This edition of EMI's Great Conductors of the Twentieth Century series is devoted to George Szell, surely one of the great Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven conductors of the twentieth century. But is Szell really one of the great Auber, Delius, Rossini, and Josef Strauss conductors of the twentieth century? This two-disc set asks listeners to believe that he was because those are the composers represented on these discs, with nary a note of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven to be heard. And while Szell's Fra Diavolo and L'italiana in ...
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This edition of EMI's Great Conductors of the Twentieth Century series is devoted to George Szell, surely one of the great Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven conductors of the twentieth century. But is Szell really one of the great Auber, Delius, Rossini, and Josef Strauss conductors of the twentieth century? This two-disc set asks listeners to believe that he was because those are the composers represented on these discs, with nary a note of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven to be heard. And while Szell's Fra Diavolo and L'italiana in Algeri are quite fine in their tight-fisted way, and while Szell's Irmelin Prelude and Delirien Waltz are acceptable in their hard-edged way, one would never believe that Szell is a more-than-acceptable conductor of what would have to be called light classics. Szell fares better in the Dvorįk Eighth and Tchaikovsky Fifth, both powerful, precise, and passionate performances that place both works firmly in the Austro-Hungarian family of late nineteenth century symphony. Better yet is...
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