Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Country

:

Hungary

Birth

:

June 7, 1897 in Budapest, Hungary

Death

:

July 29, 1970 in Cleveland, OH

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Orchestral

 

 

Symphony

 

George Szell was a Hungarian-born American conductor and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century. He was born on June 7, 1897, in Budapest, Hungary, to a Jewish family. His father, Lajos Szell, was a successful businessman, and his mother, Margit, was a talented pianist who gave George his first piano lessons. At the age of six, Szell began studying piano with Richard Robert, a renowned teacher who had also taught Béla Bartók. Szell showed exceptional talent and quickly became a prodigy, giving his first public performance at the age of seven. He continued his studies with Robert until the age of 11, when he entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. At the academy, Szell studied piano with István Thomán and composition with Albert Siklós. He also attended conducting classes with the legendary conductor Felix Weingartner. Szell graduated from the academy in 1917 with a degree in piano and composition. After graduation, Szell began his career as a pianist, performing in recitals and as a soloist with orchestras throughout Europe. However, he soon realized that his true passion was conducting, and he began to focus on developing his skills in this area. In 1919, Szell was appointed as the assistant conductor of the Berlin State Opera, where he worked under the direction of Bruno Walter. He quickly gained a reputation as a talented and meticulous conductor, and in 1924, he was appointed as the principal conductor of the Berlin State Opera. Szell's tenure at the Berlin State Opera was marked by a series of successful productions, including performances of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" and Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde." He also began to develop a reputation as a conductor of contemporary music, conducting the premieres of works by composers such as Paul Hindemith and Arnold Schoenberg. In 1930, Szell left Berlin to become the principal conductor of the Scottish Orchestra in Glasgow. He remained in this position for two years before accepting an invitation to become the principal conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra in the United States. Szell's tenure at the Cleveland Orchestra was the most significant period of his career. He transformed the orchestra into one of the finest in the world, and his meticulous attention to detail and demanding rehearsal schedule earned him the nickname "The Musician's Musician." Under Szell's direction, the Cleveland Orchestra became known for its precision, clarity, and balance. Szell was particularly renowned for his interpretations of the works of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, and he also championed the music of contemporary composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Béla Bartók. Szell's tenure at the Cleveland Orchestra was marked by a series of successful recordings, including a complete cycle of Beethoven's symphonies and concertos. He also conducted the orchestra on several international tours, including a historic tour of the Soviet Union in 1965. Szell's reputation as a conductor continued to grow throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and he was invited to conduct many of the world's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic. In addition to his work as a conductor, Szell was also a respected pianist and chamber musician. He often performed as a soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra and recorded several albums of chamber music with members of the orchestra.

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