The Cleveland Orchestra

Since its establishment, the Cleveland Orchestra has stood as a profound emblem of civic pride in Cleveland. Recognized among America’s foremost cultural assets, the ensemble matches the caliber of any orchestra worldwide. In 2020 Franz Welser-Möst directed a recording of works by Schubert and Ernst Krenek for release on the orchestra’s own Cleveland Orchestra label.

Although chamber-music activity had thrived in Cleveland from the mid-nineteenth century onward, the orchestra itself was not established until 1918. Adella P. Hughes, backed by the Musical Arts Association, guided its creation and appointed Nikolai Sokoloff as its first conductor. Sokoloff held the post until 1933, during which time he organized national tours, school concerts, studio recordings, and radio transmissions. His most enduring achievement remains Severance Hall, inaugurated in 1931 and instantly celebrated for its sonic clarity and architectural beauty; after renovations completed in 1999, the hall reopened in 2000 to fresh praise. Artur Rodzinski led the ensemble from 1933 to 1943, succeeded by Erich Leinsdorf, who remained until 1946. Their leadership elevated the city’s profile, yet the ensemble’s most illustrious era began with George Szell’s arrival in 1946.

A conductor of the old school, Szell governed with uncompromising authority, rebuked musicians he judged insufficiently committed, and reacted sharply to the slightest inaccuracies, ultimately forging America’s finest orchestra. Under his direction the Cleveland Orchestra displayed luminous transparency, flawless accuracy, seamless coordination, and expressive fire. Equally at ease across an expansive range of styles, the group, Szell liked to remark, possessed no single specialty. It recorded prolifically for Columbia—now Sony—undertook international tours, and asserted its place among the “Big Five” American orchestras. In 1968 the orchestra formed a lasting partnership with composer-conductor Pierre Boulez; that same year Szell inaugurated Blossom Music Center, the orchestra’s summer venue, which has enjoyed lasting artistic and financial success. Szell’s death came in 1970. Boulez continued as musical advisor until 1972, when Lorin Maazel assumed the music directorship. Although Maazel maintained impeccable standards, the appointment had proceeded without full orchestral consultation, and his sometimes provocative interpretations met with resistance from Cleveland audiences.

Christoph von Dohnányi’s appointment in 1982 ushered in a further period of distinction. He retained the tonal lucidity associated with Szell while expanding the repertoire to encompass additional contemporary scores and twentieth-century classics. Franz Welser-Möst took over in 2002, with Dohnányi thereafter designated music director laureate. In 2018 Welser-Möst conducted the orchestra’s centennial concert, later televised on Great Performances. Two albums appeared in 2020—A New Century and a recording of Schubert’s Great Symphony paired with Krenek’s Static and Ecstatic—both issued on the Cleveland Orchestra label. Widely ranked, where rankings apply, as America’s premier orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra continues to receive the support its achievements merit.