Artist(s): George Szell and the The Cleveland Orchestra
Recording Info: - The Moldau, Three Dances, and Carnival Overture recorded January 4-5, 1963.
Slavonic Dances recorded July 19, 1962
Producer – Thomas Frost
Smetana: "The Moldau"
1 ("Vltava") Symphonic Poem No. 2 From The Cycle, "My Country" ("Ma Vlast") 12:49
Smetana: Three Dances From The Opera "The Bartered Bride"
2 Polka (Act I, Scene 5) 5:10
3 Furiant (Act II, Scene 1) 2:10
4 Dance Of The Comedians (Act III, Scene 2) 3:58
Dvořák: Carnival Overture Op. 92
5 Carnival Overture, Op. 92 9:20
Dvořák: Four Slavonic Dances
6 Op. 46, No. 1 In C Major (Bohemian Furiant, Presto) 3:52
7 Op. 46, No. 3 In A-Flat Major (Bohemian Polka, Poco Allegro) 4:55
8 Op. 72, No. 2 In E Minor (Polish Mazurka, Allegretto Grazioso) 5:58
9 Op. 72, No. 7 In C Major (Serbian Kolo, Allegro Vivace) 2:55
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Bohemian Carnival - George Szell, The Cleveland Orchestra
Immer wieder erstaunlich ist die Räumlichkeit, die Durchsichtigkeit und Klarheit der HDTT Aufnahmen. Und das künstlerische Niveau von Szell und dem Cleveland Orchester ist sowieso über jeden Zweifel erhaben. Sehr empfehlenswert! P. Krismer

Szell's Moldau
This is one of the greatest versions of Smetana's "Die Moldau" ever recorded, where you really can hear everything. It has never sounded better than here. The (rather limited) rest of it is all good fun. If you are a Szell fan, this is a must.


A very excellent release!
As so often, I agree completely with Rob P. below. I imprinted on the Columbia LP release of this recording growing up, and I am so pleased to find it here in such improved sound quality. Szell makes a fine performance of "The Moldau" even if not to the standard of the more characterful performances by Tallich, Ancerl, Smetácek, et al. His "Bartered Bride" is the more engaging performance, and it is very very good, imo. And Szell's Dvorak is "spot-on" for me, with a very lively engaging "Carnival Overture" and characterful "Slavonic Dances." In comparison, the CD from the "Complete Columbia Album Collection" is quite good, but it simply lacks so much in the way of resolution, air, natural timbre, and frequency extension by comparison to this new HDTT release. I have lived with the CD quite happily up until today. But I doubt I'll ever listen to it again—it simply sounds flat, hard and "ham-fisted" by comparison. Not bad, mind you, just lacking the resolution, dimensionality, air, and wonderful analog goodness that HDTT captures in this transfer. As Rob P. says, "...there’s no-point comparing this DSD256 transfer with anything digital that has gone before, because as always the HDTT is in a different class..." All-in-all, a very wonderful reissue from HDTT. Clean, quiet, very low noise floor, excellent resolution, very natural instrumental timbre. It's a winner.

Astounding Music Making & Transfer
LPs don’t come any better than SAX2539 from which this derives, where in 1963, Szell and his players were on brilliant form in works by, with Janacek, the greatest Czech composers. Vltava is relaxed; the gorgeous melodies and leitmotivs in each of its six sections are beautifully phrased and played. The three dances from The Bartered Bride are delightful (you could write an essay on Szell’s use of rhythmic and dynamic variation, instrumental balance, tonal variation and weighting and the final accelerando in the Polka) and the precision of the Dance of the Comedians is exhilarating, without ever sounding rushed. Then we have equally brilliant accounts of Dvorak’s Carnival Overture and four of his most popular Slavonic Dances, where the tempo changes are effortless and you can hear that the Clevelanders are really enjoying themselves (the woodwind smile, the string articulation sparkles). For those wanting to hear a younger, more driven Szell in all bar the Smetana Dances I would recommend listening to him with the NBC SO in March 1941 on Pristine Classical. The sound is excellent and the comparison is fascinating for all lovers of great conducting. Sound-wise, the original LP is bright and vibrant, with excellent clarity and definition and there’s no-point comparing this DSD256 transfer with anything digital that has gone before, because as always the HDTT is in a different class and while the LP, is more natural, the HDTT has more space and a better dynamic range.
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