George Szell - The Complete Columbia Album Collection

In the past decade, the corporate heavens have rained down upon us a spate of Great Conductor boxed sets. To mention only a few, behold DG's Karajan & Bohm boxes; RCA-SONY's Munch and Reiner boxes; RCA-SONY and Universal’s multitudinous Monteux boxes; SONY-Columbia's Bernstein and Ormandy boxes. They all might be similar in format to this Szell treasure chest, but in terms of sheer interpretative quality ratio – to say nothing of execution - perhaps only Reiner's RCA could approach it.George Szell’s music making was often accused of being overly controlling, even if that alleged “excess” was responsible for putting the Cleveland Orchestra on the world map, and in spite of how all its components almost always added up to something “greater than the sum of its parts.” The fact is, mere technical musicianship and perfectionism could never have achieved what Szell and his “band” achieved, from his first guest appearance in Cleveland on November 2, 1944, till their final performance together in Anchorage, Alaska on May 29, 1970 (almost exactly two months before Szell’s death). And in terms of this review, there are simply too many treasures here to highlight all of them. (My apologies to those whose favorites were left out.)Szell’s Haydn Symphonies include Nos. 88, 92-99 and 104, with two versions each of 92 and 97 (thesecond versions of each being clearly preferable). They are all models of wit, grace and (for lackof a better word) Civilization. Perhaps the 88th is outdone by Reiner’s Chicago, but only by a hair’sbreadth. The “Surprise” punch in the second movement of 94 is one of the few performances to liveup to this symphony’s nickname, and No.93’s second movement bassoon “belch” (in lieu of a lesspolite word, ahem) has never been more graphically conveyed OR set up with such deceptivelysedate decorum.As to Mozart’s Piano Concertos, we have No. 10 with Robert and Gaby Casadesus; Nos. 15, 17-18, 20-24 and 26-27 with Robert Casadesus; 17, 19-20 and 25 with Rudolf Serkin; and 25 with Leon Fleisher. (The Serkin 17, 19 and 20; the Casadesus 21; and the Fleisher 25 are long-time personal favorites, about which I will not even try to be “objective.”) Sadly, Szell and Cleveland never commercially recorded the Mozart 25th or 29th Symphonies (what he and his “band” could have made of them!), nor the “Linz” or the “Prague.” (However, live Szell performances exist of the 29th with the Berlin Philharmonic, and the “Prague” with the Cleveland Orchestra. He also recorded a nonpareil 34th with the Concertgebouworkest.) His 28th radiates even better humor and higher spirits than Bruno Walter’s, as well as far more refined phrasing. The 33rd is perhaps the finest ever recorded, outclassing Eduard van Beinum’s 1951 Concertgebouw performance by a hair’s breadth. The “Haffner” is as close to “definitive” as any Mozart Symphony performance can be; the humor, the intricacy, and the warmth are unsurpassed. The stereo 39th, 40th and “Jupiter” are possibly the greatest of all time - think of gazing into polished, almost infinitely faceted jewels of depth and color. (Those who cite the “Jupiter” finale as one of the greatest of all recorded symphonic movements have not exaggerated.) The mono versions of 39-41 are indeed more “gemutlich” (a term Szell despised!), but the stereo performances run deeper in feeling AND with more finished execution. EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK is almost an antipode to Bruno Walter’s three recordings, but still top-drawer (“Gemutlich he ain’t,” Helene Szell famously said of her husband). And these might be the most exquisite SCHAUSPIELDIREKTOR and FIGARO Overtures ever recorded. The Divertimento # 2 (with the CORRECT first minuet, as opposed to Beecham’s interpolation of another!) is without peer, as is the Clarinet Concerto with Robert Marcellus as soloist and the K. 364 Sinfonia Concertante with concertmaster Rafael Drurian and violist Abraham Kernick...To say nothing of Violin Concertos 1, 3 and 5 with Isaac Stern, and the four Violin Sonatas with Drurian (Szell at the piano!) – pure musical gold. However, the crowning glory among Szell’s orchestral Mozart might be the ‘Posthorn’ Serenade. I confess I had never heard this performance until running across a promo video in which Andria Hoy, the Cleveland Orchestra’s Archivist, cited this recording as her favorite among the 106 discs in this set. Suffice it to say, she is right! It even sails past my two other favorite ‘Posthorns’: Eduard van Beinum’s and Karl Bohm’s. Szell inhabits a perfect, golden mean between EvB’s graceful understatement and Bohm’s somewhat romanticized, almost “perfumed” approach (enhanced by the resonant “Pipes of Pan” tone of James Galway, who at that time held the Berlin Philharmonic’s solo flute chair). Szell’s performance is one of celestial grace - you need to hear it for yourself – and so is the EXSULTATE JUBILATE with Judith Raskin.Szell/Cleveland and Leon Fleisher’s Beethoven Piano Concerto cycle remains the “reference” set for these works, and they are all indeed stunning performances. The Beethoven Overtures and Symphonies sit among the same “place of honor” as the best of Klemperer’s; even the KING STEPHEN Overture has a backbone seldom expected of this piece. So very high are the standards achieved, here, that it is hard to single out any of the Overtures and Symphonies for “special mention.” Perhaps only the 8th Symphony lacks the incisive wit, thrust and inspiration of the other performances…In August 1968, upon hearing a broadcast of this record, Maria Callas famously castigated it - and she wasn’t entirely wrong. (See John Ardoin’s THE FURTWANGLER RECORD, p. 12) Still, all is redeemed in the end because Szell DID leave us with perhaps the greatest Beethoven 8th ever, i.e., his live November 1968 New Philharmonia performance (available from the BBC label). In the Finale’s endless runs up and down the F major triad – one empty farewell gesture after another after ANOTHER – Beethoven pokes fun at composers who don’t know when to END IT, ALREADY. In the later performance Szell “gets” the acid wit of this Finale, and indeed the whole Symphony, better than even Toscanini or Reiner. It’s as if he had caught wind of Callas’ remarks (did he, somehow?), and “I’ll show her!” So, a true “Szellot” must supplement these Cleveland Beethoven Symphonies with the New Philharmonia 8th.The Schubert UNFINISHED is here in two versions: 1955 mono and 1960 stereo. The 1960 is better played, better recorded, and more deeply felt: truly one of the great ones. The 1957 GREAT is nearly peerless, with just the right touch of menace. (News flash: the GREAT is not a “happy” work. It’s more like “condemned man eats a hearty breakfast.”) The 1967 ROSAMUNDE excerpts are superb, but perhaps outdone and “out-felt” by Szell’s 1957 Philips Concertgebouw recording – which includes his only version of the exquisite Entr’acte No. 1.If Szell “tinkered” with the sometimes-muddy orchestration of Schumann’s Symphonies and MANFRED Overture, he did so in a way absolutely aligned to the grain of the music. What emerges, both emotionally and in terms of orchestral texture, is something as fresh as the first day of Spring. The mono 2nd and 4th are both rather hard-driven, but still poetic. The stereo versions are more lyrical, but the ‘Perpetuum Mobile’ of the 2nd’s second movement is even more thrillingly executed in the earlier mono. (This parallels the uniquely stunning Finale of Bruno Walter’s NY mono Brahms 2nd - even if, overall, his stereo cycle might be preferable.)Over the decades, Szell’s Brahms Symphonies (with two stereo versions of the First) have divided critical opinion. Some find them too “stiff” or “classical” in bent; others admire them for that very “classicism.” In a Classical Net review, Steve Schwartz wrote, “If Bernstein gives you Brahms the Romantic, Szell gives you Brahms the Classicist.” Along these Brahmsian lines, other reviewers have antipodally pitted George Szell and Bruno Walter against each other - which makes more sense as to their Mozart - but I do not. True, Walter’s performances radiate more OVERT poetry and emotion, and Szell’s more refined playing. And yet the façade of "Szell the Brahms classicist" tends to crumble upon close inspection. His Brahms resonates with deep conviction and a sense of “security” (in terms of having been deeply pondered and thought out), but never is there any impression that “it’s all about execution.” No, it’s all about MUSIC. Comparing Szell to Bruno Walter’s stereo Brahms cycle, BOTH maestros alternate between an honest “classical restraint” or understatement, on the one hand, and flexible rubato on the other. It’s just that they do it at different places in the music. In fact, Szell takes far more tempo “liberties” than that other “Brahms classicist,” Eduard van Beinum! No matter: if it’s an exaggeration to tag Szell and Walter as Brahmsian “antipodes,” each is complementarily different enough, and at a high enough level, to be ESSENTIAL to any Brahms collection. That said, to my ears the 1957 First is a more inspired, more flowing performance than the 1966, which is more incisive and, yes, a bit "stiff." (Why the remake? Since Symphonies 2, 3 and 4 were taped between 1964 and 1967 – i.e., after the 1958 “Szell Shell” was installed in Severance Hall to mitigate its acoustical dryness - it could be that, contemplating a boxed set of the Symphonies, Szell and Columbia wanted matching sound in all 4 of them. In any case, the 1957 First was recorded in Cleveland’s more resonant Masonic Auditorium.) The 1964 ‘HAYDN’ VARIATIONS and 1966 ACADEMIC FESTIVAL Overture are also second stereo versions by Szell/Cleveland. (The 1955 ‘HAYDN’ and ACADEMIC are featured in the Somm set of Szell/Cleveland’s Book-Of-The-Month-Club sessions, THE FORGOTTEN RECORDINGS – and they were the first stereo tapings by Szell in Cleveland.) But in terms of energy, wit, and tonal beauty, the later versions clearly surpass the earlier. In fact, the later ACADEMIC is at least as affectionate and rambunctious as Bruno Walter’s (!). The 1966 TRAGIC Overture is a great and unexpectedly lyrical one, but to this writer’s ears, Walter’s stereo version packs a greater punch.However, there is little controversy as to Szell’s Brahms Concertos. The Piano Concertos with Leon Fleisher are fiery, passionate, and hardly need my recommendation. (In their First Concerto, one keeps asking, “Classicism? WHAT Classicism?”) There is a second set of the Piano Concertos, in stereo, with Rudolf Serkin, as well as a 1952 mono First with Serkin. Many have preferred Serkin’s stereo First with Szell to Fleisher’s, but I do not. Yes, Serkin takes a more “magisterial” and reflective approach (which works better in the Second Concerto than in the First), but Fleisher, Szell, and the Cleveland Orchestra have greater “chemistry” together. And at the risk of a well-aimed bolt of lightning, I happen to find Serkin more interesting and energetic in his Brahms Piano Concertos with Ormandy/Philadelphia, as they bring out more of the ebullient, Lisztian “concerto” aspect of these works, as opposed to their sober, Beethovenian “symphonic” aspect. (Szell and Fleisher managed to bring out BOTH – equally well!) Meanwhile, Szell and Cleveland recorded the Violin and ‘Double’ Concertos for EMI with Oistrakh and Rostropovich (hence their absence here but their presence in the smaller Szell EMI/Warner box).The Smetana and Dvorak selections (also available in a recent smaller box SZELL CONDUCTS DVORAK AND SMETANA, based on these same new transfers) are essential to any collection. From Smetana, there are two versions of “Vltava (Moldau)” (NY Phil 1951 and 1963 Cleveland), and the latter is by far the best (David Hurwitz calls it the best EVER); we also get Szell’s only recording of “From Bohemia’s Fields and Groves" (also NY Phil 1951). The ‘From My Life’ Quartet, orchestrated by Szell, is his only recording of it (1949), and perhaps his first great Cleveland recording in general. The BARTERED BRIDE Overture (in stereo for the first time!) is famous for its impossible combination of breakneck speed, precision and high spirits, and the three BARTERED BRIDE Dances are superbly atmospheric. From Dvorak there are Symphonies 7-9, with two 9ths: 1952 and 1959. The latter 9th is the best, but the 1952 second movement has unique moments of tenderness. There are five SLAVONIC DANCES from 1947 (Szell’s first recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra) which sound amazingly well for their vintage; also two complete sets of the SLAVONIC DANCES (1956 mono and 1962-65 stereo). I agree, with Hurwitz and others, that the mono 1956 set is fresher in feeling and with clearer “lines.” A possible reason for the 1956 set being a more satisfying musical experience, is that each set of the DANCES (op. 46 & op. 72) was recorded over a two-day span (the stereos were all recorded over a three-year span), so that all these DANCES hang together better in relation to each other. We also get the near-definitive Dvorak Piano Concerto with Rudolf Firkusny (1954 mono). Finally, there is a sizzling CARNIVAL Overture which, like the Beethoven 8th, humorously ends with a chain of false “farewell” gestures, executed by Szell as rambunctiously as he does the Finale of his 1968 Beethoven 8th.Among Szell’s 1951-55 NY Philharmonic recordings here, perhaps the highlights are the almost ‘gemutlich’ Beethoven ‘Pastoral’ and the live Tchaikovsky First with Vladimir Horowitz – a blistering, take-no-prisoners performance (by comparison, the later one with Gary Graffman is a genteel Victorian picnic).Szell’s stereo Wagner Overtures and Preludes (1962-65) and 1968 RING excerpts compete with Dorati’s, Reiner’s and Munch’s as being among the most desirable from the “Golden Age of Hi-Fi.” But in terms of primeval feeling, the 1956 mono RING tracks are even greater. Unlike the 1968, they lack the “Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla” but append an instrumental “Wotan’s Farewell” to the beginning of the “Magic Fire Music.” Sadly, Columbia recorded no Szell PARSIFAL excerpts, although there is a magnificent live Act I Prelude/Good Friday Spell, in good mono sound, from 1957 (from West Hill Radio Archives).(We need a joint SONY/WCLV radio box of works which Szell/Cleveland never recorded commercially. It might include: the PARSIFAL excerpts; the Verdi REQUIEM and Beethoven MISSA SOLEMNIS; the Sibelius 4th and 7th; Mahler’s DAS LIED VON DER ERDE and 9th; Strauss’s METAMORPHOSEN and BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME Suite; and Mozart’s ‘Prague’ Symphony.)From Richard Strauss, we have unbeatable stereo versions of DON JUAN, TOD UND VERKLARUNG, TILL EULENSPIEGEL, the HORN CONCERTO NO. 1 (with Myron Bloom as soloist); one of the greatest versions of DON QUIOXTE (with Pierre Fournier on cello) and possibly the best-ever SYMPHONIA DOMESTICA, in which Szell somehow reconciles the contradictory Mendelssohnian chamber music and the celebratory Wagnerian aspects of this odd but endearing work. (Szell disapproved of the “Nietzschean” character of ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA, EIN HELDENLEBEN and EINE ALPENSINFONIE, hence he never recorded them.)I must agree with David Hurwitz that in the Janecek SINFONIETTA and Mahler Symphonies (4th, 6th , and two movements from the 10th), Szell refines the necessary “grit” and manic qualities right out of the music. The Bartok and Prokofiev works fare better (even if Dorati is preferable in the Prokofiev 5th Symphony), but Szell’s LT. KIJE and Kodaly HARY JANOS Suites brim over with pungent character. The Hindemith, Walton and Barber pieces are also first-rate – indeed, the Barber Piano Concerto, with John Browning, is a revelation. The FIREBIRD and DAPHNIS ET CHLOE Suites are stunningly played and felt. Szell’s LA MER is superior to Reiner’s unidiomatic ‘DAS MEER,’ yet both must yield place to their contemporary – Eduard van Beinum’s peerless Concertgebouw performance. Still, what remains dazzling about this 106-disc set is how very few "misfires" exist in such a huge body of work.As to transfers and sound quality, there are no “duds” or significant letdowns in this box. Nearly every selection is a noticeable improvement – none are “worse”! - over the earlier Essential Classics, Legendary Interpretations, Masterworks and Great Performances incarnations of these recordings, especially the Essential Classics…which shackled so many of these performances in a dry, shallow 16-bit sound which almost got in the way of the interpretations. That is to say, we could hear the disciplined ensemble but not the truth-telling BEAUTY which was its object; now we can hear both. So – unless you have been a devotee of Japanese SACDs - with this box, in terms of sonic QUALITY you are likely to hear many of these performances “for the very first time.” (And frankly, for all the justifiable nostalgia about vintage Living Stereo, Living Presence and Columbia “Six-Eye” LPs, the original Epic pressings of most of these recordings were nothing to write home about. The light-grey-label “Two-Eyes” and some of the later “Odysseys” were marginally better, but the 1970s “Columbia-Columbia One-Eyes” were not, and among vinyl collectors there is little nostalgia for them.) Particularly striking is the warmth and clarity of the Smetana ‘From My Life’ (a vast improvement over the strident, “chalky” sound in the 1998 Masterworks transfer); the rich, “rosin-y” sheen, mellow brass and improved lower midrange of the stereo Haydn “Oxford” and Mozart “Haffner” Symphonies, the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante and Clarinet Concerto, ALL of the stereo Beethoven Symphonies and Schubert UNFINISHED, the Brahms 4th, the stereo RING excerpts, and the three Christmas carol arrangements – in the same enchanting league as those of Peter Knight - heard here in pristine sound for the very first time.(Their "premiere" releases were on two Columbia Special Products LPs: an in-house Christmas anthology and a Goodyear Christmas album. Nor were THOSE pressings anything to write home about!) There are only two relative disappointments:(1) The 1968 Brahms First Piano Concerto with Serkin IS an improvement over the dullish Essential Classics transfer, but only marginally so. Still, with the Fleisher performance of the First in such freshly minted sound, this is a mere quibble.(2) The beginning of the very first chord, in the 1957 Brahms First Symphony, sounds slightly truncated. For that reason alone, if you have Lani Spahr’s superlative United Archives transfer, hang onto it! (I believe it was done, not from vinyl via “needle drop,” but from a stereo reel-to-reel tape.)Finally, the retro-mini-LP format (front and back covers as well as disc labels) is unabashedly nostalgic. Many of the back covers feature the magnificent liner notes of Klaus George Roy, even if we don’t get all of them and they are in very small print. Roy was program annotator for the Cleveland Orchestra and, in his day, he penned approximately 200 sets of LP liner notes. If the Cleveland Orchestra could publish some of his program notes in book form, what a volume that would make – culture at its finest! Meanwhile, the accompanying “coffee table” book includes beautiful color reproductions of all the original LP front covers, plus complete recording dates and venues.My first point bears repeating: in terms of sheer quality of content AND presentation, there is no boxed set like unto this. There is no greater bargain (after tax and postage, I paid slightly over $1.89 per disc), and there might never be again! This is THE musical pot of gold at the rainbow’s end…Some dreams actually come true, and Szell’s dream of building an orchestra to the global level of “second to none”- technically AND culturally - is one of them.

One hardly needs to comment on Szell's superlative conducting and orchestral building. It may be helpful to have the contents of this box of Epic and Columbia recordings listed by composer. Hence this review:This list is arranged by composer; work; date of recording; and CD# (the latter also indicates when the NYPhil rather than the Cleveland Orch. is used)Composer Piece Date CD# and Label~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~Auber Overture to Fra Diavolo 1957 CD 28:Epic StereoBach Violin Concerto no.2, BWV1042 (Zino Francescatti, violin) 1953 CD 9:Col. MonoBach-Szigeti Concerto in G minor, BWV1056 (transcr.Szigeti) (J. Szigeti, violin) 1954 CD 9:Col. MonoBarber Piano Concerto, op.38 (John Browning, piano) 1964 CD 69:Col. StereoBartók Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116 1965 CD 74:Col. StereoBartók Piano Concerto no.1 (Rudolf Serkin, piano) 1962 CD 56:Col. StereoBeethoven Coriolan Overture, op.62 1966 CD 80:Col. StereoBeethoven Egmont Overture, op.84 1966 CD 80:Col. StereoBeethoven Fidelio Overture, op.72 1966 CD 80:Col. StereoBeethoven Leonore Overture no.1, op.138 1967 CD 80:Col. StereoBeethoven Leonore Overture no.2, op.72a 1966 CD 80:Col. StereoBeethoven Leonore Overture no.3, op.72b 1963 CD 60:Epic StereoBeethoven Overture "King Stephen", op.117 1966 CD 80:Col. StereoBeethoven Piano Concerto no.1, op.15 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1961 CD 43:Epic StereoBeethoven Piano Concerto no.2, op.19 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1961 CD 44:Epic StereoBeethoven Piano Concerto no.3, op.37 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1961 CD 44:Epic StereoBeethoven Piano Concerto no.4, op.58 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1959 CD 31:Epic StereoBeethoven Piano Concerto no.5, op.73 "Emperor" (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1961 CD 45:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.1, op.21 1964 CD 71:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.2, op.36 1964 CD 71:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.3, op.55 "Eroica" 1957 CD 21:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.4, op.60 1947 CD 2:Col. MonoBeethoven Symphony no.4, op.60 1963 CD 60:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.5, op.67 1955 CD 12:Epic MonoBeethoven Symphony no.5, op.67 1963 CD 67:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.6, op.68 "Pastoral" 1962 CD 53:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.6, op.68 "Pastoral" 1955 CD 102:Col. NYP MonoBeethoven Symphony no.7, op.92 1959 CD 34:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.8, op.93 1961 CD 47:Epic StereoBeethoven Symphony no.9, op.125 "Choral" 1961 CD 46:Epic StereoBerlioz Roman Carnival Overture, op.9 1958 CD 28:Epic StereoBizet L'Arlésienne Suite no.1 1966 CD 76:Col. StereoBizet L'Arlésienne Suite no.2: IV. Farnadole 1966 CD 76:Col. StereoBorodin Polovtsian Dances (from Prince Igor) 1958 CD 26:Epic StereoBrahms Academic Festival Overture, op.80 1966 CD 82:Col. StereoBrahms Piano Concerto no.1, op.15 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1952 CD 8:Col. MonoBrahms Piano Concerto no.1, op.15 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1958 CD 27:Epic StereoBrahms Piano Concerto no.1, op.15 (Rudolf Serkin, piano) 1968 CD 87:Col. StereoBrahms Piano Concerto no.2, op.83 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1962 CD 54:Epic StereoBrahms Piano Concerto no.2, op.83 (Rudolf Serkin, piano) 1966 CD 84:Col. StereoBrahms Symphony no.1, op.68 1957 CD 20:Epic StereoBrahms Symphony no.1, op.68 1965 CD 81:Col. StereoBrahms Symphony no.2, op.73 1967 CD 82:Col. StereoBrahms Symphony no.3 op.90 1964 CD 70:Col. StereoBrahms Symphony no.4, op.98 1966 CD 83:Col. StereoBrahms Tragic Overture, op.81 1966 CD 82:Col. StereoBrahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn, op.56a 1964 CD 70:Col. StereoBruckner Symphony no.3 1965 CD 77:Col. StereoBruckner Symphony no.8 1969 CD 95-96:Col. StereoDebussy La Mer 1963 CD 59:Epic StereoDelius Prelude to "Irmelin" 1956 CD 18:Epic MonoDvorák Carnival Overture, op.92 1962-63 CD 61:Epic StereoDvorák Slavonic Dance op.46 no.1 1947 CD 1:Col. MonoDvorák Slavonic Dance op.72 no.2 1947 CD 1:Col. MonoDvorák Slavonic Dance op.72 no.7 1947 CD 1:Col. MonoDvorák Slavonic Dance op.46 no.3 1947 CD 1:Col. MonoDvorák Slavonic Dance op.46 no.8 1947 CD 1:Col. MonoDvorák Slavonic Dances op.46 nos. 1 & 3 1962-63 CD 61:Epic StereoDvorák Slavonic Dances op.72 nos. 2 & 7 1962-63 CD 61:Epic StereoDvorák Slavonic Dances, op.46 complete 1956 CD 14:Epic MonoDvorák Slavonic Dances, op.46 complete 1962-65 CD 73:Col. StereoDvorák Slavonic Dances, op.72 complete 1956 CD 14:Epic MonoDvorák Slavonic Dances, op.72 complete 1962-65 CD 73:Col. StereoDvorák Symphony no.7, op.70 1960 CD 37:Epic StereoDvorák Symphony no.8, op.88 1958 CD 29:Epic StereoDvorák Symphony no.9, op.95 "From the New World" 1952 CD 5:Col. MonoDvorák Symphony no.9, op.95 "From the New World" 1959 CD 32:Epic StereoDvorák Piano Concerto, op.33 (Rudolf Firkušný, piano) 1954 CD 11:Col. MonoFranck Symphonic Variations, FWV46 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1956 CD 18:Epic MonoGrieg Peer Gynt Suite no.1, op.46 1966 CD 76:Col. StereoGrieg Peer Gynt Suite no.2, op.55: IV. Solveig's Song 1966 CD 76:Col. StereoGrieg Piano Concerto, op.16 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1960 CD 36:Epic StereoHaydn Symphony no.104, Hob.I:104 1954 CD 13:Epic MonoHaydn Symphony no.88, Hob.I:88 1954 CD 13:Epic MonoHaydn Symphony no.92 "Oxford", Hob.I:92 1949 CD 3:Col. MonoHaydn Symphony no.92 "Oxford", Hob.I:92 1961 CD 49:Epic StereoHaydn Symphony no.93, Hob.I:93 1968 CD 88:Col. StereoHaydn Symphony no.94 "Surprise", Hob.I:94 1967 CD 88:Col. StereoHaydn Symphony no.95, Hob.I:95 1969 CD 97:Col. StereoHaydn Symphony no.96 "Miracle", Hob.I:96 1968 CD 97:Col. StereoHaydn Symphony no.97, Hob.I:97 1957 CD 24:Epic StereoHaydn Symphony no.97, Hob.I:97 1969 CD 98:Col. StereoHaydn Symphony no.98, Hob.I:98 1969 CD 98:Col. StereoHaydn Symphony no.99, Hob.I:99 1957 CD 24:Epic StereoHindemith Symphonic Metamorphoses - Themes of von Weber 1949 CD 4:Col. MonoHindemith Symphonic Metamorphoses - Themes of von Weber 1964 CD 89:Col. StereoJ Strauss II Die Fledermaus Overture, op.362 1958 CD 28:Epic StereoJ. Strauss II Perpetuum Mobile, op.257 1962 CD 57:Epic StereoJ. Strauss II Pizzicato Polka in C major 1962 CD 57:Epic StereoJ. Strauss II The Blue Danube Waltz, op.314 1962 CD 57:Epic StereoJ. Strauss II Voices of Spring, op.410 1962 CD 57:Epic StereoJanácek Sinfonietta 1965 CD 74:Col. StereoJosef Strauss Austrian Village Swallows, op.164 1962 CD 57:Epic StereoJosef Strauss Delirien Waltz, op.212 1962 CD 57:Epic StereoKodály Háry János Suite 1060 Col. StereoLiadov The Enchanted Lake, op.62 1963 CD 62:Epic StereoLiszt Piano Concerto no.2 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1952 CD 6:Col. MonoMahler Symphony no.10 1958 CD 30:Epic StereoMahler Symphony no.4 in G major (Judith Raskin, soprano) 1965 CD 75:Col. StereoMahler Symphony no.6 in A minor "Tragic" 1967 CD 99:Col. StereoMendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream: Incidental Music, op.61 1967 CD 85:Col. StereoMendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream: Incidental Music, op.61 1951 CD 100:Col. NYP MonoMendelssohn Symphony no.4 in A major, op.90 "Italian" 1962-63 CD 58:Epic StereoMendelssohn The Hebrides Overture, op.26 (Fingal's Cave) 1962-63 CD 58:Epic StereoMendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, op.64 (Zino Francescatti, violin) 1961 CD 52:Col. StereoMendelssohnn Symphony no.4 in A major, op.90 "Italian" 1949 CD 4:Col. MonoMozart Clarinet Concerto in A major, K622 (Robert Marcellus, clarinet) 1961 CD 50:Col. StereoMozart Divertimento no.2 in D major, K131 1963 CD 63:Epic StereoMozart Exsultate jubilate, K165 (158a) (Judith Raskin, soprano) 1964 CD 66:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.10, K365/316a Robert Casadesus, piano) 1955 CD 16:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.12, K414/385p (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1955 CD 16:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.15, K450 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1968 CD 90:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.17, K453 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1968 CD 90:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.17, K453 (Rudolf Serkin, piano) 1955 CD 19:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.18, K456 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1956 CD 25:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.19, K459 (Rudolf Serkin, piano) 1961 CD 65:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.20, K466 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1956 CD 25:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.20, K466 (Rudolf Serkin, piano) 1961 CD 65:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.21, K467 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1961 CD 72:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.22 K482 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1959 CD 39:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.23, K488 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1959 CD 39:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.24, K491 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1961 CD 72:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.24, K491 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1954 CD 10:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.25, K503 (Rudolf Serkin, piano) 1953 CD 19:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.25, K503 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1959 CD 31:Epic StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.26, K537(Robert Casadesus, piano) 1954 CD 10:Col. MonoMozart Piano Concerto no.26, K537(Robert Casadesus, piano) 1962 CD 55:Col. StereoMozart Piano Concerto no.27, K595 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1962 CD 55:Col. StereoMozart Piano Quartet, K478 (Budapest Qrt) 1946 CD 104:Col. MonoMozart Piano Quartet, K493 (Budapest Qrt) 1946 CD 104:Col. MonoMozart Serenade "Posthorn", K320 (Bernard Adelstein, posthorn) 1969 CD 91:Col. StereoMozart Serenade no.13, K525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" 1968 CD 91:Col. StereoMozart Sinfonia concertante, K364 (R. Druian, violin; A. Skernick, viola) 1963 CD 66:Col. StereoMozart Symphony no.28, K200 (189k) 1963 CD 63:Epic StereoMozart Symphony no.33, K319 1962 CD 63:Epic StereoMozart Symphony no.35, K385 "Haffner" 1960 CD 38: Epic StereoMozart Symphony no.39, K543 1947 CD 3:Col. MonoMozart Symphony no.39, K543 1960 CD 38: Epic StereoMozart Symphony no.40, K550 1955 CD 15:Epic MonoMozart Symphony no.40, K550 1967 CD 38: Col. StereoMozart Symphony no.41, K. 551 "Jupiter" 1955 CD 15:Epic MonoMozart Symphony no.41, K. 551 "Jupiter" 1963 CD 67:Epic StereoMozart Impresario Overture, K486 1966 CD 28:Epic StereoMozart Marriage of Figaro Overture, K492 1957 CD 28:Epic StereoMozart Violin Concerto no.1, K207 (Isaac Stern, violin) 1961 CD 64:Col. StereoMozart Violin Concerto no.3, K216 (Isaac Stern, violin) 1961 CD 64:Col. StereoMozart Violin Concerto no.5, K219 "Turkish" (Isaac Stern, violin) 1963 CD 64:Col. StereoMozart Violin Sonata, K296 (Rafael Druian, violin) 1967 CD 105:Col. StereoMozart Violin Sonata, K304/300c (Rafael Druian, violin) 1967 CD 105:Col. StereoMozart Violin Sonata, K376 (Rafael Druian, violin) 1967 CD 105:Col. StereoMozart Violin Sonata, K301/293a (Rafael Druian, violin) 1967 CD 105:Col. StereoMussorgsky Khovanshchina: Dawn on the Moskva River 1958 CD 26:Epic StereoMussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition 1963 CD 62:Epic StereoProkofiev Lieutenant Kijé Suite, op.60 1969 Col. StereoProkofiev Piano Concerto no.1, op.10 (Gary Graffman, piano) 1966 CD 79:Col. StereoProkofiev Piano Concerto no.3, op.26 (Gary Graffman, piano) 1966 CD 79:Col. StereoProkofiev Piano Sonata no.3, op.28 (Gary Graffman, solo piano) 1962 CD 79:Col. StereoProkofiev Symphony no.5, op.100 1959 CD 35:Epic StereoR Strauss Death and Transfiguration, op.24 1957 CD 23:Epic StereoR Strauss Don Juan, op.20 1957 CD 23:Epic StereoR Strauss Don Quixote, op.35 (Pierre Fournier, cello) 1960 CD 42:Epic StereoR Strauss Horn Concerto no.1, op.11 (Myrom Bloom, horn) 1961 CD 50:Col. StereoR Strauss Sinfonia Domestica, op.53 1963 CD 68:Col. StereoR Strauss Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, op.28 1949 CD 4:Col. MonoR Strauss Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, op.28 1957 CD 23:Epic StereoRachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op.43 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1956 CD 18:Epic MonoRavel Daphnis et Chloé Suite no.2, M57b 1963 CD 59:Epic StereoRavel Pavane pour une infante défunte, M19 1963 CD 59:Epic StereoRimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol, op.34 1958 CD 26:Epic StereoRossini Il Turco in Italia: Overture 1967 CD 86:Col. StereoRossini Il viaggio a Reims: Overture 1967 CD 86:Col. StereoRossini La gazza ladra: Overture 1958 CD 28:Epic StereoRossini La gazza ladra: Overture 1967 CD 86:Col. StereoRossini La scala di seta: Overture 1967 CD 86:Col. StereoRossini L'Italiana in Algeri: Overture 1967 CD 86:Col. StereoSchubert Rosamunde, D797 1967 CD 85:Col. StereoSchubert Symphony no.8 "Unfinished", D759 1955 CD 12:Epic MonoSchubert Symphony no.8 "Unfinished", D759 1960 CD 49:Epic StereoSchubert Symphony no.9, D944 "The Great" 1957 CD 22:Epic StereoSchuman Song of Orpheus: FantasyLeonard Rose, cello) 1964 CD 69:Col. StereoSchumann Manfred Overture, op.115 1958 CD 40:Epic StereoSchumann Piano Concerto, op.54 (Leon Fleisher, piano) 1960 CD 36:Epic StereoSchumann Symphony no.1, op.38 "Spring" 1958 CD 40:Epic StereoSchumann Symphony no.2, op.61 1952 CD 7:Col. MonoSchumann Symphony no.2, op.61 1960 CD 40:Epic StereoSchumann Symphony no.3, op.97 "Rhenish" 1960 CD 41:Epic StereoSchumann Symphony no.4, op.120 1947 CD 2:Col. MonoSchumann Symphony no.4, op.120 1960 CD 41:Epic StereoSmetana Má Vlast, JB1:112: II. Vltava 1963 CD 61:Epic StereoSmetana Má Vlast, JB1:112: II. Vltava 1951 CD 100:Col. NYP MonoSmetana Má Vlast, JB1:112: IV. From Bohemian Fields and Groves 1951 CD 100:Col. NYP MonoSmetana Overture to The Bartered Bride 1958 CD 28:Epic StereoSmetana The Bartered Bride, JB1:100 1962-63 CD 61:Epic StereoSmetana String Quartet no.1, JB1:105 "From My Life" 1949 CD 1:Col. MonoStravinsky Firebird Ballet Suite 1961 CD 48:Epic StereoTartini Violin Concerto, D45 (Joseph Szigeti, violin) 1954 CD 9:Col. MonoTchaikovsky Capriccio Italien, op.45 1958 CD 26:Epic StereoTchaikovsky Piano Concerto no.1, op.23 (Vladimir Horowitz, piano) 1953 CD 103:Col. NYP MonoTchaikovsky Piano Concerto no.1, op.23 (Gary Graffman, piano) 1969 CD 93:Col. StereoTchaikovsky Symphony no.5, op.64 1959 CD 33:Epic StereoTchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, op.33 (Leonard Rose, cello) 1952 CD 11:Col. MonoWagner Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla 1968 CD 92:Col. StereoWagner Der fliegende Holländer: Overture 1965 CD 78:Col. StereoWagner Der fliegende Holländer: Overture 1954 CD 101:Col. NYP MonoWagner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I 1962 CD 51:Epic StereoWagner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act I 1954 CD 101:Col. NYP MonoWagner Die Walküre, Act III: Magic Fire Music 1968 CD 92:Col. StereoWagner Die Walküre, Act III: The Ride of the Valkyries 1956 CD 17:Epic MonoWagner Die Walküre, Act III: Walkürenritt 1968 CD 92:Col. StereoWagner Die Walküre, Act III: Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music 1956 CD 17:Epic MonoWagner Eine Faust Ouvertüre, WWV 59 1965 CD 78:Col. StereoWagner Götterdämmerung, Act III: Siegfried's Funeral Marchand Finale 1956 CD 17:Epic MonoWagner Götterdämmerung, Prologue: Siegfried's Rhine Journey 1956 CD 17:Epic MonoWagner Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey 1968 CD 92:Col. StereoWagner Götterdämmerung: Siegfried's Funeral Music and Final Scene 1968 CD 92:Col. StereoWagner Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I 1965 CD 78:Col. StereoWagner Rienzi: Overture 1965 CD 78:Col. StereoWagner Rienzi: Overture 1954 CD 101:Col. NYP MonoWagner Siegfried, Act II: Forest Murmurs 1956 CD 17:Epic MonoWagner Siegfried: Forest Murmurs 1968 CD 92:Col. StereoWagner Tannhäuser: Overture 1962 CD 51:Epic StereoWagner Tannhäuser: Overture 1954 CD 101:Col. NYP MonoWagner Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Love Death 1962 CD 51:Epic StereoWalton Partita for Orchestra 1959 CD 30:Epic StereoWalton Symphony no.2 1961 CD 48:Epic StereoWalton Variations on a Theme by Hindemith 1964 CD 89:Col. StereoWeber Der Freischütz, op.77: Overture 1952 CD 101:Col. NYP MonoWeber Konzertstück in F minor, op.79 (Robert Casadesus, piano) 1952 CD 6:Col. MonoWeber Oberon, J306: Overture 1962-63 CD 58:Epic StereoWeber Oberon, J306: Overture 1952 CD 101:Col. NYP Mono