Description
SOMM Recordings is delighted to present Vol. 1 in a new series that offers remastered performances of George Szell in New York. This first volume features live performances of Franck's Symphony in D minor and Sibelius's Symphony No. 2 from CBS Radio air checks made at Carnegie Hall with the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York--an earlier moniker of the present-day New York Philharmonic Orchestra. These recordings come from the extensive music collection of producer and master sound restoration and remastering engineer, Lani Spahr, who also provides highly conversant liner notes for this album. When George Szell (1897- 1970) was appointed the Cleveland Orchestra's fourth music director in 1946, and spent the next 24 years of his legendary tenure honing it into one of the finest music ensembles in the world, his name became synonymous with the orchestra. To this symbiotic relationship, he brought his formidable experience with a variety of orchestras in both his native Europe and the United States. Szell's first conducting experience in America was in 1930, when he made his debut with the St. Louis Symphony. In October 1939, he and his wife, Helene, arrived in New York, having decided to wait out the war in the United States. Though initially finding himself in the unusual position of having no work, Szell started to receive guest-conducting offers from orchestras around the country, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His star began its rapid rise in New York with his engagement at the Metropolitan Opera in 1942, and he made his debut with the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York on the Fourth of July 1943. His relationship with the Philharmonic would span 27 years. Szell conducted the Symphony in D minor by Cesar Franck over 20 times in the United States. His first performance with the Philharmonic in New York was on 28 February 1948, and the last was 6 April 1970. This present live recording comes from 6 December 1953. From the early 1950s, the Symphony No. 2 in D major by Jean Sibelius was a staple of Szell's programming, and he performed it more than 60 times. He conducted it with the Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall on 15 and 16 January 1953, and again on 18, whence this broadcast originates. In the minds of many, the orchestra that George Szell honed in Cleveland would never be equalled for its disciplined execution, unparalleled clarity, and unanimity of phrasing. Lani Spahr makes the interesting observation that "[w]hen listening to these recordings it becomes obvious that the Philharmonic was, at this time, a superior orchestra, top to bottom, to what Szell was in the process of building in Cleveland." It is SOMM's privilege to make these recordings available, newly restored.
