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The Cleveland Orchestra Story: "Second to None"

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Rosenberg's new volume has been joyously received and devoured by this reader. Even though the length (some 700 pages) is formidable, I was not able to leave it for long since receiving it this week. I find R's account thoroughly accurate, engaging, and stimulating. The book's account of Szell's life and Cleveland tenure finally fills the void for any such account (save a scattered few articles and Robert Marsh's volume on the Cleveland Orchestra published in 1967). For this alone, Rosenberg deserves high praise, but goes so much farther in presenting and illuminating all the significant on-stage and behind-the-scenes personalities in the life of this estimable musical institution. This is essential reading for anyone who, as I, grew up in the golden era of the Cleveland Orchestra. Bravo and thank you Don Rosenberg!

Among serious fans and critics of classical music, the "Big Five" of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia are America's finest symphony orchestras, equal in quality to their peers in Europe. Yet only one of these is universally regarded as the equal to Europe's very best, the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras: surprisingly, the one often mentioned as among the world's top three is the Cleveland Orchestra. Having heard the Cleveland Orchestra performing live under the batons of Dohnanyi, Boulez and Welser-Most at Carnegie Hall, I must concur with this popular opinion since this orchestra may now be the world's finest, or at least, on par with the venerable Vienna Philharmonic (Under Simon Rattle's leadership, the Berlin Philharmonic seems to have slipped somewhat in quality, and I would add yet another orchestra, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, to my list of the world's top four symphony orchestras.). I have yet to hear a disappointing Cleveland Orchestra recording or live performance; this is without question, a precision quality ensemble always capable of flawless, lovely playing.

Cleveland newspaper music critic Donald Rosenberg tells an engrossing saga of the Cleveland Orchestra's history, from its founding in 1918, through the George Szell years which ensured the orchestra's rise to prominence as a world-class symphony orchestra, and finally, the close of Christoph von Dohnanyi's successful tenure as the orchestra's music director over the span of eighteen years. This is a fascinating inside look at the inner workings of a major American symphony orchestra, pointing out how Cleveland's wealthy elite were determined to create a fine music ensemble, and noting the importance of early conductors such as Artur Rodzinski and Erich Leinsdorf in the orchestra's rise to national artistic prominence. It is a story that is in a sense, miraculous, for no one would have expected that a small Midwestern city like Cleveland would be the home of one of the world's finest orchestras, and maintain that excellence inspite of the city's waning economic fortunes over the latter half of the 20th Century. And I fervently hope that Cleveland continues to support the artistic excellence demonstrated by the Cleveland Orchestra, which recently was the first American orchestra invited as a resident guest orchestra at Vienna's Musikverein, the celebrated concert hall that is home to the Vienna Philharmonic.

I was thrilled to finally get my hands on Donald Rosenberg's Cleveland Orchestra Story - it surpassed my expectations. A lifelong Clevelander with fairly good exposure to the artistic and cultural life of the city, I had heard talk of the book in process, and knew it was a formidable project that was being widely anticipated. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to hear the Cleveland Orchestra over the years, and have always been proud of - and a little awed by - its reputation. So, I was happy to see a book that lived up to the same high standards as the subject it covers. I am no orchestral or classical music aficionado, but I was captivated by the story nonetheless. A story of great personalities, of great talent, of a city made greater for those. I may not know all the names and sounds of the people and musical pieces Rosenberg writes about (masterfully and knowledgeably), but his style is easy, even compelling. Great details, exhaustive but not exhausting. This was a book I wanted to own, because of its content but also because of its feel - its hefty weight but manageable size, classy cover, traditional type, thick ivory rough-edged paper. A gift - for myself (and hopefully for some family members over the holidays).

The Cleveland Orchestra has long deserved a comprehensive history, and Donald Rosenberg has filled that need admirably. The great achievement of the book is to make one understand how challenging it is to *manage* a symphony orchestra, and Rosenberg's careful attention to the nuts-and-bolts business of creating, running, and improving the Cleveland Orchestra makes one aware of just how remarkable an achievement it is that Cleveland is one of the finest orchestras in the world. For example, at the time George Szell was raising the Cleveland to a position at the very top of the hierarchy of American orchestras, the CO ranked 11th in terms of pay among American orchestras.

My one disappointment with the book was that I would have liked to have seen more sustained reflection on the musical and artistic qualities that have distinguished the orchestra over its history. Much of the book is written in relatively short sections, and I began to yearn for a more continuous narrative that could cut deeper.

But make no mistake, this book is essential reading for any fan of the Cleveland Orchestra, and anyone interested in how a great cultural institution can be created.

Donald Rosenberg's loving but detailed history of the Cleveland Orchestra reads like a novel, but it is well researched. I was completely engrossed. This is not a romanticized account. The personalities involved are people full of light and shadows. Szell, for example, comes off as the brilliant artist so fixated on the musical dimension that he depreciates or is blind to other valuable dimensions of life like the beauty of human relationships. The conflicts and the joys of the orchestra are made evident. The selections of concert reviews are balanced with the good and the bad.

Those who enjoy classical music will profit from reading this wonderful account of the Cleveland Orchestra who are indeed "second to none."

I've been a fan of the Cleveland Orchestra for many years but have heard them live only once, at the Hollywood Bowl during a West Coast tour in mid-70's. It was an unforgettable experience - I had never heard an ensemble play with such clarity and precision.

Rosenberg's history nicely blends details about the musicians, managers, performances, and the music itself. Others have summarized many of the topics covered. I was particularly impressed by the sacrifices of the musicians, who did not have a full-year contract until the late 60's, despite being acknowledged as one of the 2 or 3 finest orchestras in the world. Many had to work odd jobs to keep their bills paid (still the case for most smaller market orchestras). And arrogant union leaders wouldn't allow the musicians to have a representative present during contract negotiations with management until well into the 70's.

Three separate collections of photos allow one to associate names with faces, and I find this helpful when listening to recordings. There's Myron Bloom heading up the wonderfully precise horns; and Josef Gingold playing a beautiful violin solo; and Robert Marcellus with his definitive performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Most of these fabulous performances are available as digitally re-mastered CD's on Sony's budget Essential Classics series. More recent, equally outstanding performances are led by soon to retire current conductor, Christoph von Dohnanyi, who has maintained and enhanced the orchestra's reputation. There are no better values in recorded orchestral music.

Anyone who loves orchestral music should enjoy this book. I recommend it most highly.

Rosenberg's new volume has been joyously received and devoured by this reader. Even though the length (some 700 pages) is formidable, I was not able to leave it for long since receiving it this week. I find R's account thoroughly accurate, engaging, and stimulating. The book's account of Szell's life and Cleveland tenure finally fills the void for any such account (save a scattered few articles and Robert Marsh's volume on the Cleveland Orchestra published in 1967). For this alone, Rosenberg deserves high praise, but goes so much farther in presenting and illuminating all the significant on-stage and behind-the-scenes personalities in the life of this estimable musical institution. This is essential reading for anyone who, as I, grew up in the golden era of the Cleveland Orchestra. Bravo and thank you Don Rosenberg! ...

Certainly anyone who loves the Cleveland Orchestra or George Szell's work will want to have this, although most of the famous Szell-as-heartless-martinet stories have been widely told elsewhere. I enjoyed the section on the orchestra's early years, which were much more unfamiliar; it really is amazing how an orchestra like this has survived and even thrived in a "mid-market" city like Cleveland. Great photos, too, including Artur Rodzinski with his goats. However, I felt the book ultimately depended too much on lists of tour cities, lists of works played at concerts, and endless excerpts from contemporary newspaper reviews. I would have liked less time in the archives and more time interviewing musicians (in Cleveland and elsewhere) on what Szell (and Maazel, and Dohnanyi) really did in terms of working with the orchestra, the details of what they asked for and how the "sound" evolved over time. I guess that's hard to accomplish in the same book where you need to mention every time the orchestra went to New York, but it would have made for a more interesting read. Still, anyone who enjoys orchestral biographies (as I do) will want it.

This is an enjoyable, comprehensive, and inside-out read. The Cleveland story is dramatically conveyed, the personalities come to life, from Leinsdorf's bad luck to Szell's *&^**%$ "personal" style in the pursuit of excellence. If reading something recent on classical music in the US, one is well advised to go here. More than the Bernie bios or the Solti (whom I love) memoirs. Serves well as both a continuous and a here-and-there random read. And depicts rather objectively all the intrigue, dedication, personal foibles underlying the external results through the 80+ yr history, and before. And very well documented appendices. You can believe the positive professional critics' reviews above.

The Cleveland Orchestra Story: "Second To None" is the fascinating story of how the world famous Cleveland Orchestra began amid the gritty surroundings of midwestern industry to its place of honor as a premier music enterprise. We meet a series of memorable and unusual people including Adella Prentiss Huges (the first woman to manage a symphony orchestra); John L. Severance (a shrewd, wealthy industrialist); Arthur Rodzinski (a conductor who packed a loaded pistol during every performance); and George Szell, (a controlling authority who drilled his orchestral with precision and told the cleaning ladies at Severance Hall what brand of toilet paper to stock). The Cleveland Orchestra Story is "must" reading for anyone who has admired this American music institution as well as the men and women who made it possible.