22 April 2011

Revisiting Schumann by Szell and the Clevelanders

This is the third anniversary of this blog, and as I have done on previous anniversaries, I am revisiting one of my old uploads, in the hope of improving my earlier effort.

This time it's one of the first recordings by George Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra - here in a new transfer from a much better pressing (no skip in the first movement), in lossless format and with better scans. The only thing I don't like more is the cover. The earlier cover had a attractive buff background (same design).

Szell in 1947
Rereading my earlier commentary, I have to say I agree with most of it, so at least I am consistent with my opinions. Having redone the transfer, I would now say that the recording is more dry than dull. Here's what I had to say then:

"I prepared this 10-inch LP for upload some time ago but didn't follow through because the sound was opaque and because there is a skip in the first movement that can't be repaired.

"Then I heard a recording of a concert performance of Schumann's second symphony by these forces - and it was so good that I just had to bring this version of the fourth symphony to the blog.

"Columbia taped this edition of the fourth symphony in Severance Hall in November 1947. At that time, Szell and the Cleveland band were somewhat new to one another. Nonetheless, this performance displays many of the characteristics of the later performance I heard. Szell has everything under serious control and the orchestra follows his every move with precision and a kind of controlled passion.

"Everyone who listens to music likes to think about how they would perform a piece - and this is not the way I would do it, for sure. But it is a fascinating approach that I do enjoy."

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by during the past three years. It's been fun.
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14 comments:

  1. Buster22 April, 2011 12:03

    Links:

    http://rapidshare.com/files/458665901/Schumann_-_Symphony_No._2__CO_-_Szell_.zip

    http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?qjd3ktyh6j4dhjb

    Thanks to all who comment!

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  2. Ernie23 April, 2011 07:38

    Happy Anniversary, Buster! Always a pleasure to stop in here and see what great stuff you have to share with us.

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  3. Pablo Varela23 April, 2011 10:23

    Happy Anniversary, Buster! Great blog!

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  4. David25 April, 2011 09:45

    Belated happy anniversary! I know I'm one of many who are very appreciative of all of your postings. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mindy25 April, 2011 21:21

    Another belated happy anniversary! You know I think you and your blog are just the greatest.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Buster25 April, 2011 21:42

    Thanks to Ernie, Pablo, swampguy and Mindy for the well-wishes. The warm feelings are mutual!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Phillip27 April, 2011 21:20

    Many happy returns, Buster. This is one my favourite symphonies, and I'm looking forward to hearing this reading.

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  8. Anonymous28 April, 2011 08:53

    Many thanks and many congratulations on your superbly interesting blog.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sacqueboutier30 April, 2011 06:20

    Great post, Buster. A thousand thanks from this Marine.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Muff Diver07 June, 2014 17:18



    Fabulous Buster, I love the Cleveland Orchestra!

    Thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Buster18 June, 2014 20:20

    Remastered version (Apple lossless):

    https://mega.co.nz/#!XIkCSJ4I!DPV22VnJy9sWdbQDn1fjn0AukEIPVDVPTpnk8Pc9QrI

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  12. Steve Waldee15 July, 2018 13:30

    Buster:

    I have been amazed at the technical quality of these 1940s Cleveland recordings, all of which were -- I believe -- mastered on 33.3 rpm lacquers, which were then dubbed to 78s for contemporary issue. The Mozart 39 was especially vivid.

    There was scarcely any difference sonically between the best of those, and early 50s taped recordings by Szell. Here's one that I personally transferred about 25 years ago from my mint Epic monaural disk. I archived it from lossless files onto CDR, so I must apologize for this lossy mp3; it doesn't really sound significantly poorer as I used the highest bit-rate. And also, apologies that the movements are not tracked; I did this to put the performance on my network drive though my CDR was done "correctly" with tracks for each movement. I always liked this better than Szell's later stereo version; it seemed a bit less stiff, and more spontaneous. Nice old cover, too: embedded into each mp3 track. Discogs track/disk info included.

    There surely has been a CD reissue but not, I think, in a separate, affordable disk. I cannot imagine it would sound stupdendously better than the original Epic Lp; luckily my copy was a mint, unplayed one.

    https://www32.zippyshare.com/v/4QzFGGgL/file.html

    File available ONLY for about a month.

    8H Haggis
    (45 MB, mp3 zipped)

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  13. Buster15 July, 2018 14:22

    Thanks! I love the old Szell recordings myself.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Buster15 July, 2018 22:08

    I have this LP, but am listening to your fine transfer. The finale of 40 is awe-inspiring.

    ReplyDelete

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