Schubert Great

'The 94-year-old elder statesman of classical music' (The New York Times) joins forces with the Gewandhausorchester for a Schubert programme of Symphonies No. 8 ('Unfinished') and No. 9 ('The Great'), released just in time for his 95th birthday on 11th July 2022. The choice of repertoire for his late debut with Deutsche Grammophon was quickly made: Herbert Blomstedt, at 94 the world's 'longest-serving' conductor and still one of the most vital, chose Franz Schubert's last two symphonies, the 'Unfinished' in B minor and the 'Great' in C major. With the Gewandhaus Orchestra, which he presided over as Gewandhauskapellmeister from 1998 to 2005 and has since been closely associated with as honorary conductor, he had at his disposal an orchestra that is very familiar with Schubert's music.

Schubert's two greatest orchestral works on one CD at budget price–if the performances were indifferent this would be no bargain at all, but they are superb. In fact, these versions may have been equaled, but they have never been surpassed. George Szell understood intuitively how to balance Romantic passion with intellectual discipline. In difficult pieces like the Schubert Ninth, he rose to the challenge like an Olympic athlete after a new world record. The recordings he made in his prime with his own Cleveland Orchestra comprise one of the most satisfying legacies in the history of classical music on disc. Within even this impressive legacy, these performances stand high.

Peter Gülke and the Brandenburger Symphoniker recorded Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C major, "The Great" in June of 2017 for MDG, marking 20 years since Gülke last appeared on that audiophile label. It is also significant for being Gülke's return to recording after a long absence, and the symphony was recorded less than two months after the conductor turned 83. This performance of Schubert's last completed symphony is fairly modern and mainstream in its tempos, ensemble size, and performance style, and while Gülke has made no attempt at re-creating a period performance in terms of instrumental techniques or interpretation, he delivers a lucid and energetic rendition that does justice to Schubert's vast symphonic form and relentless rhythmic drive,

This is the less commonly available of two recordings made of a complete realization of Schubert's "Tenth" Symphony in D Major (D. 936A), a collection of piano sketches of parts of three movements with some instrumentation notes, which Schubert was working on during the very last days of his life. Even though Schubert may have intended the work to have only three movements, with the last serving as a combination Scherzo/Finale, for this recording Bartholomee adds in the scherzo from an earlier abandoned symphony in D Major (D. 780A) as the third movement; Schubert evidently recycled this prototype as the scherzo of the Great Symphony.

Acclaimed for his great recordings of works by Mozart and Berlioz, it is a little surprising that Sir Colin Davis is not equally hailed for his superb renditions of Schubert's symphonies, a repertoire for which this conductor's blending of Classical elegance and Romantic passion is perfectly suited. Previously released as a box set in 1996, this RCA Complete Collection reveals Davis as a masterful interpreter of Schubert's unique uses of symphonic form; and his performances have real momentum and coherence, the two qualities that hold these symphonies together. Davis' sense of trajectory is plainly evident in the first six symphonies, which adhere to Classical models and depend on forward motion and clear structures to convey the unity of their movements. But propulsion is even more critical in the more expansive frameworks of the Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished," and the Symphony No. 9, "The Great".

The disc, well recorded in 1987, is a very good performance of both the symphony and the overture. The symphony makes use of corrections made by studying the manuscript scores specially for this set of recordings. Only the first three symphonies had previously been checked in this way. In reality the differences are relatively small and concern various accenting marks and a few inserted bars. The most interesting potentially is the time signature for the slow movement which Schubert had marked as 2/2 time rather than the printed 4/4 time. This implies a faster pace with two bats per bar rather than four.

This set of recordings, as testified to by Mr. Cesar above, are simply breathtaking, individually, and as a complete traversal of Schubert's finest work for solo instrument. His painstaking preparation and studious forethought shine through clearly, illuminating and bringing to us deeply introspective yet fleet traversals of this amazingly sad, yet wistful, ponderously illuminated and wonderously elated and shot-through, delicately, with wispy tenderness, are simply positive testament to the caliber of this great artist.

This is the most beautiful of Mozart playing, his last piano concerto given here by Emil Gilels with total clarity. This is a classic performance, memorably accompanied by the VPO and Böhm. Suffice it to say that Gilels sees everything and exaggerates nothing, that the performance has an Olympian authority and serenity, and that the Larghetto is one of the glories of the gramophone. He's joined by his daughter Elena in the Double Piano Concerto in E flat, and their physical relationship is mirrored in the quality, and the mutual understanding of the playing: both works receive marvellous interpretations. We think Emil plays first, Elena second, but could be quite wrong. The VPO under Karl Böhm is at its best; and so is the quality of recording, with a good stereo separation of the two solo parts, highly desirable in this work.