George Szell: The Forgotten Recordings
The Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell
2 CD Set
The Forgotten Recordings features eight historic performances made for the Book-of-the-Month Club in 1954 and 1955, seven of which are first releases that have been restored and remastered by the multi-award-winning audio restoration engineer Lani Spahr, who also provides extensive and informative booklet notes. Three works – Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite (BWV 1068), a revealing engagement by Szell with a composer he is not usually associated with, Smetana’s The Moldau and Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel (with an early spotlight on legendary horn player Myron Bloom) were recorded in mono in a remarkably productive session on Christmas Eve, 1954. From October 1955 in stereo recordings are two works by Brahms – his Haydn Variations and the Academic Festival Overture, two symphonies – Mozart’s No.39 and Schumann’s Fourth – and a Stravinsky Firebird Suite that “crackles with energy”
Disc 1
- I. Ouverture
- II. Air, "Air on the G String"
- III. Gavotte I-II
- IV. Bourrée
- V. Gigue
- Má vlast (My Fatherland): No. 2. Vltava (Moldau)
- Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks), Op. 28, TrV 171
- I. Adagio - Allegro
- II. Andante con moto
- III. Menuetto: Allegretto
- IV. Finale: Allegro
Disc 2
- Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
- Theme: Chorale St. Antoni: Andante
- Variation 1: Andante con moto
- Variation 2: Vivace
- Variation 3: Con moto
- Variation 4: Andante
- Variation 5: Poco presto
- Variation 6: Vivace
- Variation 7: Grazioso
- Variation 8: Poco presto
- Finale: Andante
- I. Ziemlich langsam - Lebhaft
- II. Romanze: Ziemlich langsam
- III. Scherzo: Lebhaft
- IV. Langsam - Lebhaft
- I. Introduction
- II. The Firebird and its Dance
- III. Variation of the Firebird
- IV. Ring dance of the Princesses
- V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey
- VI. Lullaby
- VII. Finale