Michiganensian · Public domain

Szell took over the Cleveland Orchestra in 1946, when it was undersized and still recovering from wartime disruption, and over the next two decades built it by widely shared critical consensus into one of the finest orchestras in the world. His recordings from that era remain touchstones of the standard repertoire, and his exacting standards became so identified with the orchestra's sound that a later music director joked the ensemble could give a great concert and Szell would still get the review.