Awards

• Winner of <DIV>Received the Best Historical Research in Recorded Classical Music Award from the Association for Recorded Sound Collection (ARSC), 2012.</DIV> 2012

Overview

This book is the first full biography of George Szell, one of the greatest orchestra and opera conductors of the twentieth century. From child prodigy pianist and composer to world-renowned conductor, Szell's career spanned seven decades, and he led most of the great orchestras and opera companies of the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the NBC and Chicago Symphonies, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and Opera, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. A protégé of composer-conductor Richard Strauss at the Berlin State Opera, his crowning achievement was his twenty-four-year tenure as musical director of the Cleveland Orchestra, transforming it into one of the world's greatest ensembles, touring triumphantly in the United States, Europe, the Soviet Union, South Korea, and Japan. Michael Charry, a conductor who worked with Szell and interviewed him, his family, and his associates over several decades, draws on this first-hand material and correspondence, orchestra records, reviews, and other archival sources to construct a lively and balanced portrait of Szell's life and work from his birth in 1897 in Budapest to his death in 1970 in Cleveland. Readers will follow Szell from his career in Europe, Great Britain, and Australia to his guest conducting at the New York Philharmonic and his distinguished tenure at the Metropolitan Opera and Cleveland Orchestra. Charry details Szell's personal and musical qualities, his recordings and broadcast concerts, his approach to the great works of the orchestral repertoire, and his famous orchestrational changes and interpretation of the symphonies of Robert Schumann. The book also lists Szell's conducting repertoire and includes a comprehensive discography. In highlighting Szell's legacy as a teacher and mentor as well as his contributions to orchestral and opera history, this biography will be of lasting interest to concert-goers, music lovers, conductors, musicians inspired by Szell's many great performances, and new generations who will come to know those performances through Szell's recorded legacy.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michael Charry
Publisher:   University of Illinois Press
Imprint:   University of Illinois Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 3.80cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9780252036163

ISBN 10:   0252036166
Pages:   464
Publication Date:   01 June 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

"Preface   ix Acknowledgments   xv Abbreviations   xix Chronology   xxi Introduction   1 1. The New Mozart (1897-1929)   3 2. The Conductor Spreads His Wings (1930-38)   23 3. Musical Pioneering in Australia (1938, 1939)   42 4. New World, New Beginnings (1939-46)   56 5. Cleveland: Contest and Commitment (1942-47)   78 6. Szell, the Orchestra Builder (1947-54)   105 7. George Szell and Rudolf Bing (1953-54)   141 8. Keeping the Promise: ""Second to None"" (1954-57)   149 9. The Golden Years (1957-65)   172 10. The Cleveland Orchestra in the World (1965-68)   223 11. Summers at Home   254 12. Finale: Cleveland, Japan, Korea, Anchorage, Cleveland (1968-70)   270 Epilogue   289 In Szell's Words   291 Appendix A. ""On the 150th Anniversary of Schumann's Birth,"" by George Szell   295 Appendix B. Staff and Kulas Foundation Conductors under George Szell   299 Appendix C. Apprentice Conductor Qualifications   301 Appendix D. 1957 European Tour Repertoire   303 Appendix E. 1965 European Tour Repertoire   305 Appendix F. Szell's Repertoire   307 Discography   331 Notes   355 Bibliography   397 Index   399 Illustrations follow page 104"

Reviews

A magnificent achievement. I was especially impressed by Mr. Charry's skill in conveying a deep admiration for his subject without falling into the trap of fawning or idol-worshipping--a quality seldom encountered in biographies of great conductors. Stephen C. Hillyer, past president of the Fritz Reiner Society

"""Michael Charry's fluently written, comprehensive biography tells us of Szell the self-deprecating young composer... Periods spent in Australia and Scotland are well documented, and so is Szell as operatic conductor, chamber musician and pianist. There are interesting comparisons between Szell's and Karajan's ways of working... That's what I call an important book."" Rob Cowan, Gramophone ""A magnificent achievement. I was especially impressed by Mr. Charry's skill in conveying a deep admiration for his subject without falling into the trap of fawning or idol-worshipping--a quality seldom encountered in biographies of great conductors."" Stephen C. Hillyer, past president of the Fritz Reiner Society This book is the first full biography of George Szell, one of the greatest orchestra and opera conductors of the twentieth century... There is surely no one more qualified than Michael Charry to write Szell's biography. Mr Charry was a member of the conducting staff of the Cleveland Orchestra for nine years under George Szell and continued for two years after Szell's death. He interviewed him, his family and his associates over several decades, draws on this first hand material and correspondence, orchestra records, reviews, and other archival sources to construct a lively and balanced portrait of Szell's life and work."" - Samuel Lewis, Musical Opinion, July 2012"

Michael Charry's fluently written, comprehensive biography tells us of Szell the self-deprecating young composer... Periods spent in Australia and Scotland are well documented, and so is Szell as operatic conductor, chamber musician and pianist. There are interesting comparisons between Szell's and Karajan's ways of working... That's what I call an important book. Rob Cowan, Gramophone A magnificent achievement. I was especially impressed by Mr. Charry's skill in conveying a deep admiration for his subject without falling into the trap of fawning or idol-worshipping--a quality seldom encountered in biographies of great conductors. Stephen C. Hillyer, past president of the Fritz Reiner Society This book is the first full biography of George Szell, one of the greatest orchestra and opera conductors of the twentieth century... There is surely no one more qualified than Michael Charry to write Szell's biography. Mr Charry was a member of the conducting staff of the Cleveland Orchestra for nine years under George Szell and continued for two years after Szell's death. He interviewed him, his family and his associates over several decades, draws on this first hand material and correspondence, orchestra records, reviews, and other archival sources to construct a lively and balanced portrait of Szell's life and work. - Samuel Lewis, Musical Opinion, July 2012

Reading this book would serve as a manual of music appreciation. Charry's tribute reflects the scope and brilliance of Szell's career, in the careful detailing of his performances and music critics' opinions of them. --Ohioana Quarterly A fine biography of one of the 20th century's greatest classical conductors. This thorough biography of one of the most important figures on the American classical scene in the post-World War II era is a valuable contribution to the literature on classical music. --Library Journal A discerning and highly informed new biography. Charry makes a convincing case for admiring his subject's skill in musical matters without concealing Szell's many personality flaws. --Forward Charry not only gives us invaluable insights into his leadership style and musical tastes ... but details some of the financial and political issues facing the orchestra during that era... Perhaps the book's greatest value lies in humanizing a man whom many have come to see as a humorless (or perhaps joyless) martinet. SymphonyNow Charry's achievement is unlikely to be surpassed for a long time, if ever, and the reader will come away with a real depth of insight into this towering, complex figure, which can only enhance our appreciation of his extraordinary accomplishment and artistic legacy. --Fanfare

Author Information

Michael Charry has conducted widely in the United States and internationally. He earned BS and MS degrees in Orchestral Conducting from the Julliard School of Music in the class of Jean Morel. His other conducting teachers were Pierre Monteux, at his school for conductors in Hancock, Maine; and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, on a Fulbright Scholarship in Hamburg, Germany. He was a member of the conducting staff of the Cleveland Orchestra for nine years under George Szell and for two years after Szell's death. On the faculty of Mannes College The New School for Music since 1988, he is a former director of the Mannes Orchestra.

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