Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard

Symphony No. 6 was composed by a 20-year-old Schubert who wished to pay tribute to one of his heroes at the time: Rossini. This is the second disc in an on-going cycle of Schubert’s symphonies with the SCO and Thomas Dausgaard, described by BBC Music Magazine described as ‘an excitingly combative, and ultimately very plausible new look at Schubert.’

Franz Schubert - Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9
Swedish Chamber Orchestra - Thomas Dausgaard
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,82 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 1,29 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: BIS # BIS-SACD-1656 | Country/Year: Sweden 2010
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic

…The recorded sound is magnificent! Two different engineers worked these sessions (Martin Nagorni for the "Unfinished" and Andreas Ruge for the "C Major") and they were recorded at the Orebro Concert Hall, Sweden. A near-perfect blend of direct and hall sound - not over-resonant - make for an immediate and satisfying listening experience. If you are curious about how these works sound in chamber orchestra garb, rush out and buy this. You won't be disappointed!

Franz Schubert - Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9
Swedish Chamber Orchestra - Thomas Dausgaard
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 328 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: BIS # BIS-SACD-1656 | Country/Year: Sweden 2010
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic

…The recorded sound is magnificent! Two different engineers worked these sessions (Martin Nagorni for the "Unfinished" and Andreas Ruge for the "C Major") and they were recorded at the Orebro Concert Hall, Sweden. A near-perfect blend of direct and hall sound - not over-resonant - make for an immediate and satisfying listening experience. If you are curious about how these works sound in chamber orchestra garb, rush out and buy this. You won't be disappointed!

There's a tendency on the part of some performers to play Beethoven's First and Second Piano Concertos as if they were really by Mozart–all elegance, poise, and refinement. Happily, Boris Berezovsky finds the Beethovenian fire burning beneath the Mozartian surface. Right from his vibrant entrance in Concerto No. 1, Berezovsky plays with fierce energy (despite his generally light touch) and a clearly discernible enjoyment. This is matched Thomas Dausgaard's equally electric reading of the orchestral part, which in many ways reminds me of the classic Szell/Fleisher recording. Of course the small-scale sound of the 38-member Swedish Chamber Orchestra cannot possibly equal the full sonority of the Cleveland Orchestra in its heyday, but it's remarkable how Szell's clear textures and crisp articulation match Dausgaard's, who, by the way, is using the new Barenreiter editions. Berezovsky seems to be of like mind with Fleisher, at least terms of his singing tone and mercurial style.

Robert Schumann - Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish" / Symphony No. 1 "Spring"
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen / Paavo Järvi
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,25 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 980 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: RCA Red Seal # 88697 96431 2 | Country/Year: Europe 2010
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic

…A treasureable and revelatory disc of the alpha and omega of Schumann's symphonies; I can hardly wait for the other pair.