REVIEW POTPOURRI – Conductor: George Szell

by Peter Cates

George Szell

George Szell

Bizet’s opera Carmen was considered one worthy of meticulous study for aspiring conductors by the perfectionist Maestro George Szell (1897-1970) who held dictatorial Music Directorship of the Cleve­land Or­chestra from 1946 until his death from bone cancer.

I own a shelf of different sets of Carmen as sung by such grand prima donnas as Rise Stevens, Maria Callas, Marilyn Horne, Tatiana Troyanos and Angela Gheorghiu, etc. When Miss Horne did Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera, her co-star James McCracken as Don Jose wanted to use a real dagger instead of a rubber one for authenticity and was the kind of singer/actor who’d become totally consumed in the character.

She stated that no way in H___ was she getting on stage with him.

Another set for recent listening is an early ‘60s London Records album of three LPs and a libretto conducted by the late Thomas Schippers with Geneva’s Suisse Romande Orchestra, soprano Regina Resnik in the title role, tenor Mario del Monaco as Don Jose, soprano Joan Sutherland as Micaela and baritone Tom Krause as the bullfighter Escamillo, his own Toreador Song frequently used in TV commercials. It is a very good recording.

The arguably most famous Aria is Carmen’s own Habanera, which soprano Emma Calve (1858-1935) recorded on an acoustic 12-inch one-sided Victor Red Seal shellac and one well worth hearing via YouTube, despite the primitive fidelity of 120 years ago because of Calve’s own hypnotically sultry delivery and beautiful voice. Resnik was similarly splendid, as was Rise Stevens, Callas, Horne, Troyanos and others previously mentioned.

In the story, Carmen is employed in a Spanish cigar factory and deliberately attracts a number of men with her flirtatious ways, two of them being Don Jose with his own deadly posessive jealousy and Escamillo. Meanwhile, a wonderfully loyal girlfriend of Don Jose from back home, Micaela, arrives to plead with Don Jose to renew their commitment but he is too idiotically smitten with Carmen. Two exquisite Arias in the opera are sung by Micaela.

A popular one from Don Jose is the Flower Song.

An addendum – because of George Szell’s sarcastic personality, he was often referred to as his own worst enemy, to which former Met Opera manager Rudolf Bing retorted, “Not while I’m alive.”

While on the subject of Szell, he recorded Gustav Mahler’s 4th Symphony in 1964 with the Cleveland Orchestra . I have worn out a few copies of the record since purchasing the first one during the summer of 1966. It is a record I have played for several friends over the decades who were not fans of classical music previously. The experience had them changing their minds.

The Symphony is that beautiful and has been recorded with distinction a number of times but Szell, who was very selective with Mahler’s music had a high regard for the 4th Symphony and gave of himself totally to realizing every expressive detail. The 4th Symphony movement is sung by a soprano and ends on a quiet heavenly note. Szell had the phenomenal Judith Raskin as his soloist. It can also be heard via YouTube.