Featured In
ALBUMRavel: La Valse & Ma mère l'oye & Pavane pour une infante défunte - Debussy: Petite Suite - Satie: 2 GymnopédiesEugene Ormandy, George Szell, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Louis Lane & The Cleveland Orchestra
Albums by George Szell
ALBUMBeethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor" - Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 (Remastered 2023)George Szell, London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Clifford Curzon
ALBUMBlacher, Mozart & Brahms: Orchestral Works (Remastered 2023)George Szell & Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra
ALBUMMozart: Symphony No. 32 - Debussy: La Mer - Dvorak: Concerto for Cello and OrchestraGeorge Szell & Radio Sinfonie Orchester Köln
ALBUMSchumann: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Les Indispensables de Diapason)George Szell, Ferdinand Leitner, The Cleveland Orchestra & Berlin Philharmonic
ALBUMMozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 27Robert Casadesus, Columbia Symphony Orchestra & George Szell
ALBUMBach, Mozart & Others: Orchestral WorksThe Cleveland Orchestra & George Szell
ALBUMDvorák: Concerto pour violoncelle No. 2, Trio "Dumky"Pierre Fournier, George Szell, Suk Trio & Berlin Philharmonic
ALBUMMozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384Vienna Philharmonic, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, George Szell, Murray Dickie, Rudolf Schock, Kurt Böhme, Erika Koth, Lisa Otto, Hannsgeorg Laubenthal & Wolfgang Hebenstreit
ALBUMMendelssohn & Schubert: Incidental MusicGeorge Szell & The Cleveland Orchestra
ALBUMSzell Conducts Haydn Symphonies 97 & 98George Szell & The Cleveland Orchestra
Artist Biography
George Szell conducted with intelligence, precision, and authority and drew the highest musical standards from his orchestra. He was born György Széll in Budapest in 1897 and grew up in Vienna, where he was quickly recognized as a child prodigy as both pianist and composer. Between the wars, he pursued a successful career as an opera conductor in cities around Europe. In 1939, he settled in the U.S., and in 1946 became music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, a position he held for 24 years. Szell raised the standard and profile of the orchestra to world-class status through his disciplined approach and insistence on technical perfection. Szell did not have a wide repertoire; he only conducted the music he loved. Among his finest recordings are works by Schumann, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvořák. He continued to make regular guest appearances with orchestras in America and Europe, including the New York Philharmonic and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. He died of cancer in 1970, still in post at Cleveland. Szell’s studio recordings are considered definitive by many critics and listeners, though some considered them overly analytical and detailed. Since his death, many live recordings have appeared, which show a more lyrical and impulsive character on the concert stage.
Hometown
Budapest, Hungary
Genre
Classical