George Szell - Beethoven:Symphony No.1-9 / Overtures - Import7 CDBox SetLimited Edition

Credits:

George Szell

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Beethoven: The Soul of the World Contents. [CD1] Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, October 2, 1964 Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36 [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, October 23, 1964 [CD2] Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 "Hero CD3] Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 "Hero" [Recorded: February 22-23, 1957, Masonic Temple Auditorium, Cleveland [CD3] Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60 Overture to "Leonore" No.3, Op.73b [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, April 5-6, 1963. Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op.67 [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, October 11 & 25, 1963 [CD4] Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 "The Countryside [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, January 20-21, 1962 [CD5] Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 [Recorded: October 30-31, 1959, Severance Hall, Cleveland. Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, April 15, 1961 [CD6] Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Chorus [Adele Addison (soprano), Jane Hobson (mezzo-soprano) Richard Lewis (tenor), Donald Bell (baritone) Cleveland Orchestra Chorus (Chorus Conductor: Robert Shaw) [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, April 15, 21, 22, 1961 [CD7] Overture to "Egmont", Op.84 [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, October 8, 1966. Overture to "Coriolan", Op.62 [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, October 29, 1966 Overture to "King Stefan", Op.117 [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, October 29, 1966 Overture to "Leonore" No.2, Op.72b [Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, October 8, 1966 Overture to "Leonore" No.1, Op.138 [Recorded at EMI Studios, London, August 25, 1967 Overture to "Fidelio," Op.72b [Recording] August 25, 1967, EMI Studios, London Performers George Szell, conductor Cleveland Orchestra ■Specifications Each disc is enclosed in the paper jacket of the first US LP (both front and back jackets reproduce the design of the first LP). Disc label design: original design of the original release 20-page, all-color booklet with track listings for all discs (including detailed recording data such as matrix numbers, first-issue catalog numbers, etc.) Liner notes by James H. North Each disc and booklet are enclosed in a cardboard clamshell box. This album is a comprehensive boxed set of stereo recordings of Beethoven's symphonies and orchestral works by Schoj Sell and the Cleveland Orchestra. This is the first international boxed release in 11 years, since the 2004 No Original Jacket Collection and the 2013 MASTERS Series release. The complete Beethoven symphonies by this duo are representative of their vast Columbia recordings, and are a precious recording of a world heritage of music that has long been heard as the standard Beethoven complete works of the analog stereo era. The tight, unambiguous performance design, with its muscular sound and strong driving force, and the way the individual voices of the orchestra are reproduced without strain and with astonishing clarity, is the result of Cell's good ear and the extremely high performance ability of the Cleveland Orchestra, which is truly a masterpiece of 20th century orchestral art along with the Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic, the Ormandy/Philadelphia, and others. The result is a masterpiece of 20th century orchestral artistry on par with the Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic and Ormandy/Philadelphia orchestras. The aggressive orchestral revisions in various parts sound fresh to today's ears, where the original performance is taken for granted, and the adoption or non-adoption of repeats shows Cell's keen eye for detail. The nine symphonies were recorded over a period of almost seven years, beginning with No. 3 "Hero" in February 1957 and ending with Nos. 1 and 2 in October 1964, and released on the Epic label. Since the Epic label was a subsidiary of Columbia, the recording itself was handled by Columbia staff, with Howard H. Scott (also known as Glenn Gould's first producer) in the 1950s and Paul Myers in the 1960s. In the 1960s, Paul Myers was the main producer. In the 1950s, Howard H. Scott (also known as Glenn Gould's first producer) and Paul Meyers were the main producers. The result was a wide left-right spread, dense, and crisp stereo recording. It was recorded using the best stereo and 3-track technology of its time, along with "Living Stereo" promoted by RCA, another major U.S. recording company.The seven overtures were recorded in 1966 and 1967, after the recording of the complete symphonies was completed, except for Leonore No. 3, which was recorded in April 1963 and released in the same year in coupling with Symphony No. 4, and this one was released on the Columbia label from the beginning. With the exception of Symphony No. 3 and two overtures, the recordings were made at Severance Hall, the former home of the Cleveland Orchestra. Completed in 1929 and inaugurated in 1931, the 1844-seat auditorium has been called "America's most beautiful concert hall" for its Greek Neoclassical exterior and elegant Art Deco-inspired interior. The hall is also an excellent recording venue, as it is not overly resonant, yet it is capable of capturing the full transparency and clarity of the cell's distinctive sound. What is unusual is that "Fidelio" and "Leonore No. 1" were recorded at EMI Studios (Abbey Road Studios) in London during a European tour in the summer of 1967. It would be interesting to compare the sound quality. The box will be reissued in its original LP paper-jacketed format, using the DSD remastering of the 2018 "George Sell - Complete Album Collection," remixed and remastered from the original analog masters by the master musician Andreas Meyer. From the international edition liner notes. This album reveals a multifaceted portrait of George Sell. He was born in Budapest to a Hungarian Jewish family, but he was a true Viennese musician, extremely gifted, and arrogant to the point of coarseness. Beethoven was central to his repertoire, more so than many other conductors. The Cleveland Orchestra was a brilliant jewel that Sell polished. Artur Rodzinski had turned a lowly regional orchestra under his direction into a superb ensemble, and Sell had polished it. Donald Hennahan of The New York Times praised the Cleveland Orchestra as "the most perceptive orchestra in the world. One day, ten years after Sell's death, Cleveland's music director, Christoph von Dohnányi, lamented, --- "We give great concerts, but it is George Sell who gets the credit. . Some criticized Sell's playing as being too fast, too stiff, and lacking warmth, to which he responded, "You can't put chocolate sauce on asparagus," he declared. He was a rigorous conductor, in contrast to Bruno Walter and Charles Müncht. Sell and the Cleveland Orchestra played with a precision and sense of style that rivaled Toscanini's, but they did not have the singing string sound that Toscanini excelled at.Some Cleveland Orchestra members felt that the concert was "too rehearsed" and "too tight" and that the rehearsals were superior performances. But any problems were always resolved in the recording sessions, and even in this Beethoven recording, there are no wrong notes, ambiguous cues, out-of-tune moments, or awkward phrases. Sell felt that Columbia favored the Ormandy-Philadelphia Orchestra and the Mitropoulos-New York Philharmonic in terms of recording, while neglecting himself and the Cleveland Orchestra. One of the reasons for this is that Sell's recording repertoire consisted of German and Austrian music of the 18th~19th centuries, and he did not willingly record French music or 20th century music. In addition, the Cleveland Orchestra always had a tight budget and low salaries for its orchestra members. During Lodzinski's time, the orchestra had about 80 members, with half the size of the string section. Sell succeeded in increasing that number to 100. Nevertheless, the Sell era was riddled with managerial problems, and there were constant feuds between Sell, the orchestra members, the trade union, the management, and the board of directors. However, there is no hint of such backstage troubles in this flawless performance of Beethoven. (Extracted from the liner notes by James H. North on this disc/booklet in English only) (Sony Music)