Richard Strauss Don Quixote - Fournier - Szell, The Cleveland Orchestra

Pierre Fournier’s elegant tone and lyrical phrasing made him one of the most admired cellists of his generation. In Don Quixote, the solo cello calls for both aristocratic dignity and expressive warmth, qualities closely associated with his playing. Cleveland Orchestra principal violist Abraham Skernick supplies the contrasting voice of Sancho Panza. George Szell’s celebrated partnership with the Cleveland Orchestra was distinguished by exceptional precision, clarity, and balance. Those qualities are especially valuable in Strauss’s intricate score, where intimate exchanges between soloists alternate with brilliant orchestral storytelling. Together, these performers bring a compelling combination of refinement, character, and dramatic purpose to the work. Artist(s): Cello – Pierre Fournier Conductor – George Szell Orchestra – The Cleveland Orchestra Viola – Abraham Skernick Violin – Rafael Druian Sourced from a 15ips tape Recording Info: Producer: Howard Scott Recording Dates: October 28–29, 1960 Venue: Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio Components used for Transfer: This transfer leverages precision analogue playback and mastering-grade digital conversion. The signal path begins with an extensively modified Studer A810 Reel-to-Reel with Flux Heads, fed through a Merrill Audio Master MX Tape Head Preamp for accurate NAB equalisation. The analogue signal is converted via a Merging Anubis converter synchronised to an Antelope Audio 10MX atomic clock for temporal accuracy. All components receive isolated power conditioning through a Shunyata Research Everest X with Shunyata Sigma-X power cords, while grounding infrastructure utilises Shunyata ALTAIRA hubs to minimise noise floor and preserve sonic detail throughout the transfer chain. 1 Introduction – Mässiges Zeitmass 6:04 2 Thème – Mässig 1:56 3 Variation I – Gemächlich 2:32 4 Variation II – Kriegerisch 1:32 5 Variation III – Mässiges Zeitmass 7:12 6 Variation IV – Etwas Breiter (Kriegerisch) 1:50 7 Variation V – Sehr Langsam 4:00 8 Variation VI – Schnell 1:04 9 Variation VII – Ein Wenig Ruhiger Als Vorher 1:01 10 Variation VIII – Gemächlich 1:43 11 Variation IX – Schnell Und Stürmisch 1:05 12 Variation X – Viel Breiter 4:09 13 Finale – Sehr Ruhig 5:06 Please Note: This release was edited in DXD PCM from a DSD256 Master then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using Merging Technologies Album Publishing. DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD originated digital recordings Copyright © & ℗ High Definition Tape Transfers 2026, including all compilation, transfer, remastering, and restoration aspects Play Sample Tracks