# Cleveland Orchestra VS Vienna Philharmonic



## h1478971 (Dec 6, 2009)

What are the differences between the Cleveland Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic in terms of the sound? I have heard people compare the Cleveland Orchestra to the Vienna Philharmonic. What are the similar qualities if any?


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

None. If the Cleveland O. sounded anything like the VPO, Maestro Worse-than-Most would be universally loved.


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## david johnson (Jun 25, 2007)

listen to some szell/cleveland recordings and then the same works with the vpo i don't think they are much the same, but i do hear a little similarity.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2010)

I think it very much depends on what period, and under what conductor. As mentioned already, the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell was magnificent.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

The Vienna Philharmonic has always used its own special Viennese woodwind and brass instruments,and even percussion,which give it a very distinctive sound. The Viennese horn,which is a single F instrument with a completely different valve system is not used by any horn players outside of Austria, and is supposed to be even harder to play than regular horns,and the Viennese oboe has a very distinctive sound,too,for example.
Uner Szell, the Clkeveland ,at least as it sounds to me on recordings, did not have that warm,mellow glowing sound of the Viennese, but a much dryer,harder,more glassy sound.
The Cleveland brass at the time,always sounded much to brittle and sputtery for me.
They tended to peck at the notes rather than sustain them, for example.especially the horns and trumpets. The orchestra sounds quite different under Welser-Mopst from what little I've heard of them so far together, but the personal is completely different now. 
I doubt if there are any musicians left from the Szell era,which lasted form 1946-1970,when Szell died.


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## h1478971 (Dec 6, 2009)

superhorn said:


> The Vienna Philharmonic has always used its own special Viennese woodwind and brass instruments,and even percussion,which give it a very distinctive sound. The Viennese horn,which is a single F instrument with a completely different valve system is not used by any horn players outside of Austria, and is supposed to be even harder to play than regular horns,and the Viennese oboe has a very distinctive sound,too,for example.
> Uner Szell, the Clkeveland ,at least as it sounds to me on recordings, did not have that warm,mellow glowing sound of the Viennese, but a much dryer,harder,more glassy sound.
> The Cleveland brass at the time,always sounded much to brittle and sputtery for me.
> They tended to peck at the notes rather than sustain them, for example.especially the horns and trumpets. The orchestra sounds quite different under Welser-Mopst from what little I've heard of them so far together, but the personal is completely different now.
> I doubt if there are any musicians left from the Szell era,which lasted form 1946-1970,when Szell died.


There are a few from the Szell era left.


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