Search - F. Schubert :: Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 3-6, 9 [Germany]

Great 5th, 6th and 9th

RaleighObserver | Eastern USA | 01/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The four stars here is no reflection on Maag's versions of the 5th, 6th and 9th symphonies, which are all strong, dynamic, lyrical and revelatory. The 5th is Mozartian in the best sense, with flowing lines, a lingering lyricism in the slower passages and a lightness of touch in the quicker ones. In the 6th, Maag manages to see some depth in a piece dismissed by most as lightweight. Slower tempi work well here, and Maag management of tension and release and long-term structure works magic.



The 9th is one of the great performances of this work, dramatic, loving, open-hearted and lyrical, showing all the qualities which have made Maag's performances of Mendelssohn's 3rd symphony the classic it has been for nearly 40 years. This one is right up there with Furtwangler's and the other greats of the ages.



Now, the drawbacks: for some reason, Maag doesn't seem to find the 3rd hospitable. He seems to be imposing a more serious idea on the piece -- something I've rarely heard him do -- and it lacks its Rossini-like effervescence. The phrasing is chopped, the dynamics extreme. The 4th fares better, and is one of the better performances of the work; it's just not the stand-out that the 5th, 6th and 9th are.



For some bizzare reason, this record company decided not to include Maag's performance of the 8th and instead gives us a filler disc containing an orchestral transcription of a Schubert sonata that barely misses being maudline claptrap, and a version of the Trout Quintet that is workmanlike at best. The logic behind this decision baffles me.



There are also serious mastering problems on the disc with the 3rd and 4th. There is barely a pause from one track to the other and the start of each track seems to have been marginally clipped. There are no liner notes and only marginal factual information about when the performances were recorded. In general there is a slipshod quality to the production of this set that is almost an insult to the quality of the music on 2-1/2 of the discs inside.



The Maag performances were all recorded by Vox in 1969 and marginally show their age. The filler disc was recorded in the late 1990's and sound like no-one improved recording techniques in the intervening 30 years.



Buy this set because it is an inexpensive way to get most of Maag's Schubert and because that 9th symphony in particular will bowl you over. Maag clearly wanted to serve the music he conducted, and does so with loving care and honor. He was one of the great conductors of his generation, and it's worth collecting his best recordings.

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