George Szell
A tyrannical perfectionist who forged the Cleveland Orchestra into a gleaming instrument of unparalleled precision and clarity.
1897–1970 (age 73)·Classical conductor and composer·Birthday: June 7·The Lost Generation
Biography
George Szell's reign in Cleveland is the stuff of orchestral legend. Arriving from a European career where he worked with titans like Richard Strauss, he found a competent American orchestra and, through sheer force of will and excruciating detail, transformed it into one of the world's most refined musical machines. His rehearsals were feared; he heard every out-of-tune note, every ragged entrance, and demanded a cohesive sound that balanced Germanic weight with transparent texture. The result was an ensemble that played with the precision of a string quartet and the power of a great European orchestra. Szell's recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra—from the core Germanic repertoire of Beethoven and Brahms to dazzling renditions of Dvořák and modern works—remain benchmarks. He was not a warm public figure, but his artistic integrity was absolute, creating a lasting institutional standard that defined excellence in American classical music.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
George was born in 1897, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1897
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1897Born
President: William McKinley
1902Started school
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Became a teenager
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could drive
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1915Could vote
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Turned 21
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 30
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 40
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 50
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 60
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 70
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Died at 73
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
Key Achievements
- Served as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra for 24 years, elevating it to international prominence.
- Created a vast, definitive recorded legacy of the core classical repertoire with the Cleveland Orchestra.
- Commissioned and premiered important works, including concertos by Prokofiev and Walton.
- His rigorous training methods established a 'Cleveland sound' characterized by clarity, balance, and precision that endured for decades.
Did You Know?
He made his public debut as a pianist and composer with the Vienna Symphony at the age of eleven.
He was a skilled chef and enjoyed preparing elaborate meals for guests.
He briefly worked as an assistant to the composer Richard Strauss.
He held strong opinions on audio engineering and personally supervised the editing of his recordings.
“The trouble with most musicians is that they don't know how to listen. They only know how to play.”
