Thursday, July 25, 2013

Szell and the Budapest Quartet

George Szell
George Szell (1897-1970) made his international reputation as the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra via his recordings for American Columbia (and through their subsidiary, Epic), but, at the time the recording I present here was made, that was all in the future.  His career with American Columbia actually began as a pianist, with members of the Budapest Quartet, in the two piano quartets by Mozart, of which this was the first to be released:

Mozart: Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, K. 493
George Szell, piano, with members of the Budapest String Quartet
Recorded July 20, 1946, in Hollywood
Columbia Masterworks set MM-493, three 78-rpm records
Link (FLAC files, 56.95 MB)
Link (MP3 files, 29.12 MB)

By the time this release appeared, early in 1947, Szell had already begun making recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra, two of which were actually issued before the other Mozart piano quartet was.

Sorry to be away for so long, but most of my free time this month has been spent glorying in the new Mercury Living Presence CD box which I decided to spring for earlier this summer.  It's also given me a couple of ideas for future transfers...

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this, Bryan! Will you be posting their
    K478 in due course; complete thee set, as it were....

    Do you have K590 and the electrical K458 by the Leners?
    If yes to either or both, pray please post!
    `

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  2. Another excellent transfer of an excellent selection. Many thanks!

    ReplyDelete