The Best of the US

[MN Dave]

Who are your favorite US orchestras and American musicians, please?

[hornteacher]

Well, OTHER than Hilary, I'm a big fan of cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

http://www.alisaweilerstein.com

and hornist Eric Ruske.

[Brian]

Well, I can't say I've got much experience in such things, sadly, but having been a season ticket holder/attendee at the Detroit Symphony (4 yrs), San Antonio Symphony, Houston Symphony, and Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, I'm happy to say that my favorite American orchestra - so far! - is the student orchestra right here at the Shepherd School. Incidentally I'm currently working on procuring some of their concert broadcasts ... we'll see how that goes ...

[paulb]

Who are your favorite US orchestras and American musicians, please?

I would have to say the Minnesota/Skrowaczewski, Detroit/Dorati and....Cleveland/Dohanayi/Ashkanazy.
Least fav  of any and all american orchestras is the New York Phil.
Chicago is OK, nothing super special.
Philadeplhia/Chailly was  very good.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Beaux Arts Trio
Juilliard Quartet
Jessye Norman
Richard Goode
Barbara Bonney
Emerson Quartet
Gil Shaham
Julius Katchen
William Kapell
Hollywood Quartet
John Browning (his Prokofiev PCs)

Orchestras:

San Francisco
Boston
Cleveland
NY
Chicago
Philadelphia

[Brian]

On second thought, add the Fine Arts Quartet and Minnesota Orchestra to my votes. 

[Bonehelm]

The NYPO. First, their Mahler sounds like no other, and second, they have Joseph Alessi, who is quite possibly the greatest living trombonist.

[toledobass]

Edgar

http://www.youtube.com/v/2zTbuO3pjzo

[Sergeant Rock]

As a consequence of birth, geography and imprinting....the Cleveland Orchestra.

Sarge

[Bogey]

As a consequence of birth, geography and imprinting....the Cleveland Orchestra.

Sarge

Did you have many chances to see them perform live Sarge and if so, under whose direction? 

Cleveland at the top of my list as well.  When shopping in used shops, I will buy any of their cds without sampling.

[Sergeant Rock]

Did you have many chances to see them perform live Sarge and if so, under whose direction?

Yes, Bill, many, many times. My first Cleveland concert was in 1966 at the old Akron Armory, one of the orchestra's Tuesday Musical Club concerts. Louis Lane, Szell's long-time assistant, conducted Perlman in the Tchaikovsky. Lane was a conductor I admired; he gave thrilling performances (a Mahler First was especially impressive). It's a pity he recorded so little. I saw Szell ten times, including that terrific Mahler Sixth and his penultimate concert (Seoul Korea, 1970, Weber, Lalo, Sibelius). One Szell concert, at Blossom in 1968, I still consider to be the most perfect concert I've ever heard: Wagner Prelude to Act I Lohengrin, Mozart PC 21 with Curzon, and the Brahms Fourth. I saw many concerts during the Maazel years too. For six years during the 70s I was either going to school in Ohio (U of Akron) or, after I reenlisted, stationed in Ohio (recruiting duty in Akron) or near Ohio (Fort Knox), close enough to attend concerts in Cleveland.

Guest conductors I heard at Severance or Blossom include Kubelik, Ormandy, Barenboim, Boulez, Previn, Abbado, Kertész, Ančerl, Haitink and Tennstedt.

I only heard a few concerts during the Dohnányi years and Welser-Möst just once so far.

Sarge

[Bogey]

Yes, Bill, many, many times. My first Cleveland concert was in 1966 at the old Akron Armory, one of the orchestra's Tuesday Musical Club concerts. Louis Lane, Szell's long-time assistant, conducted Perlman in the Tchaikovsky. Lane was a conductor I admired; he gave thrilling performances (a Mahler First was especially impressive). It's a pity he recorded so little. I heard Szell ten times, including that terrific Mahler Sixth and his penultimate concert (Seoul Korea, 1970, Weber, Lalo, Sibelius). One Szell concert, at Blossom in 1968, I still consider to be the most perfect concert I've ever heard: Wagner Prelude to Act I Lohengrin, Mozart PC 21 with Curzon, and the Brahms Fourth. I saw many concerts during the Maazel years too. For seven years during the 70s I was either going to school in Ohio (U of Akron) or, after I reenlisted, stationed in Ohio (recruiting duty in Akron) or near Ohio (Fort Knox), close enough to attend concerts in Cleveland.

Guest conductors I heard at Severance or Blossom include Kubelik, Ormandy, Barenboim, Boulez, Previn, Abbado, Kertész, Ančerl, Haitink and Tennstedt.

I only heard a few concerts during the Dohnányi years and Welser-Möst just once so far.

Sarge

As always, thanks for the thourough response.  I know little of their history and was amazed at the list of conductors above.  Any idea how long Ormandy was around?  I would like to sample that tandem.  There is this recording, but it looks like Szell's at the helm.

[hautbois]

The NYPO. First, their Mahler sounds like no other, and second, they have Joseph Alessi, who is quite possibly the greatest living trombonist.

Possibly the loudest as well? 

Howard

[david johnson]

chicago symphony orchestra
st. louis symphony orchestra

custer larue
adolph herseth

[Sergeant Rock]

As always, thanks for the thourough response.  I know little of their history and was amazed at the list of conductors above.  Any idea how long Ormandy was around?

Only long enough to guest conduct after Szell's death. I don't know how many concerts he actually conducted but he was one of many who were hired to fill in for the deceased Szell, starting with the 70/71 season. I believe, but am not sure that his last concert with the orchestra was the Mahler 2 I saw in November 1972.

I would like to sample that tandem.  There is this recording, but it looks like Szell's at the helm.

Ormandy didn't make any recordings with Cleveland (other than what may be in the vaults from live concerts). Yes, Szell conducts Serkin in the Bartok. The other items on this disc are performed by Ormandy and Philadelphia. I have a Cleveland discography. These are the conductors who made commercial recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra: Sokoloff, Rodzinski, Leinsdorf, Stravinsky, Szell, Lane, Maazel, Dohnányi, Shaw, Fennell, Boulez, Ashkenazy, Chailly, Marriner, Knussen, Levi, Sanderling, Welser-Möst and MTT.

Sarge

[Bogey]

...Shaw...

Sarge

Really?  I need to look this one up.

[Bogey]

Really?  I need to look this one up.

Looks like it is on this set:

[Sergeant Rock]

Really?  I need to look this one up.

Don't bother: it was a record of various choral pieces pulled from larger works. Long out of print.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Looks like it is on this set:

Yeah, that one has the Lacrimosa from the Requiem. I think that's the only track that's made it to CD from the original 1961 album.

Sarge

[Iago]

While I lived in NY, I subscribed to the Cleveland, NYP, Boston and Phila Orch concerts series as well as to the Metropolitan Opera. Szell was great all the time But he gave two concerts which stand out in my memory. One with the Cleveland and one with the NYP.

With the Cleveland (in Carnegie Hall) it was the Verdi Requiem. (Tucci, Forrester, Lucheti and Talvela.  Far better than any other I've ever seen including Solti, Bernstein, Leinsdorf, HvK, Muti, Ormandy and Steinberg

With the NYP and Rostropovich (in AFH)
All Dvorak: Carnival Overture, Symphony #7, Cello Concerto
Everybody was "aflame" that night. Conductor, Orchestra and Soloist.

I saw Szell, Ormandy, Bernstein and a combo of Munch, Leinsdorf, Steinberg and Ozawa for almost 25 years leading thedir respective orchestras + other guest conductors.