Schubert: Complete Symphonies
I am a great fan of Schubert’s music. His Lieder are second to none. And his chamber music is really the music of angels. I have been known to be driving from my home to San Francisco, with the Symphony #5 in the CD player, and singing it all the way to the City. Particular favorite is the slow movement.
This collection brings you ALL of the Schubert symphonies:
Schubert:
- Symphony No. 1 in D major, D82 The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
- Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, D125 The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
- Symphony No. 3 in D major, D200 The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
- Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D417 ‘Tragic’ The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
- Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D485 Camerata Salzburg, Sándor Végh
- Symphony No. 6 in C major, D589 Camerata Salzburg, Sándor Végh
- Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D759 ‘Unfinished’ Camerata Salzburg, Sándor Végh
- Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944 ‘The Great’ Camerata Salzburg, Sándor Végh
All seven of Franz Schubert’s completed symphonies – plus the B minor symphony known as the ‘Unfinished’ – enjoy a popularity now which they have not always had. Only the twentieth century gave these pieces the recognition they deserved and an appreciation of their true emotional depth.
Schubert’s strength as a composer was his ability to create lovely melodies, but there are great differences between the restraint of the early six symphonies and the last two, where he really let go with a lot of dramatic expression. His last symphony, the ‘Great’ C major Symphony combines the vitality of the classical period and the melancholy of Schubert’s personality. I hear in it Schubert’s great suffering, as a person, and also his physical pain as a result of his long illness and untimely death at age 31.
This 4-CD set of the complete symphonies contains performances of the symphonies numbers 1- 4 by The Hanover Band, conducted by Roy Goodman. The Symphonies #5-6 and #8-9 are performed with polish and vitality by the Camerata Salzburg, directed by the great Hungarian conductor and violinist, Sándor Végh.
Here is the SCHUBERT, Symphony 9, 4th movement, as performed by the Dutch Radio Chamber Orchestra conducted by the great conductor, Frans Brüggen.
And now my great favorite, the Schubert Symphony No.5 in B flat major D485, with Roy Goodman, Conducting The Hanover Band:
Tags: Franz Schubert, Symphonies, Sandor Vegh, Roy Goodman