Schubert: Symphonies Nos. Unfinished" & The Great"

Product Information

Herbert Blomstedt was ninety-four years young at the time of these sessions. His vitality and engagement with the music are things of wonder. Here, he takes two familiar – dare one say, over-familiar – symphonies and gives both of them fresh, wise readings. He’s aided in this endeavour by fantastic playing on the part of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. The sheer beauty of sound of the orchestra, both collective and in solo passages, is a pleasure in itself, but in addition they are marvellously responsive to all the nuances of the scores. Whatever their chosen keys, parts of Winterreise lie uncomfortably low for many tenors and baritones. Rose can maintain quality and sonority over a wide compass. The rounded depth of his low register, allied to seemingly inexhaustible reserves of breath, are priceless assets in, say, the sombrely confiding ‘Ei Tränen, meine Tränen’ in ‘Gefrorne Tränen’, in the grand, arching lines of ‘Wasserflut’, and in ‘Der greise Kopf’, sung with Lear-like grizzled majesty. With no false histrionics, Rose makes the traveller’s moment of realisation ‘Wie weit noch bist zur Bahre’ – ‘How far it is still to the grave’ – as bleakly terrifying as I have heard. Schubert String Quintet in C major, D956. String Quartet No 14 in D minor, D810 'Death and the Maiden'

After a serious illness in 1822, from which he only partially recovered, Schubert composed his final symphonic masterpieces, the ‘Unfinished’ (1822) and the ‘Great’ (1825–6). From the haunting slow introduction and the extraordinary sense of pathos of the ‘Unfinished’ to the joyful and rhythmically vital ‘Great’ symphony, both works showcase Schubert the symphonist at the peak of his powers and are some of the most popular and enduring pieces in the orchestral canon.Blomstedt’s Eighth and Ninth, like the Schubert recordings of Heinz Holliger (a mere youngster of 83) and the late Ninth of the octogenarian Boult, infuse a lifetime’s collected wisdom, experience and affection into a rather special recording. Unfinished’symphony, Blomstedt conjures up a beautifully sensitive interpretation, allowing the music to develop without haste or any tension; he finds that delicate balance between reading the score after many years of performances and study. One certainly feels that these symphonies the new edition are being heard anew. Remarkably Blomstedt's interpretative powers show no sign of waning, and here produces great readings, adding to his remarkable recordings of three and four decades ago. Most of the part-songs here evoke some aspect of night, whether benevolent, romantic, transfigured or sinister. Between them they give a fair conspectus of Schubert’s achievement in the part-song genre, ranging from the mellifluous, Biedermeier Die Nacht, forerunner of many a Victorian glee, and the gently sensuous Gondel-fahrer to the eerie, harmonically visionary Grab und Mondand the brooding Gesang der Geister über den Wassern. Other highlights here include the alfresco Nachtgesang, with its quartet of echoing horns, Ständchen, a delicious nocturnal serenade, the austere, bardic Scott setting Coronach and the serenely luminous Nachthelle. The reading of the Andante con moto is, again, beautifully judged. At the start it’s clear that Blomstedt has taken careful note of the ‘con moto’ injunction, yet at 1:49 there’s a nice and very natural easing of the pace for the arrival of the second thematic idea. This proves to be just the first of a number of subtle tempo modifications throughout the movement. These transitions are all expertly handled so as to be almost imperceptible. As I listened, I was aware – though not in an intrusive sense – of lots of small points of detail. One such is the ideally weighted soft string chords underneath the solo horn in the bars leading up to the return of the of the first theme (at 5:54). It’s only a small point, perhaps, but here a master conductor and a superbly responsive orchestra bring it off perfectly. Details such as this evidence scrupulous preparation but they never sound studied.

The Schubert shelves bend and groan and are full to overflowing, but they’ll have to find room for one more. This is a simply unmissable recital, for two prime reasons – the grave beauty of its programme and the corresponding beauty of the singer’s voice. Here’s an artist who clearly takes his art very seriously and marries it to a loveliness of even-voiced tone and a sensitivity of response to all that he has to sing.Schubert Piano Sonatas – E, D157; G, D894. Die schöne Müllerin – Der Müller und der Bach (arr Liszt, S565) We have been writing about classical music for our dedicated and knowledgeable readers since 1923 and we would love you to join them.

By any standards this is a fine cycle of Schubert’s symphonies, and is easily recommendable. There is a refreshing colour to the East German orchestra’s winds and brass which suits this music very well, though those completely allergic to vibrato may want to consider having a listen before taking the plunge. This is an aspect of the performance which is only a point of issue with solos of one kind or another, and within the entirely of the sound the balance and timbre of the sections is as well presented as you could want in an orchestral recording. Herbert Blomstedt’s interpretations allow Schubert’s inventive muse to shine through unencumbered by extra baggage, though they do not shy away from allowing the forward-looking elements and unique force of the best music from speaking with clarity and impact. The second piece of music in this episode is Franz Schubert's 7th Symphony, referred to as the 8th Symphony in the English-speaking world. Franz Schubert, on the other hand, was just 25 when he wrote two movements of a symphonic work in B-minor. He never returned to it, even though he lived another six years. In his reading of the ‘Great’ C major Symphony, Blomstedt comments, ‘This final completed symphony has everything that it takes to be truly great’! The ideas that it contains are ‘great- - and not just in the sense that the work lasts about an hour. Everything is interconnected here – as Robert Schumann euphorically exclaimed: “There is meaning everywhere.”’ Of course, it was Mendelssohn who found and premiered the Birgit Remmert contr Werner Güra ten Philip Mayers pf Scharoun Ensemble; RIAS Chamber Choir, Berlin / Marcus CreedThe finale bursts forth, full of optimism and brio, while the second subject (around 1:50) combines momentum with lyrical ease in ideal balance. Blomstedt takes the big repeat (4:03), so we get the chance to savour everything a second time. The performance of this movement contains a wonderful variety of dynamics and texture; one is never in any danger of boredom. Near the end, another detail caught my ear: the fantastic weight to the succession of big string chords just before the coda (from 15:12) Blomstedt leads an ebullient, joyful reading of the finale; I loved it. Indeed, I loved everything about this performance of the Bringing together all seven of Schubert’s completed symphonies, as well as the much loved B minor ‘Unfinished’, this set charts the development of Schubert’s voice as a symphonist. His first six symphonies were composed between 1813 and 1818 for the orchestra at the religious school that he attended in Vienna. Although they could be considered to be apprentice works, and are clearly influenced by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and – in the case of the Sixth Symphony – Rossini, they are remarkable achievements for such a young composer, and the listener can hear some of the hallmarks of Schubert’s more forwardlooking, romantic style, such as a bolder and richer harmonic language, beginning to emerge.

He won the Koussevitzky Conducting Prize in 1953 and the Salzburg Conducting Competition in 1955. [3]

‘Schubert Live, Vol 1’

On the programme were symphonies by two of Blomstedt’s favourite composers, Franz Schubert and Franz Berwald. Born in Austria (1797) and Sweden (1796) respectively, they were children of their era and yet so very different, even though they shared a given name. The only really famous work here is ‘Der Wanderer’, that archetypal expression of Romantic alienation whose popularity in Schubert’s lifetime was eclipsed only by that of ‘Erlkönig’. Some of the part-songs – Zum Punsche, Naturgenuss and Schlachtgesang – cultivate a vein of Biedermeier heartiness that wears a bit thin today. Nor will Schubert’s consciously archaic tribute to his teacher Salieri have you itching for the repeat button – though, like several other numbers, it shows the 19-year-old composer rivalling Mozart in his gift for musical mimicry. To compensate, though, there are part-songs like the sensual Der Entfernten, with its delicious languid chromaticisms, and the colourful setting of Gott im Ungewitter. The slight but charming setting of ‘Das war ich’ is appealingly done by the light-voiced Daniel Norman, and Ann Murray brings her usual charisma and dramatic conviction to the pathetic Italian scena Didone abbandonata. The selection and collocation of songs are wonderfully made so as to define a particular frame of mind and sustain and develop it. The haunting Schiller setting ‘Die Götter Griechenlands’, with its ghostly evocation of the Rosamunde Quartet, is seminal. Throughout the recital, an occasional harmony or melodic sequence recalls it to mind, and the horns of ‘Griechenland’ are heard faintly blowing in the last song of all, the Mayrhofer ‘Abschied’. These are ernste Gesänge, every one of them, yet there is nothing meanly austere or ponderously sententious. These songs of yearning, essentially spiritual, are very personal, and the imagination never shuts down. The pianist, Ingo Metzmacher, is fully responsive to this, and the recorded sound, of both voice and piano, is warm and vivid. These performances are polished, yet the many solo contributions from each of the players emerge with a strong personality. The Beaux Arts cellist brings lovely phrasing and a true simplicity of line, so right for Schubert – memorably in the lovely slow movement melody of the Trio No 2 in E flat. In addition to the great piano trios (B flat, D898, and E flat, D929), the set includes the extremely personable, very early Sonata in B flat, D28, where the lyrical line already has the unmistakable character of its young composer. Also included is the Notturno, D897, a raptly emotive short piece played here with a remarkable depth of feeling that recalls the gentle intensity of the glorious slow movement of the String Quintet. The recording is naturally balanced, although a little dry in the treble. Of the two rarer string trios, also early works, the four-movement Trio, D581, is totally infectious, with that quality of innocence that makes Schubert’s music stand apart. Such persuasive advocacy and vivid recording can’t fail to give the listener great pleasure.