George Szell - Sony Complete Columbia & Epic Album Collection out this August, 106 discs

[jserraglio]

$165 for 106 discs this weekend at https://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/al ... l-Columbia

[Lance]

Good price! Mine is supposed to arrive today or Monday, $150, including post. Did you see on Amazon last price when I looked was I think almost $900. But I understand Sony has manufactured many more sets. It sold much better than they expected due to all the hype and the love of the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell. No question, that orchestra was the best under Szell.

[maestrob]

$165 for 106 discs this weekend at https://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/al ... l-Columbia

Amazon has it back in stock for $195 with free shipping. I got mine from the first pressing, but haven't had the chance to listen to it yet. I'm particularly interested in the mono recordings from the 1940's: I don't believe those have been issued on CD before.

I'm approaching sets like this as an investment, btw, considering how the prices have jumped when they go OOP.

[barney]

$165 for 106 discs this weekend at https://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/al ... l-Columbia

Amazon has it back in stock for $195 with free shipping. I got mine from the first pressing, but haven't had the chance to listen to it yet. I'm particularly interested in the mono recordings from the 1940's: I don't believe those have been issued on CD before.

I'm approaching sets like this as an investment, btw, considering how the prices have jumped when they go OOP.

Nice idea, but you'll never sell them!

[Lance]

Well observe, Barney. Many of us have learned the hard way and missed something we should have gotten when the gettin' was good. I seriously doubt, now, that the Szell said would sell for much over the retail price because they are in abundance across the world. Time will tell. Given that the royalties would not amount to much on that set, most of the production costs would be through the packaging and book, and of course, the remastering costs which, I'm sure, Sony Classical recovered already.

I'm approaching sets like this as an investment, btw, considering how the prices have jumped when they go OOP.

[Lance]

Hooray! My Szell set came in yesterday (Tuesday, 10-16-2018) in perfect condition. (I understand some deliveries were not so lucky to recipients.) It is QUITE a package. Sony has done a marathon job in assembling this set. I am anxious to dig in to it, especially, the early stuff, like maestrob! It was worth waiting for especially for the price paid!

[maestrob]

Good for you, Lance!

Believe it or not, I haven't opened my box yet! Can't wait to sink my teeth into it. Spent some time last night watching Horowitz in Moscow from 1986 on DVD. Now THAT was a seriously historic occasion. Not a dry eye in the house. Horowitz, who had become a miniaturist by then, showed such a variety of colors that Teresa and I were awestruck, and he only banged in one passage from Scryabin. An awesome recital, it's been issued on DVD now both in European and North American formats, with excellent documentary footage from CBS News at the introduction and intermission.

[Lance]

Brian, I can't believe you haven't opened your set as yet! I am in awe of what is one of the finest collections of the great George Szell in one box, conducting three orchestra, first and foremost, the Cleveland, New York Philharmonic, and the Columbia Symphony. When we stop to think of the time period of legendary conductors without our own lifetimes, it's staggering: Toscanini, Furtwangler, Monteux, Szell, Stokowski, Bruno Walter, Mitropoulos, Kempe, Beecham, Reiner, Munch (though some disagree with me), Boult, Levine, Dutoit, Klemperer, Krauss, the Kleibers (father and son), Solti, Martinon, Claudio Abbado, Schuricht, Beinum, Ansermet (in his sheer scope of music), Karajan, Fricsay, Jochum, Markevitch, Karl Bohm, Kubelik, Mravinsky, Fritz Lehmann, Scherchen, Giulini, Fritz Busch, Cluytens, and Bernstein. Not everyone will agree, and not all those mentioned would be in the top tier, but all have contributed greatly, and even more names can be added. [I can't believe I took time to type all those names! But you get the idea how we have been exposed to the very best in one way or another.] When it comes to CLEVELAND, however, so far, for most orchestral enthusiasts, Szell is incomparable. Yes? No? And if you figure in Szell[s other recordings for EMI, Decca, Philips, (one for RCA), and a number on Orfeo and other labels of live concerts ... we have an incredible study of one man's work in music.

Good for you, Lance!

Believe it or not, I haven't opened my box yet! Can't wait to sink my teeth into it. Spent some time last night watching Horowitz in Moscow from 1986 on DVD. Now THAT was a seriously historic occasion. Not a dry eye in the house. Horowitz, who had become a miniaturist by then, showed such a variety of colors that Teresa and I were awestruck, and he only banged in one passage from Scryabin. An awesome recital, it's been issued on DVD now both in European and North American formats, with excellent documentary footage from CBS News at the introduction and intermission.

[slofstra]

Just got this Szell set on amazon.com for $131 US. Once shipping, HST and exchange is added, my total landed cost is $216.00 CDN.
I have very little Szell in my collection, but I bought this on the strength of Szell's Mahler Symphony No.6, which was one of my first classical CD purchases ever, and remains one of my favourite Mahler recordings.
Now that my summer recreational and travel period is over, I have time again for other pursuits. I have a post in the works.

[Lance]

Henry, still an excellent price. You will find much to love and enjoy in this set! Congrats!

Just got this Szell set on amazon.com for $131 US. Once shipping, HST and exchange is added, my total landed cost is $216.00 CDN.
I have very little Szell in my collection, but I bought this on the strength of Szell's Mahler Symphony No.6, which was one of my first classical CD purchases ever, and remains one of my favourite Mahler recordings.
Now that my summer recreational and travel period is over, I have time again for other pursuits. I have a post in the works.

[barney]

I just ordered it for $131.99 from Amazon, but they won't deliver to Australia. URRKKK!

[Belle]

I just ordered it for $131.99 from Amazon, but they won't deliver to Australia. URRKKK!

Don't expect to do better with Amazon Australia. I ordered a Jonas Kaufmann two weeks ago and haven't seen any sign of it. It took less time to get them here when I bought them from Amazon USA. In future I might try Gramola in Vienna.

https://www.gramola.at/

[maestrob]

I just ordered it for $131.99 from Amazon, but they won't deliver to Australia. URRKKK!

Frustrating!

I wonder, does that policy apply to just the Szell set, or is it a general rule now?

One might try calling customer service and complaining, while offering to pay a bit more for shipping........

[barney]

It's a general rule. I think it's because the Australian Government now requires online retailers to collect the GST (tax), and they don't want to go there. That's delving into the dim recesses of my memory.

[Belle]

It's a general rule. I think it's because the Australian Government now requires online retailers to collect the GST (tax), and they don't want to go there. That's delving into the dim recesses of my memory.

Correct, and I'm furious about the disruption to my buying of books and CDs from Amazon in the USA.

[maestrob]

It's a general rule. I think it's because the Australian Government now requires online retailers to collect the GST (tax), and they don't want to go there. That's delving into the dim recesses of my memory.

Correct, and I'm furious about the disruption to my buying of books and CDs from Amazon in the USA.

I don't blame you!

Another very good source I've found is MDT in England, which has the Szell box for 166.00 pounds (ex VAT):

https://www.mdt.co.uk/szell-george-the- ... 06cds.html

[Lance]

England sells merchandise (as does MDT) to the USA without the VAT. Very discourteous to Australians in my opinion. Everything is about $$$.

[Lance]

I thought I'd bring this thread back to the top. It's had good press here. Now that we have all had a chance to have our sets for awhile, what do you recommend out of the set for instant listening (not that everything wouldn't be grand). It's an overwhelming set. i see the price keeps coming down now, especially on Amazon. I still got a great deal. It's quite the package.

[jserraglio]

Now that we have all had a chance to have our sets for awhile, what do you recommend out of the set for instant listening

I haven't bought this set, but fwiw, this comes from a knowledgeable listener on another forum:

What is especially impressive:
Mozart Divertimento K 132
Mozart Symphony No. 33 and 35
Mahler: Tragic Symphony (live)
The Casadesus and Serkin Mozart Concertos
Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 (intense, pushed, unique, not recorded at Severence Hall)
Improved sound of much of the Andy Kazdin engineered recordings
The 150 page hardbound book is well worth the price without any CDs!!! with
much info on recording venues, producers, engineers, sources, many photos

[maestrob]

Now, I disagree with the "pick" of Prokofiev V as a recording to recommend. Yes, it's pushed, but too much, especially in the first movement. IMHO, it's one of Szell's failures, along with the Brahms concerto with Rudolf Serkin: some odd tempi and careless playing from both pianist and orchestra.

That said, I would recommend the Wagner bleeding chunks, the Beethoven Symphonies, the Haydn Symphonies, the Dvorak Symphonies, Bruckner VIII & the live Bruckner VI, and Mahler IV w/Judith Raskin.

Others may emerge as I listen further........

[Lance]

I'm really surprised about your comment on Serkin/Szell/Brahms since both artists were fastidious in their performances and recordings. I'll have to draw some conclusions on that and give it a re-listen since it has been a while. Szell, too, was quite an accomplished pianist.

Now, I disagree [...] the Brahms concerto with Rudolf Serkin: some odd tempi and careless playing from both pianist and orchestra.

[maestrob]

I'm really surprised about your comment on Serkin/Szell/Brahms since both artists were fastidious in their performances and recordings. I'll have to draw some conclusions on that and give it a re-listen since it has been a while. Szell, too, was quite an accomplished pianist.

Now, I disagree [...] the Brahms concerto with Rudolf Serkin: some odd tempi and careless playing from both pianist and orchestra.

Yes, that surprised me too!

[T. Schurk]

Well, I'm going to add my 2 cent's worth, since I've lived with most of these recordings for 4+ decades. First of all, I've listened to the Serkin/Szell Brahms concerti since they were first issued and don't find either any sloppiness or odd tempi. They're magnificent! As for favorite selections I agree with all of what has been mentioned, and would point out the premier recording of the Barber piano concerto with Browning, the Hindemith, Walton, and Janacek, all so transparent and totally secure. The Prokofiev 3 and Tchaikovsky 1 are marvelous. So many others, and hardly ever a misfire, I adore the Prokofiev 5, it sounds like a cohesive symphony instead of 3 movements tacked onto a tone poem 1st part. Interesting that the mono 1955 Schubert 8 includes the 1st movement repeat, but the stereo version from 1963 doesn't. It's just a magnificent set all around. I'm making my second run through it, and marveling once more!

[jserraglio]

I do not own this set yet but Szell's Haydn is among the greatest I have ever heard. Two stunning Szell performances are live: the George Rochberg Second and Benjamin Lees, Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk74WLg8Iu4

[Lance]

Concur completely on Haydn and Szell. My other favourite conductor of Haydn was Sir Thomas Beecham. But then there were Fricsay, Barbirolli, Abendroth, Monteux, Walter, Jochum, and of course Bernstein, and many others that did well for Franz Joseph!

I do not own this set yet but Szell's Haydn is among the greatest I have ever heard. Two stunning Szell performances are live: the George Rochberg Second and Benjamin Lees, Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra.

[maestrob]

Well, I'm going to add my 2 cent's worth, since I've lived with most of these recordings for 4+ decades. First of all, I've listened to the Serkin/Szell Brahms concerti since they were first issued and don't find either any sloppiness or odd tempi. They're magnificent! As for favorite selections I agree with all of what has been mentioned, and would point out the premier recording of the Barber piano concerto with Browning, the Hindemith, Walton, and Janacek, all so transparent and totally secure. The Prokofiev 3 and Tchaikovsky 1 are marvelous. So many others, and hardly ever a misfire, I adore the Prokofiev 5, it sounds like a cohesive symphony instead of 3 movements tacked onto a tone poem 1st part. Interesting that the mono 1955 Schubert 8 includes the 1st movement repeat, but the stereo version from 1963 doesn't. It's just a magnificent set all around. I'm making my second run through it, and marveling once more!

I stand by my assessment of the Serkin Brahms, and the Prokofiev V: the first movement is too pushed. My preference from that era would be for Bernstein/NY; the Ormandy is also very fine. (Why Columbia allowed all three conductors to record the same piece is still a puzzlement to me!) Agree with you about the Barber/Browning: Browning re-made the concerto with Slatkin for RCA, and that recording just falls flat even though the tempi are the same, there's no energy or excitement in the playing of either the soloist or the orchestra. Szell's recording was and remains a great reading of the piece. Agree with you about the Hindemith, Walton and Janacek.

De gustibus......

[T. Schurk]

Perhaps you could point out more exactly where you hear "sloppiness" and "odd tempi" in the Serkin/Szell/Brahms, either by timing points in the recordings, or audio example. I've never heard or read of any such criticisms, at least of that nature from anywhere else. Do these tempo anomalies appear in any of the other Szell conducted recordings of these works, say the Fleisher or Curzon, or Schnabel? Or Serkin with Ormandy. I'm going to stand by what my ears have heard from these recordings for 50 years.

[jserraglio]

Perhaps you could point out more exactly where you hear "sloppiness" and "odd tempi" in the Serkin/Szell/Brahms

"Sloppiness" is the word Szell used to explain to an interviewer why he withdrew from Bing's Met. If Szell could be "sloppy", then other conductors's performances might be characterized as "slapdashedly, haphazardly slipshod".

[T. Schurk]

I've had time this morning to listen to both Brahms concerti with Serkin/Szell, and as I remembered, they are magnificent, probably more exacting in execution than any other I've heard ( and that's most of what's been available) passionate, lyrical in the slow movements, stormy and tempestuous when called for - not a second of "sloppiness" or oddities of tempo. I'm not saying that that fellow is wrong, but one of us is right, and it's not him.

[jserraglio]

The Szell Sony physical 106-CD box is possibly already out of print. Listed now on Amazon as being available only from 3rd party sellers for almost 800 dollars.

[maestrob]

The Szell Sony physical 106-CD box is possibly already out of print. Listed now on Amazon as being available only from 3rd party sellers for almost 800 dollars.

Hmmmm---

I have mine, and I'm not selling!

[Lance]

I have no intention of selling either!

[jserraglio]

I have no intention of selling either!

I can't, I never bought it. Deaccession is what I am looking at these days.

[CharmNewton]

It's still available from European Amazon affiliates--about $225 + shipping from Amazon in Germany, for example. That shipping from Germany is probably another $20-25, but they will subtract the VAT.

John

[CharmNewton]

In case you may have missed this set earlier, it looks to have been reissued, at least for the U.S. market. Amazon.com is offering it again for $178.15 in the U.S.

John