Schumann: The 4 Symphonies
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Music CD Cover
Composer: Robert SchumannConductor: Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1997-02-11
Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Symphony No. 1 In B Flat Major, Op. 38 'Spring': I - Andante un poco maestoso - Allegro molto vivace
- Symphony No. 1 In B Flat Major, Op. 38 'Spring': II - Larghetto - attacca
- Symphony No. 1 In B Flat Major, Op. 38 'Spring': III - Scherzo: Allegro vivace
- Symphony No. 1 In B Flat Major, Op. 38 'Spring': IV - Allegro animato e grazioso
- Symphony No. 2 In C Major, Op. 61: I - Sostenuto assai - Allegro, ma non troppo
- Symphony No. 2 In C Major, Op. 61: II - Scherzo: Allegro vivace
- Symphony No. 2 In C Major, Op. 61: III - Adagio espressivo
- Symphony No. 2 In C Major, Op. 61: IV - Allegro molto vivace
- Symphony No. 3, op. 97 'Rhenish': 1. Lebhaft
- Symphony No. 3, op. 97 'Rhenish': Scherzo: Sehr Maessig
- Symphony No. 3, op. 97 'Rhenish': Nicht Schnell
- Symphony No. 3, op. 97 'Rhenish': Feierlich - (quasi attacca:)
- Symphony No. 3, op. 97 'Rhenish': Lebhaft
- Symphony No. 4, op. 120: Ziemlich langsam - Lebhaft - (attacca:)
- Symphony No. 4, op. 120: Romanze: Ziemlich Langsam - (attacca:)
- Symphony No. 4, op. 120: Scherzo: Lebhaft - Trio - (attacca:)
- Symphony No. 4, op. 120: Langsam - Lebhaft
Free Music Notes for Schumann: The 4 Symphonies
Free Music Review: Surprisingly good for late Bernstein yet still...
Hit: 4 Stars
I'm kind of annoyed by the Hurwitz-ism at the top of this review section. Professional music-writers (or popularizers--whatever he is) really should rise above the hyperbolic--let's leave that to us bone-headed amateurs. The Mighty Hurwitzer propounds that these symphonies have (I'm paraphrasing) never been better played or recorded or something--the implication being that this is the best you can get. Hm.
If you love these symphonies you really should be exploring a variety of interpretations, and if you do you'll note that a goodly clump of them are particularly good (and the specific contents of that clump will vary from enthusiast to enthusiast). That's just the way this works. I like Gardiner's period instrument set, the Paray on Mercury Living Presence, the recent set done up by Christopher Eschenbach, the forgotten Vonk on EMI and a few others, including the earlier Bernstein set. Eschenbach is new and beautifully recorded; it lacks the--uh--indulgent touches that Bernstein brought to many of his recordings, including this one.
... and it's those indulgences that prevent me from giving this a five star rating or the kind of singular accolade Hurwitz is able to bestow. Any Schumann fan should own these--they really are remarkable and often very exciting--but be prepared for oddities, lingerings, sudden speed ups (the skyrocket ending of #4 is particularly annoying) and--well--the Bernstein usual. I've always felt that these symphonies have a kind of built-in natural momentum that a good conductor has to sense and follow--you tag after Schumann, he doesn't tag after you. Lenny brings a lot to any interpretation but there's always the sense that the composer is being squeezed between the "Bern" and the "Stein." This particular show could be renamed "Lenny Bernstein's The Schumann Symphonies."
One other thing is lost: these are hellraiser performances at the expense of good old Schumann/German Gem?tlichkeit. "Lenny" has every excitable emotion down pat but the schmoozy warmth is missing which, sadly for me, is 50% of my Schumann. He tapped into that much better in his earlier set.
Not a bad review, just an alert. I think Hurwitz is why I prefer the more level-headed (grown up?) comments one finds in the Penguin Guide or coming from British reviewers generally.
Schumann: The 4 Symphonies Poster
Leonard Bernstein was full of surprises. A conductor often accused of hopeless self-indulgence, he responded intuitively to the classical aesthetic of Haydn, and no less to the early Romantic bravado of Schumann. In fact, these symphonies have never been better played or conducted than they are here. These are performances of high passion--they're either very fast or very slow--and extraordinary color and drama. Bernstein sticks faithfully to the composer's original, thick orchestrations but makes each symphony work through playing of unflagging clarity and chamber music-like balance. That this was all done live, in performances of such wide emotional range, is amazing. But amazing was what Bernstein did best. --David HurwitzClassical Music CDs
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