Page 962 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Here's a second American entry in our list of best orchestras in the world.

The Chicago band has had some big characters to lead it over the years. Perhaps the best

known, and one of the longest-serving, was the legendary Georg Solti, who led the Chicago
forces for over two decades from 1969 to 1991. During this time, the Second City's

orchestra gained global renown – not least for its incredible brass section, containing such
huge talents as principal trumpeter Adolph 'Bud' Herseth.

Under Solti's tenure and that of his successor Daniel Barenboim, the Chicago Symphony

produced some much-admired recordings, including authoritative cycles of the
symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler.

Recommended recording:

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 'Babi Yar' Alexey Tikhomirov, Men of the Chicago
Symphony Chorus/Dustin Wolfe, Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Riccardo Muti CSO

Resound CSOR 901 1901

Read our review here.

• Buy from Amazon

• Buy from Presto Classical
Cleveland Orchestra

The Cleveland Orchestra really hit its stride under the famously exacting conductor George

Szell, who served as the orchestra's music director for nearly a quarter of a century from
1946 to 1970.

When Szell arrived in Cleveland, the orchestra was well respected but small in size and –

like so many others – struggling to find its feet after World War II.

• What happened to classical musicians during World War 2?
• What was the impact of World War One on music?

• 14 composers who died in the First World War

Over the next 24 years, the no-nonsense Szell transformed the Cleveland band into
perhaps the world's best-disciplined orchestra. A later music director, Christoph von

Dohnanyi, continued to maintain Szell's high standards.

Today, under Dohnanyi's successor Franz Welser-Möst, that fine tradition is still upheld.
Cleveland has, in fact, been remearkable for its stability - it's still onto only its fourth music

director since Szell took up the reins in 1946.