Tuesday, November 29, 2011


Szell & Cleveland Orchestra
Schubert Symphony no. 9
(Vinyl)

Labeled prominently as one of "Szell's Last Recordings", this (I believe) marks the only time that Szell recorded Schubert's "Great" (although Cleveland later recorded the same symphony with Christoph von Dohnanyi.)
This recording was released posthumously in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Dr. Szell in the immediate years after his death.
Considering how many Szell/Cleveland recordings I come across in thrift stores all across the country it's not a stretch to consider Szell (along with Bernstein, Ormandy, etc.) as true musical celebrities of their day. This age is (sadly) long gone. I can think of the non-news it will be when one day Joshua Bell meets his end. "Josh who?"

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