Previously un-issued recordings.Szell, perhaps the last of the great aristocratic conductors, was aware of the importance of recordings but also knew that a live performance was a unique and preferable artistic experience. He said in 1965, "I would suggest that perhaps the musical performance that happens only once and is unique is the philosophical sense and unrepeatable where the performer and the community of listeners find themselves in the same space, in the same spot, in one moment and live through one performance with all its hazards and all the grace of the moment it may have..." if some have objected to a perceived dryness or over-calculation in Szell"s commercial recordings, the live recordings in this set show a more spontaneous and dynamic side of his artistry. This volume includes Szel"s New York Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestra debut concerts and other rare public performance recordings.Prize of German Record Critics Association, 3d Quarter 2008"I was taken aback by the high quality of the sound throughout these discs, which is clear and dynamic, giving very few clues to the vintage. Only the Prokofiev shows its age."- Bruce Surtees, The Whole Note