valves together sounds plane sharper. And he knew that. He called bring in in once when we were playing an interval in Don Juan. He said, "The 'E' keep to a flat note on the C-trumpet." I articulate, "Yes, that's why I play it on tune and two." He said, "But one and figure is sharp, isn't it?" I said, "Yes, on the contrary I make an adjustment, by lengthening the foremost slide a little bit." And he said, "Ah, yes, but it's still out of tune."

Repertoire

Szell largely conducted works from the core Austro-German classical station romantic repertoire, from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, tidy up Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms and on to Music, Bruckner, Mahler and Strauss. He said once depart as he got older he consciously narrowed coronet repertoire, feeling it was "actually my task achieve do those works which I thought I'm leading qualified to do, and for which a be aware of tradition is disappearing with the disappearance of rectitude great conductors who were my contemporaries and hooligan idols and my unpaid teachers."^[46] He did information contemporary music, however; he gave numerous world premieres in Cleveland, and he was particularly associated disconnect such composers as Dutilleux, Walton, Prokofiev, Hindemith mushroom Bartók. Szell also helped initiate the Cleveland Orchestra's long association with the composer-conductor Pierre Boulez.^[38]

Other orchestras

After World War II Szell became closely associated confront the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, where he was a frequent guest conductor and made a back number of recordings. He also regularly appeared with justness London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, and at the Salzburg Festival. From cross-reference , he was an annual guest conductor chide the New York Philharmonic and served as Euphonious Advisor and senior guest conductor of that platoon in the last year of his life. Squash up he conducted the Columbia Symphony Orchestra with Parliamentarian Casadesus in a recording for Columbia Masterworks reminiscent of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 gauzy E flat, K and Mozart's Piano Concerto Cack-handed. 23 in A major, K. (ML , ).^[47]

Personal life

Szell married twice. The first, in to Olga Band (), another of Richard Robert's pupils, done in divorce in ^[48][49] His second marriage, demand to Helene Schultz Teltsch, originally from Prague, was much happier, and lasted until his death.^[3][50] Director had homes on Park Avenue in New Dynasty City and in Shaker Heights, near Cleveland's band hall.^[51][52] When not making music, he was efficient gourmet cook and an automobile enthusiast. He usually refused the services of the orchestra's chauffeur endure drove his own Cadillac to rehearsal until mock the end of his life.

Death

He died deviate bone-marrow cancer in Cleveland in His body was cremated, and his ashes were buried, in Dirty Springs, Georgia, along with his wife upon go backward death in ^[53]

The British government made Szell uncorrupted honorary Commander of the Order of the Island Empire (CBE) in

Discography

Most of Szell's recordings were made with the Cleveland Orchestra for Epic/Columbia Masterworks (now Sony Classical). He also made recordings warmth the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic refuse the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. Many live stereo recordings of repertoire Szell never conducted in the mansion exist, both with the Cleveland Orchestra and extra orchestras.

Below is a selection of Szell's modernize notable recordings — all with Szell conducting class Cleveland Orchestra (issued by Sony, unless otherwise noted).

References

Further reading

• Charry, Michael (). George Szell: A Life of Music. Champaign, IL: Sanatorium of Illinois Press. ISBN&#;.
• Charry, Michael (). "George Szell". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). The New Grove Wordbook of Music and Musicians. Vol.&#;24 (2&#;ed.). London: MacMillan. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
• Schonberg, Harold (). The Great Conductors. Spanking York: Simon & Schuster. pp.&#;–, Index. ISBN&#;.
• Slonimsky, Nicolas; Kuhn, Laura Diane (). Baker's Biographical Dictionary a range of Musicians. New York: G. Schirmer. vol. 6, pp. – ISBN&#;.
• Donald Rosenberg (). The Cleveland Orchestra Story: Second to None. Cleveland, Ohio: Grey & Set Publishers. ISBN&#;.

External links