Schubert symphonies: favorite recordings?

[Dan Amodeo]

I like Schubert, but I think I only have almost no CDs with any of his
music. I would like to hear about favorite recordings. As usual, it would be
nice to hear why you like them, but I'd rather hear just what your favorites
are than not hear from you at all. Also as usual, I am especially interested
in recordings that are available now. I am interested in CDs or sets with
just one or a few of his symphonies as well as complete cycles.

Eventually I will want CDs of his non-symphonic music too, so you can
mention those if you like, but right now I'm mostly interested in his
symphonies.

I listened to snippets on Amazon.com (under MP3 Downloads) this morning of
complete sets by Bruggen and by Harnoncourt. I have CDs that I like by
Harnoncourt of Mozart and Beethoven, and by Bruggen of Haydn, Beethoven, and
Mozart.

I didn't like the snippets of the Bruggen set. Then I remembered I have a CD
by Bruggen with Schubert's symphony no. 5. I just played it and I like it.
Looks like it's the same recording as what is in the complete set.

I did like the Harnoncourt snippets, but they are from a Warner Classics
set, which doesn't seem to be available at all. I don't know if those are
the same recordings as the Teldec set. That set is shown as unavailable by
Amazon and as "special order" (which often means unavailable) by ArkivMusic.
And of course it's hard to judge just from very short snippets.

Dan Amodeo

[Gerard]

The Harnoncourt set seems normally available, for example at:

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/2303099

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/6800925

(same recordings, different prices)

I like the set by Immerseel (Sony) more. And the set by Brüggen.

[Alan Cooper]

"Dan Amodeo" <NotMyA...@example.com> wrote in
news:iSczk.191$8v5.156@trnddc01:

> I like Schubert, but I think I only have almost no CDs with any
> of his music. I would like to hear about favorite recordings. As
> usual, it would be nice to hear why you like them, but I'd
> rather hear just what your favorites are than not hear from you
> at all. Also as usual, I am especially interested in recordings
> that are available now. I am interested in CDs or sets with just
> one or a few of his symphonies as well as complete cycles.
>
> Eventually I will want CDs of his non-symphonic music too, so
> you can mention those if you like, but right now I'm mostly
> interested in his symphonies.

This is music that I enjoy occasionally, so I don't collect performances. I
"imprinted" on the Munchinger cycle (never available on CD, afaik, although you might
want to pick up his superb Rosamunde on Eloquence), so everything else is more or
less a stopgap for me. I like the Sawallisch/Dresden twofer that includes ##1-4, and
supplement that with Beecham in ##5, 6, & 8 (collected together on Dutton, which may
be op, although they also should be available separately on EMI or Sony), and Van
Beinum in #9.

AC

[notesetter]

I'm not enough of a Schubert specialist to comment. But, I would
suggest you go over to Neil's Classical Corner and download his
transfer of a Schubert 5th recorded in 1946 by Eduard van Beinum and
the Concertgebouw Orchestra. There's some really special. joyous music-
making to be heard.

http://nealshistoricalcorner.blogspot.com/2008/07/eduard-van-beinum-part-2-schubert.html

Bruce

[Thomas Wood]

I'm very fond of the Muti set with the Vienna Philharmonic on Brilliant. I
especially like the creamy Viennese winds, and the recorded sound is
excellent (recorded 1987-1993). And it's cheap.

Tom Wood

[jpaxtell]

On Sep 14, 1:38 pm, "Dan Amodeo" <NotMyAddr...@example.com> wrote:
> I like Schubert, but I think I only have almost no CDs with any of his
> music. I would like to hear about favorite recordings. As usual, it would be
> nice to hear why you like them, but I'd rather hear just what your favorites
> are than not hear from you at all. Also as usual, I am especially interested
> in recordings that are available now. I am interested in CDs or sets with
> just one or a few of his symphonies as well as complete cycles.
>
>

> Dan Amodeo

One of my favorites that should be available at less than full price
would be the Great C Major (D 944) with Furtwangler/Berlin on DG
Originals, 447-439, coupled with Haydn's Symphony 88. This is of
course monaural, but don't let that put you off -- a great recording.
I've also enjoyed the Bruno Walter Edition recordings of symphonies 5,
8, 9 and the Rosamunde incidental music on Sony SMK 64478 and SMK
64487. These are with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, except for the
Unfinished with NY Philharmonic. I also enjoy the propulsive
recording of Symphonies 1 and 2 on Naxos (Michael Halasz/Failoni Orch
of Budapest, 8.553093).

I have the Barenboim/Berlin set on CBS, but I'm not sure how available
it is, as I found it at a used recordings sale. The Ninth in this set
is wonderful.

Jim A.

[jrs...@aol.com]

The whole set is very good. I also like the Brueggen set (of which
I've heard about half) for a very different sound. The two make a nice
pair.

The Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw set is generally very good as well.

But sets are just a starting point with Schubert symphonies. Some not-
to-be-missed highlights not in complete sets include

2 NBC/Toscanini
3 SaarRSO/Maderna
3 and 4 Berlin Phil/Markevitch
3, 4, 6 Concertgebouw/Van Beinum
4 and 8 Giulini/CSO
4 Concertgebouw/Rosbaud
5 Reiner/CSO
5 NBC/Erich Kleiber
5 and 8 Czech Ph/Fischer-Dieskau
3 and 8 Vienna Phil/Carlos Kleiber
8 Leningrad/Mravinsky
8 and 9 Concertgebouw/Mengelberg
9 SOBR/Kubelik
9 BSO/Munch
9 SWR/Rosbaud
8 and 9 BPO/Furtwaengler
9 BerlinOpOrch/Blech
9 Philadelphia/Toscanini

and many more, of course, some bound in sets like Boehm's wonderfully
strong and leisurely 6th.

--Jeff

[Steve de Mena]

jrs...@aol.com wrote:

> 5 and 8 Czech Ph/Fischer-Dieskau

I believe this is with the New Philharmonia Orchestra (1973, EMI/Disky)

Steve

[Neil]

> Eventually I will want CDs of his non-symphonic music too, so you can
> mention those if you like

His last work -- Quintet in C for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos, D956
– Emerson String Quartet, Rostropovich
Piano Quintet “Trout” – Schiff, Hagen Quartet
All the piano sonatas, all other solo piano music – Brendel
Piano Trios – Ashkenazy-Zukerman-Harrell
String Quartets – Melos Quartet
Songs – Fischer-Dieskau and Moore

Neil Miller, author of The Piano Lessons Book
and Piano Classics Analyzed – applying theory for confident memorized
performances
Enter in Amazon.com search: Neil Miller Piano Lessons Book

[jrs...@aol.com]

On Sep 14, 8:10 pm, Steve de Mena <st...@stevedemena.com> wrote:

You're right...brain misfire--I didn't have time to look at the disc;
he did Brahms with the Czech Philharmonic.

--Jeff

[Steve de Mena]

Yes, and Berlioz (Harold in Italy).

An Amazon Marketplace seller seems to have a copy of the Schubert for $10:
http://tinyurl.com/5n3uzz

Steve

[jrs...@aol.com]

That's much more than I paid, but perhaps a reasonable price nowadays.
It's also probably possible to get a good LP copy for those who are so
inclined.

--Jeff

[MELMOTH]

Ce cher mammifère du nom de Dan Amodeo nous susurrait, le dimanche
14/09/2008, dans nos oreilles grandes ouvertes mais un peu sales quand
même, et dans le message <iSczk.191$8v5.156@trnddc01>, les doux
mélismes suivants :

> I like Schubert, but I think I only have almost no CDs with any of
> his music. I would like to hear about favorite recordings. As usual,
> it would be nice to hear why you like them, but I'd rather hear just
> what your favorites are than not hear from you at all. Also as usual,
> I am especially interested in recordings that are available now. I am
> interested in CDs or sets with just one or a few of his symphonies as
> well as complete cycles.

_Complete_ :

- *Sawallish* (EMI)
- *Muti* (Brilliant)
- *Boehm* (DG)
- *Menuhin* (EMI)
- *Kertez* (Decca)
- *Abbado* (DG)

_5-6-8-9_

*Sandor Vegh* (Capriccio)

_3-5-6_

*Beecham* (EMI)

_5-8(complete)_

*Mackerras* (Virgin)

_5-9_

*Toscanini*

_8_

- *Mackerras* (Virgin)
- *Furtwängler 1950* (EMI)
- *Cantelli* (EMI)
- *E.Kleiber* (Teldec)
- *C.Kleiber* (DG)
- *Abendroth* (Berlin Classic)
- *Monteux* (Philips)
- *Schuricht* (Decca)
- *Reiner* (RCA)
- *Walter* (Sony)
- *Klemperer* (EMI)
- *Fricsay* (DG)

_9th_ (I have...54 versions !)

- *Walter* (Columbia and NYC) (Sony)
- *Furtwängler 1951* (EMI)
- *Furtwängler 1942* (Dacapo)
- *Furtwängler 1943*
- *Schuricht* (Festival Classic)
- *Klemperer* (EMI)
- *Abendroth* (Berlin)
- *Monteux* (Tahra)
- *Bernstein* (Sony)
- *Szell* (Sony)
- *Karajan* (EMI)
- *Krauss* (Teldec)
- *Mengelberg* (Philips)
- *Krips* (Decca)
- *Jochum* (Heliodor)

And so on...

--
Car avec beaucoup de science, il y a beaucoup de chagrin ; et celui qui
accroît sa science, accroît sa douleur.
[Ecclésiaste, 1-18]
MELMOTH - souffrant

[richard...@gmail.com]

I have and enjoy Harnoncourt, Beecham (Ss1,2,3,5,6) Sony and EMI,
Boult S9 (EMI and Beulah), Colin Davis BostonSO S9 (RCA) (but not his
Dresden set), Furtwangler (Ss8,9), Toscanini (S9, NBCSO and
Philadelphia), Karl Bohm (DG, oop now I think) Wand . . .etc, but
there are two recordings I strongly recommend above all of these, for
a different and apparently now vanished style: Mengelberg
Concertgebouw for Ss8,9 and Stokowski Philadelphia Orchestra for S8.
A recent radio broadcast of the 9th made me listen, because it was
very inflected and not at all matter of fact or ordinary. It turned
out to be Rattle with the BPO, which came as a surprise. I may have to
buy that to listen to it again.
Richard

[Juan I. Cahis]

"Dan Amodeo" <NotMyA...@example.com> wrote:

Dear friends:

I don't think that there is a fully satisfactory complete set, but
regarding individual Symphonies, I like very much Bruno Walter's Fifth
on CBS/Sony (unsurpassed!!!!), Abbado's Ninth on DGG (included in his
complete set), and No. 8, 9 and 10 (with all the rest of Newbould's
orchestrated fragments, excepting No. 7) by Mackerras in several
labels (maybe Virgin and Hyperion, as far I can remember).

And regarding No. 7 (D. 729), there is a very good recording by
Gabriel Chmura. Sorry, I cannot give more labels details, because I am
out of Town and far from my home where these CDs are.

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

[Gerard]

Maybe not, not for everyone.
But I think the OP - who uses the word "like" 10 times in most of his
questions - only wants a set he likes.

There are plenty sets to like.
Not mentioned yet (I think):
Marriner (Philips, who is more complete than others, with recordings of the 7th
and 10th symphony and some fragments.
The sets by Abbado, Wand and Karajan are recommendable to as sets, specially if
HIP is not required (or not liked).

[Bill McCutcheon]

"Dan Amodeo" <NotMyA...@example.com> wrote in message
news:iSczk.191$8v5.156@trnddc01...

My favorites are the recordings by Weil and the Classical Band on Sony
Vivarte. They put out two discs, with #5 and #6 on one, #8 (Unfinished) and
#9 (Great) on the other. They use period instruments with lively tempi and
great sound. My only complaint is that they never recorded the first four
symphonies.

-- Bill McC.

[Gerard]

Terry wrote:
>
> I have two complete sets, plus a number of individual CDs of
> symphonies. If you'd like a box with all the symphonies, then I give
> an enthusiastic recommendation: Roy Goodman, and the Hanover Band, on
> Nimbus.

Reissued on Brilliant Classics.
(Muti also is on Brilliant Classics. I would prefer that one, and for HIP
Brüggen or Immerseel).

>
> You'll probably want to add the Rosamunde Incidental Music, so look
> out for Karl Munchinger's recording with the Vienna Philharmonic
> Orchestra.

Here I would recommend Abbado / Chamber Orchestra of Europe (DG).

[J.Martin]

The Harnoncourt set you mention is very good, and I'm sure you can
find it somewhere. Another excellent recommendation for a full set
would be Muit/VPO on Brilliant Classics, which is a wonderful "old
school" set with Vienna sounding big and creamy. I also like the
Abbado/COE. Obvioulsy, there are countless other individual
performances to consider, but two that I absolutely must mention would
be the Munch/BSO hybrid SACD of 8 and 9, and Beecham's 3, 5 and 6 on
EMI GROTC. Both strike me as absolutely essential.

As for other works, you really must hear the Quintet in C (Berg/Schiff
is excellent and easy to find), the later string quartets (Emerson is
acceptable; I keep thinking there must be better but I'm having
trouble finding them!) and later piano works (Schnabel if you don't
mind 'historical' sound, or Brendel). And then there are the
lieder... one could spend the next several years exploring those
along.

Have fun!
JM

[Curtis Croulet]

> I like very much Bruno Walter's Fifth on CBS/Sony
> (unsurpassed!!!!),

I'm continually fascinated to see recordings that were greeted lukewarmly
when released now being touted as "the best", or, in this case,
"unsurpassed." When Walter's Schubert 5 & 8 coupling was released around
1960, the reviews I saw compared his Sym 5 unfavorably to Beecham's. Some
thought Walter was simply too slow. That doesn't make current opinions
invalid, and indeed I learned this symphony from Walter's late recording.
But I'm nonetheless fascinated to see how tastes change.
--
Curtis Croulet
Temecula, California
33°27'59"N, 117°05'53"W

[O]

In article <loxzk.171$3e1.15@trnddc02>, Curtis Croulet
<calypte@_NO_SPAM_verizon.net> wrote:

> > I like very much Bruno Walter's Fifth on CBS/Sony
> > (unsurpassed!!!!),
>
> I'm continually fascinated to see recordings that were greeted lukewarmly
> when released now being touted as "the best", or, in this case,
> "unsurpassed." When Walter's Schubert 5 & 8 coupling was released around
> 1960, the reviews I saw compared his Sym 5 unfavorably to Beecham's. Some
> thought Walter was simply too slow. That doesn't make current opinions
> invalid, and indeed I learned this symphony from Walter's late recording.
> But I'm nonetheless fascinated to see how tastes change.

How do others feel about Carlos Klieber's 3rd & 8th? They sound pretty
good to me, but I haven't listened to a whole lot of other
interpretations.

-Owen

[Gerard]

Curtis Croulet wrote:
> > I like very much Bruno Walter's Fifth on CBS/Sony
> > (unsurpassed!!!!),
>
> I'm continually fascinated to see recordings that were greeted
> lukewarmly when released now being touted as "the best", or, in this
> case, "unsurpassed."

Every "unsurpassed" or "the best" (sometimes even "the best recording of
anything" or "the best recording ever made") is too suspect to take seriously.
Except when (almost) no other recording exists.

[Gerard]

O wrote:

>
> How do others feel about Carlos Klieber's 3rd & 8th? They sound
> pretty good to me, but I haven't listened to a whole lot of other
> interpretations.
>

Pretty good indeed.
Is there anything by Carlos Kleiber that isn't?

[jrs...@aol.com]

I mentioned his Schubert because I think it is special--high voltage
and gracious all at once in the best of the Kleiber family style.
However, there have been occasions when I couldn't enjoy this
recording much at all because it seemed to tense and overly dramatic
for early Schubert. So...I can imagine opinions would vary.

One of the questionable C. Kleiber recordings is that Borodin 2nd,
which exciting in places but lacking some of the dark soulfulness that
seems essential in this music. And his studio La Traviata can also
seem like a disaster--rigidly unsympathetic, or inspired discipline--
depending on your mood, or point of view.

--Jeff
--Jeff

[Dan Amodeo]

Is he the same Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau who is/was a singer (bass)?

<jrs...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:218a181a-00b9-4985...@p10g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

[Bob Harper]

MELMOTH wrote:
(snip)
> _5-6-8-9_
>
> *Sandor Vegh* (Capriccio)
>

Yes indeed! Did Vegh ever make a bad recording, either as leader of his
quartet or as conductor? If he did, I'm not aware of it.

Bob Harper
(snip)

[Bob Harper]

I don't think so, though David Gable would (and perhaps will in this
thread) disagree. The main problem, of course, is that there is so
little. What I wouldn't give for a Mozart opera, or the rest of a
Beethoven (or Brahms) cycle, more Haydn symphonies, a Schubert 9th,
etc., etc.

Too late now, alas.

Bob Harper

[jrs...@aol.com]

Egads. I was not happy with the first Beethoven SQ cycle.

--Jeff

[jrs...@aol.com]

On Sep 15, 11:35 am, "Dan Amodeo" <NotMyAddr...@example.com> wrote:
> Is he the same Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau who is/was a singer (bass)?
>

Yes.

And one of his sons, Martin, is a full-time conductor as well, but I
don't believe he's recorded any Schubert.

--Jeff

[Matthew B. Tepper]

"Dan Amodeo" <NotMyA...@example.com> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:hWxzk.277$1a2.45@trnddc04:

> Is he the same Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau who is/was a singer (bass)?

Yes, baritone primarily, actually.

Back in the LP days I used to be amused to have, next to one another on my
shelves, the Fischer-Dieskau Schubert 5 & 8, next to a Eurodisc LP of the
same symphonies ... conducted by Peter Schreier. Yes, that one (tenor).

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers

[Bob Harper]

Fair comment; certainly not as good as his stereo cycle. Anything else
(especially as conductor)?

Bob Harper

[jrs...@aol.com]

On Sep 15, 4:07 pm, Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> wrote:

No more complaints from this gallery. I have almost none of his
orchestral recordings, but what I've heard was fine.

--Jeff

[Juan I. Cahis]

"Curtis Croulet" <calypte@_NO_SPAM_verizon.net> wrote:

>> I like very much Bruno Walter's Fifth on CBS/Sony
>> (unsurpassed!!!!),
>
>I'm continually fascinated to see recordings that were greeted lukewarmly
>when released now being touted as "the best", or, in this case,
>"unsurpassed." When Walter's Schubert 5 & 8 coupling was released around
>1960, the reviews I saw compared his Sym 5 unfavorably to Beecham's. Some
>thought Walter was simply too slow.

Well, this is exactly the reason because I find it "unsurpassed".
Viennese "gemuetlichkeit" is always "elegant", not hurried, remember
W. Boskowski when conducting Johann Strauss.

And in my opinion, the Fifth is the most "Viennese" of Schubert
Symphonies.

[Gerard]

Juan I. Cahis wrote:
> "Curtis Croulet" <calypte@_NO_SPAM_verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > > I like very much Bruno Walter's Fifth on CBS/Sony
> > > (unsurpassed!!!!),
> >
> > I'm continually fascinated to see recordings that were greeted
> > lukewarmly when released now being touted as "the best", or, in
> > this case, "unsurpassed." When Walter's Schubert 5 & 8 coupling
> > was released around 1960, the reviews I saw compared his Sym 5
> > unfavorably to Beecham's. Some thought Walter was simply too slow.
>
> Well, this is exactly the reason because I find it "unsurpassed".
> Viennese "gemuetlichkeit" is always "elegant", not hurried, remember
> W. Boskowski when conducting Johann Strauss.
>
> And in my opinion, the Fifth is the most "Viennese" of Schubert
> Symphonies.
>
>

Opinions differ.
Like in the booklet of the Marriner box set.
"No Schubert symphony stands closer to its eighteenth-century forebears than the
Fifth".
The symphony was written in 1816. Not during the Strauss era.

[Steve de Mena]

Dan Amodeo wrote:
> Is he the same Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau who is/was a singer (bass)?

Yes.

Steve

[Juan I. Cahis]

"Gerard" <ghen_nosp...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Of course, but the Viennese way of life had little changed during that
time period.

[BrianK]

On Sep 15, 3:38 am, "Dan Amodeo" <NotMyAddr...@example.com> wrote:
> I like Schubert, but I think I only have almost no CDs with any of his
> music. I would like to hear about favorite recordings. As usual, it would be
> nice to hear why you like them, but I'd rather hear just what your favorites
> are than not hear from you at all. Also as usual, I am especially interested
> in recordings that are available now. I am interested in CDs or sets with
> just one or a few of his symphonies as well as complete cycles.
>
> Eventually I will want CDs of his non-symphonic music too, so you can
> mention those if you like, but right now I'm mostly interested in his
> symphonies.
>
> I listened to snippets on Amazon.com (under MP3 Downloads) this morning of
> complete sets by Bruggen and by Harnoncourt. I have CDs that I like by
> Harnoncourt of Mozart and Beethoven, and by Bruggen of Haydn, Beethoven, and
> Mozart.
>
> I didn't like the snippets of the Bruggen set. Then I remembered I have a CD
> by Bruggen with Schubert's symphony no. 5. I just played it and I like it.
> Looks like it's the same recording as what is in the complete set.
>
> I did like the Harnoncourt snippets, but they are from a Warner Classics
> set, which doesn't seem to be available at all. I don't know if those are
> the same recordings as the Teldec set. That set is shown as unavailable by
> Amazon and as "special order" (which often means unavailable) by ArkivMusic.
> And of course it's hard to judge just from very short snippets.
>
> Dan Amodeo

He is not a conductor one would normally associate with Schubert but
Georg Solti recorded excellent performances of Schubert's 5th, 8th and
9th symphonies with the Vienna PO, and Decca obliged with really fine
recorded sound. I am also very partial to Szell's performance of the
8th. I have not checked recently but the Harnoncourt/Warner Classics
recordings used to be available as downloads from their website
( http://www.warnerclassicsandjazz.com/ ). I have also particularly
enjoyed a live performance of Schubert's 9th by the Bavarian Rado SO
conducted by Günther Wand, available from eMusic.com. Has anyone
mentioned Beecham's fine performances of symphonies 3, 5 and 6 on EMI
Great Recordings of the Century? Abbado's set with the Chamber Orch of
Europe is also very fine, and he made a great recording of the 8th
coupled with the Joachim orchestration of the 'Grand Duo' Sonata for
piano 4-hands (on DG). With Schubert symphonies there is really no
need to put all one's eggs into a single basket as there are plenty of
options available, most at medium or budget price.

Brian K

Brian K

[Paul Goldstein]

In article <loxzk.171$3e1.15@trnddc02>, Curtis Croulet says...

>
>> I like very much Bruno Walter's Fifth on CBS/Sony
>> (unsurpassed!!!!),
>
>I'm continually fascinated to see recordings that were greeted lukewarmly
>when released now being touted as "the best", or, in this case,
>"unsurpassed." When Walter's Schubert 5 & 8 coupling was released around
>1960, the reviews I saw compared his Sym 5 unfavorably to Beecham's. Some
>thought Walter was simply too slow.

If I had written the review, I would have cited Walter as a good antidote to
Beecham's insensitive rush through the piece.

That said, the best slow 5ths are Bohm's two commercial recordings, with the BPO
and VPO. I like the earlier, BPO one better.

[jrs...@aol.com]

I can't remember the Boehm/BPO recording specifically, but the parts
of that set that I retain are exactly in that slower, gracious (but
still powerful) style that I wish more conductors would follow.
Whereas Walter and Boehm remain somewhat exceptional in the catalog,
plenty of others have subsequently adopted the "hectic" (dashing?
rollicking?) stance on early Schubert just as successfully as Beecham
(who was a revelation to me when I first heard his recording many
years ago).

--Jeff

[Paul Goldstein]

In article <1b831fc7-8778-4374...@r15g2000prh.googlegroups.com>,
jrs...@aol.com says...

Beecham is great in the lesser early pieces, i.e. the first three symphonies,
but if you "rollick" (good word) through the 5th, you miss the point of the
piece, I think, which is the real Schubertian melancholy.

[jrs...@aol.com]

On Sep 16, 10:49 am, Paul Goldstein <pgold...@newsguy.com> wrote:
> In article <1b831fc7-8778-4374-b588-907de3428...@r15g2000prh.googlegroups.com>,
> jrsn...@aol.com says...

I am drawn to the melancholy, too, and some of my favorite
performances (like Barenboim/BPO, for instance, or a live Solti/CSO
performance) stress that, but I can't deny that the opening of that
work is possibly the most chipper (is the word "chatty"?) thing I've
heard in the symphonic repertoire. Sometimes I take my cue from that
and want as bouncy and bubbly a performance as possible.

--Jeff

[Lawrence Chalmers]

I heard the 8th so many times I never aqcquired any recording. My first
Schubert was the 9th by Furtwangler
on dg. When I decided to acquaint myself with the rest of them I
acquired on sale from bmg the multidisc complete traversal
of them all. With the Dresden Staatskapelle and Colin Davis. I could
have missed reading about a complete/favorite but I don't remember
any mention in this thread. Not among anyone's favorites?

[Paul Goldstein]

In article <11092-48D...@storefull-3112.bay.webtv.net>, Lawrence Chalmers
says...

I found the Davis to be quite dull, frankly. Among the sets I know reasonably
well, I strongly recommend the Marriner, IMO one of his finest achievements.

[HKAlan]

A few recordings I'd recommend are the Walter/LSO 9th from the 1930s
and the Kubelik/Royal Philharmonic recording of the same work and the
Hungarian Quartet's two-CD set devoted to the last three string
quartets and the C major string quintet.

Alan

[Chew Chiat Naun]

Has anybody mentioned Jochum's DG recording of the 5th? It's a real
charmer, everything you would hope for from this conductor. The second
movement is a little slow for my taste, almost more Bruckner than
Schubert, but lovely all the same. The coupling is a fine 9th, but
it's the 5th that makes this CD worth buying.

Having said that, I wouldn't go overboard buying Schubert symphony
recordings when there are such riches to discover in his chamber,
piano, and vocal music.

Naun.

[Dan Amodeo]

Thanks to all for the many helpful suggestions.

It was a tough choice, but here's what I just ordered:

* # 9 by Furtwangler/Berlin on DG Originals

* # 9 also by van Beinum

* a complete set by Bruggen

I will look into some of Schubert's non-symphony music later.

Dan Amodeo

[Matthew B. Tepper]

HKAlan <asg...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following letters to be
typed in news:ce6e66b1-e45f-4eb4-a444-
0c1ba8...@m45g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

With Laszlo Varga as guest cellist in the Quintet.

[Gerard]

Matthew B. Tepper wrote:
> HKAlan <asg...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
> letters to be typed in news:ce6e66b1-e45f-4eb4-a444-
> 0c1ba8...@m45g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:
>
> > A few recordings I'd recommend are the Walter/LSO 9th from the 1930s
> > and the Kubelik/Royal Philharmonic recording of the same work and
> > the Hungarian Quartet's two-CD set devoted to the last three string
> > quartets and the C major string quintet.
>
> With Laszlo Varga as guest cellist in the Quintet.

Wasn't he your professor in something?

[Matthew B. Tepper]

"Gerard" <ghen_nosp...@hotmail.com> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in news:7f5fc$48d0a8fa$5ed13ae8$11520
@cache6.tilbu1.nb.home.nl:

Earlier you said exactly as expected?

[her...@yahoo.com]

I'd say Schubert's piano music and his chamber music is much more
rewarding than his symphonies, the last two excepted.

Herman