Beethoven Piano Concerto No.2 - Fleisher, Szell - Mozart Symphony No. 39
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19, performed by Leon Fleisher with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, a collaboration that has become emblematic of classical discipline and musical intelligence. This account is often admired for treating the concerto squarely as early Beethoven, without projecting the weight or rhetoric of the later concertos onto the music.
Szell’s 1960 recording of Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 with the Cleveland Orchestra is a textbook example of his classical ideal, and it comes across as both severe and exhilarating. The famous slow introduction is broad without being monumental, shaped with a firm sense of line and a cool emotional temperature. Chords are cleanly placed, the dotted rhythms are tightly controlled, and the tension comes from harmonic pacing rather than expressive stretching. When the Molto allegro arrives, the transition feels inevitable rather than dramatic, as if the music has simply been set free within clearly defined boundaries.
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2
Artist(s): Conductor – George Szell
Piano – Leon Fleisher
Orchestra – The Cleveland Orchestra
Engineer – Christopher Herles
Producer – Howard H. Scott
Recorded at Severance Hall, Cleveland, April 16, 1961
Sourced from an Epic Records original pressing
Mozart Symphony No. 39
Artist(s): Conductor – George Szell
Orchestra – The Cleveland Orchestra
Producer – Howard H. Scott
Recorded January 8 & 10 and March 3, 1960, at Severance Hall, Cleveland
Sourced from an Epic Records original pressing
Components used for this transfer: Analog: Transferred using a VPI - HW-40 Anniversary Direct Drive Turntable - Cartridge used Ortofon MC Anna - Merrill Jens Phono Preamp
Digital: Merging Anubis Analog to Digital Converter powered by Teddy Pardo Linear Power Supply, clocked by an Antelope Audio 10MX Atomic Clock
Power Conditioning: Shunyata Research Everest 8000 for all components with Shunyata Sigma-X Power Cords. All components are grounded to Shunyata ALTAIRA Hubs
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B-Flat Major Op.19
1 Allegro Con Brio 12:58
2 Adagio 8:59
3 Rondo. Molto Allegro 5:38
Symphony No. 39 In E Flat, K. 543
4 Adagio - Allegro 8:20
5 Andante Con Moto 8:19
6 Menuetto: Allegretto 4:58
7 Finale (Allegro) 3:51
This Title is in the Vinyl Record Restoration Series. You can find information about the series in this Blog Post HERE
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then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using
Merging Technologies Album Publishing.
DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD originated digital recordings
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