George Szell - Mahler: Symphony No. 4 (Remastered) (2018) [Hi-Res]

Part of the wave of great Hungarian conductors who took over American musical life just before and after World War II -- the others included Fritz Reiner, Antal Dorati, and Eugene Ormandy -- George Szell quickly transformed a middling Midwestern orchestra into one of the nation's Big Five. His cultivation of the Cleveland Orchestra set an example of discipline and hard work that gradually helped raise the standards of orchestras across America.

"The enduring charm and classic status of this performance rest on the beauty and exactitude of the orchestral playing and the grace and poise with which it unfolds. These features, especially for someone who likes a bright sound and transparent textures, are enriched and enhanced by this remastering far beyond what could be heard through the veil of the original engineering and subsequent cleanups. Mahlerites who find Szell’s account emotionally undernourished should give this version a try to hear rhythmic and harmonic details previously smudged."

Judith Raskin, soprano (on track 4)
The Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, Dirigent

Digitally remastered