The Cleveland Orchestra Story
“Second to None”
by Donald Rosenberg
- Format: Hardcover, 752 pages, 6.3 x 9.3 inches
- Illustrations: 103 black-and-white photographs
- ISBN: 978-1-886228-24-5
- Price: $40.00
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Description
They are, simply, the best at what they do.
The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the three greatest orchestras in the world—by the near-unanimous acclaim of audiences, critics, and musicians around the globe. What's more, they've achieved this extraordinary success in a small Midwestern city, far from the traditional cultural centers of Europe and the U.S. east and west coasts. And they've stayed at the very top now for almost four decades.
This book tells how the Cleveland Orchestra rose amid the gritty surroundings of Big Industry to become a titan in the world of Big Art.
It's a story of indomitable founders like iron-willed impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes (the first woman to manage a symphony orchestra) and shrewd, wealthy patrons like industrialist John L. Severance. Of dedicated musicians and driven conductors—like colorful Artur Rodzinski (who packed a loaded pistol during every performance) and authoritarian genius George Szell, who drilled into his orchestra the awesome precision for which it is still renowned (and who even told his players how to dress and the cleaning ladies at Severance Hall what brand of toilet paper to stock).
It's also a story of many battles, for the orchestra has fought relentlessly to maintain its reputation for near-perfect performance.
How these musicians and maestros, managers and patrons rose repeatedly to meet the challenges—and in doing so set a standard for excellence rarely matched by any other arts organization—is the story of a true virtuoso performance.
In this book, the first about the Cleveland Orchestra in 30 years, Donald Rosenberg tells a complex, sweeping success story in very human terms, with an eye for its telling details and a feel for its true drama.
Reviews
- “Manages to be both crammed full of facts and a good, fast-paced read . . . it's about as comprehensive--and entertaining--a history of a great musical organization you're likely to encounter.” — The Boston Herald
- “A meticulously researched, in-depth, eloquently told account, and quite possibly the finest of its kind ever written, at least in English . . . Rosenberg has constructed a gripping story that the reader, once engaged, can put aside only with the greatest difficulty . . . A coherent narrative is the very quality that sets his book nearly in a class by itself. The reader is swept along in Rosenberg's account as if it were an epic novel or spy thriller. We truly care about the characters he describes, both the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys' . . . Fascinating anecdotes, quips, stories, facts and events are found on nearly every page . . . Will fascinate not only Cleveland Orchestra fans but anyone interested in how a great orchestra is created and how it operates on a daily basis.” — Schwann Opus Magazine
- “[A] fascinating and carefully researched history.” — Boston Globe Online (boston.com)
- “It is ambitious, but Mr. Rosenberg, an engaging and often eloquent writer, succeeds in making this a human story. The result is a readable, colorful and fascinating chronicle that is an indispensable addition to any orchestra lover's library.” — Cincinnati Enquirer
- “Much more than a history of one of the finest U.S. orchestras . . . Donald Rosenberg has written a fascinating account of music, musicians, politics, unbridled egos, and business that engages the reader like a good mystery novel . . . thoroughly researched, well documented, and very well written.” — Library Journal
- “Absorbing reading, not merely a reference piece. Nor is it a lazy view of the subject from the rear of the balcony . . . Irresistible, tremendously informative and a just plain good read. And yes, it should be in the library of every lover of symphonic music and certainly every collector of books on music. Period!” — New Music Connoisseur
- “Absorbing.” — The New Yorker
- “Comes as close to a true account of how a successful symphony orchestra operates in a major American city as I can imagine anyone writing . . . A fascinating history of the tangled but sometimes fruitful relationship between politics and the arts in America--a story written with admiration, respect and affection, but also with a candor and detail . . . For those who love the Cleveland Orchestra, this [book] is a treasure . . . [Rosenberg] brings a musician's knowledge of backstage routine and performance standards to his story--and makes a story out of what might easily have been a dry chronicle of conductors, seasons and program selections . . . a narrative highly detailed and informative, but written with ease and authority and dramatic immediacy . . . For those not devoted to the Cleveland Orchestra, and not residents of Cleveland, this book is a frank, detailed account of how an important performing company operates in a large American city--its politics, its lines of support, the ways even the most idealistic motives play themselves out in brick and mortar, seat cushions and drapes . . . Rosenberg's chapter on the building of Severance Hall, and how certain errors of design and acoustics developed, should be required reading for every music and architecture student in America. (David Walton, Pittsburgh critic)” — The Plain Dealer
- “Donald Rosenberg has captured the heart and soul of one of the leading orchestras in the world.” — Youngstown Vindicator
About Donald Rosenberg
Donald Rosenberg is the classical music critic for the Plain Dealer and vice president of the Music Critics Association of North America. He was formerly music and dance critic of the Akron Beacon Journal and the Pittsburgh Press. His writing has appeared in Symphony Magazine, Opera News, Opera (London), Musical America, and other publications. An accomplished French horn player, he has performed at the prestigious Aspen and Marlboro music festivals. He is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music (Bachelor of Music degree) and the Yale School of Music (Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts degrees). He was born in New York City and lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio. More About Donald Rosenberg
Contains References to:
Blossom Music Center, Classical Music, Cleveland Public Auditorium, Cleveland String Quartet, George Szell, Gray's Armory, John L. Severance, Lorin Maazel, Music History, Nikolai Sokoloff, Severance Hall,