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Schumann via Sawallisch

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 09/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The four symphonies that Robert Schumann composed during his lamentably short time on Earth formed the bridge between the symphonies of Beethoven and Schubert in the first part of the 19th century, and those of Brahms in the middle and late part of that century. And yet despite their historical significance and the fact that orchestras throughout the world have made them staples on the concert scene, Schumann's symphonies are still criticized for their somewhat opaque orchestration, the result of the composer's relative lack of experience at orchestral writing prior to No. 1 being composed.But this particular 2-CD set of Schumann's symphonic output should change such perceptions. This set was originally recorded in 1972 for EMI by the world-renowned Dresden State Orchestra (or Staatskapelle Dresden) under Wolfgang Sawallisch. Several years before, for Philips, this same combination made a fine traversal of the Schubert set. Here, however, they exceed even that highly acclaimed recording. Sawallisch trusted the composer's intentions, and he was right to do so. Where there needs to be high drama, there is. When there should be moments of tenderness, there are. Sawallisch and the Dresden orchestra have things well in hand. And whereas the composer's Manfred Overture is used as a "filler" for many other Schumann symphony sets, here Sawallisch opts for the composer's three-movement Overture, Scherzo, and Finale--a thoroughly interesting piece that had the makings of a symphony, though it lacks a slow movement. Nevertheless, this piece, like Manfred, is not a mere "filler" but a highly interesting experiment on the composer's part that works, especially with a world-class orchestra like the Dresden State Orchestra.This Schumann symphony set comes highly recommended, both because of its low price and, especially, because of the performances contained in it."