The Cleveland Orchestra Story

Rating:
Summary: For anyone who has admired this American music institution
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Go with the plaudits
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Go with the plaudits
Review: 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.