Re: GG: The Szell Story

[Robert Kunath <kunath@hilltop.ic.edu>]

I missed the earlier post about this, but I think I can clarify the Szell
story a bit.  The original story was reported, I believe, in the Time
Magazine cover story on Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra from around 1963.
Gould denied that Szell had ever made the "derriere" comment in his
interview with Jonathan Cott, and said exactly that if Szell had said
something like that, then the Cleveland Orchestra would have been looking
for another soloist that night.

    In the version I have seen, the "that nut's a genius" line was not said
by Szell anywhere in earshot of Gould.  Rather it was after Gould had
performed in Cleveland with a guest conductor (Szell reportedly had refused
to conduct concerts in which Gould was the soloist).  Szell had attended the
concert, and was asked his opinion of Gould's performance.

    I don't think it's quite right to say that Szell was humorless.  He was
reputed to have a very effective sarcastic wit (there are some fine examples
in Gary Grafmann's memoir *I Really Should Be Practicing*), and either of
the lines attributed to Szell fit his persona rather well.

Robert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Anne M. Marble" <amarble@SFF.NET>
To: <F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 5:46 PM
Subject: GG: The Szell Story


> From: Jeremy Smith <jcsmith3@MATH.UIUC.EDU>
>
> > Dear list,
> >
> > I think what Daniel Baldwin says is correct, but I also am certain I
once
> > read a quotation of GG where he denied all the Szell stories.  He says
> > something like "if Szell had spoken to me the way people say, he would
> > have been looking for another soloist".
>
> Yes, I believe if Szell had made the "derriere" comment, GG would have
> stormed off the stage! And I'm sure the "That nut is a genius" line would
> have had the same effect.
>
> Many famous musical anecdotes have no basis (or little basis) in fact --
> and many of them congregate around GG. Some people think that Wanda
> Landowska told GG, "You play Bach your way, I'll play him his way." In
> fact, she said that to another musician, and she said it jokingly.
>
> > I'm sorry I can't remember which GG-related book
> > this was in, but it would be one of the standard ones.
>
> I'm pretty sure it was in Jonathan Cott's "Conversations with Glenn
Gould."
> However, my copy is hiding from me right now. As far as I can remember, GG
> said that parts of it did happen as printed, but that Szell never said the
> famous line. (It might be in this interview that GG pointed out that Szell
> was rather humorless and thus wouldn't have said something like that to
> begin with.)
>
> ------
> Anne M. Marble
> amarble@sff.net
> I report spam (thwack!)
>