Second Spin: George Szell's Bohemian Carnival (US Epic)

Epic BC 1268

Bohemian Carnival

Smetana: The Moldau; Three Dances from "The Bartered Bride"

Dvorak: Carnival Overture; Four Slavonic Dances

The Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, conductor

Recorded January 4-5, 1963, Severance Hall, Cleveland

Matrix numbers: XXSB-75223-1L / XXSB-75224-1K

It's been over a decade since I reviewed the UK Columbia SAX release (SAX 2539) of this Epic recording. I was charmed by these splendid performances from George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, whose playing truly brought out the joy of this beautiful Czech music. The SAX continues to be quite rare and comes up for sale on Ebay two, maybe three times per year, and when it does, it generally sells for over $250 USD. The original US Epic pressing, however, can be purchased for a mere fraction of the UK SAX (mine was $5 USD). If it's the music you're after (and not specifically SAX 2539), the US Epic is an excellent way to enjoy these performances at a far lower price point. Unfortunately, I no longer have the SAX for comparison, but the sound of this Epic is some of the best I've heard from this label - rich and sonorous, spacious, and dynamic, with a nice sparkle to the treble and a decent low end as well.

Excerpt from Dvorak's Carnival Overture:

Excerpt from Smetana's The Moldau:

Excerpt from Smetana's The Bartered Bride, Polka: