George Szell's Reign: Behind the Scenes with the Cleveland Orchestra

by Marcia Hansen Kraus

George Szell was the Cleveland Orchestra's towering presence for over a quarter of a century. From the boardroom to the stage, Szell's powerful personality affected every aspect of a musical institution he reshaped in his own perfectionist image. Marcia Hansen Kraus's participation in Cleveland's classical musical scene allowed her an intimate view of Szell and his achievements. As a musician herself, and married to an oboist who worked under Szell, Kraus pulls back the curtain on this storied era through fascinating interviews with orchestra musicians and patrons. Their recollections combine with Kraus's own to paint a portrait of a multifaceted individual who both earned and transcended his tyrannical reputation. If some musicians hated Szell, others loved him or at the least respected his fair-minded toughness. A great many remember playing under his difficult leadership as the high point in their lives. Filled with vivid backstage stories, George Szell's Reign reveals the human side of a great orchestra ”and how one visionary built a premier classical music institution.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2017

Reviews

[Schuyler Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long an ardent admirer of classic music, especially the symphonic orchestras that render it, I was delighted to have an opportunity to read Marcia Hansen Kraus’s magnificent tribute to the Cleveland Orchestra and its legendary maestro, George Szell. Surprisingly, because of a lack of information on my part, the Cleveland Orchestra was not on my list of great orchestras, possibly because of the lack of popular adulation. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and their conductors, seem to get all the headlines. This book changed that.

Kraus, herself a musician and composer, was fortunate to have her husband as an oboist who performed under Szell, and was diligent enough to research the many aspects of his towering leadership. We’re smarter now because of her. In “George Szell Reigns” the author reveals the man’s influence from recreating a struggling city’s musical face, to managing a 100-member group of artists with often strident attitudes, to dealing with a wealthy and tight-fisted board of directors, to overseeing a massive construction project that created Cleveland Blossom, the orchestra’s summer home, to creatively interpreting and directing innovative ideas about famous musical works, and, finally, helping develop what is often considered to be the best orchestra in the world.

The wealth of characters displayed by the author and their involvement both with collaboration and steering Szell on his journey is amazing. Reading her stunning account will give the reader a look at a mystical world of artistic genius and temperament, and what it takes to live and create in its shadow. One look at her endnotes will demonstrate her ardor and determination to getting the story right. Just reading those are a delight. Post reading reflection will fill you with the joy of fine music and the complexities of bringing it to light.

There are so many wonderful anecdotes in this account that one is tempted to fill the air with superlatives and praise. Instead I’ll just say that to miss reading this book is to miss a showpiece and the opportunity to fill your mind with a wonderful vision of musical artistry.

[Mark Lisac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice portrait done as a series of meticulously layered and well researched anecdotes. George Szell built the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra into a performing marvel generally regarded as great. The book concentrates on his relationship with the musicians and is in part a study of the life of musicians in a prominent orchestra. It also sketches many of the hidden complexities of operating a world famous symphony. It remains at heart a description of a musical genius and of the intense perfectionism that translates genius into performance. Kraus combined extensive knowledge with clear writing to produce an easy and engaging read for a non-musician (like me).
The widow of one of the musicians who clashed with Szell has protested against the book's treatment of him in another review. She may have a point, although it's likely profitless to try to judge who was in the right in a clash of temperaments. A section on renowned choral conductor Robert Shaw feels a bit like an intrusion from another biographical sketch, and the virtual coda on the construction on the Blossom Pavilion near the end of Szell's time feels like the product of an author getting distracted by an interesting subject and losing sight of the main point. But the book fosters an appreciation of artistic dedication in someone blessed with unusually superior gifts, and will likely stimulate many readers' interest in the recorded music of Szell and his orchestra (although there are oddly only scattered references indicating what recordings were made).

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

So here's the deal. I was a music ed major in undergrad, I'm from the Cleveland area, I loved going to concerts at Severance Hall and was eager to read this book.

The pros: Tons of good information and history about the Cleveland Orchestra from a time well before I existed.

The Cons: No real continuity between paragraphs. It jumped around terribly. Case in point (Mild Spoiler) Szell gets cancer. Sad. Got it. However, it was presented as "Szell's cancer had returned".
Now I may have missed it earlier, and I definitely don't have a photographic memory, but IIRC, that was the first time his cancer diagnosis was mentioned. A few pages later, the whole cancer story was told in depth. Just way too jumpy for my tastes but still a good read if you don't mind the haphazard nature of it.

[Paula Lifschey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yesterday I learned about a chapter in this book referring to my husband, Marc Lifschey. I did not know about
the book but purchased it on my Kindle immediately. The author did not do me the courtesy of contacting me to ask if I would object to her portrayal of Marc's personality and his relationship to the other musicians, nor to the accuracy of
what she states as fact. Bottom line, the tone is mean-spirited.
This week marks the 17th anniversary of his death, and surely the negative gossip and
assessments of his behavior pale in comparison to his musical legacy.

[Maximilian Gerboc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super interesting read for anyone who is a fan of the Cleveland Orchestra or classical music and performance in general. Everyone in Cleveland knows the Cleveland Orchestra and proudly announces to Cleveland haters that it's one of the best orchestras in the world. Szell made it so, and was a complex, interesting character who above all was dedicated to music.

My only problems were that the writing wandered a bit into some tangents, and there was maybe a tad too much technical detail about the construction of Blossom. Additionally, the author makes arguments in the epilogue that there will never be great symphony orchestras in the future for a variety of reasons. I think this is patently false. It's typical of an older commentator, lamenting the lost greatness of the past, and although she makes good points about music and art education, there are certain aspects - namely, that organizations like these need autocratic rulers and that Unions are a hindrance to that - which I don't believe are true and ultimately distract from what is otherwise a well told story about a fascinating character.