Excellent playing, mannered interpretation.
Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 12/28/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Giuseppe Sinopoli was a conductor of great technical accomplishment, with a fine ear, who produced questionable interpretations of much of the orchestral repertoire.
The "Unfinished" Symphony is given a relatively straightforward performance. It would be self recommending if there were not so many fine performances of this repertory staple already available.
The 9th Symphony (called "the Great" to distinguish it from its smaller companion in the same key) fares less well. The first movement starts promisingly, but soon after the introduction Sinopoli begins pulling apart the tempo like so much taffy, destroying structural continuity. I've always thought this movement works best when performed in more or less a straight line, allowing tension to build as the piece approaches the coda. The Andante proceeds relatively mannerism free, while the following movement is limp as a dishrag. Marked Scherzo, it's performed more like an old fashioned Minuet, which is certainly not what Schubert - - influenced by Beethoven - - intended. The final movement begins at a sensible tempo, which Sinopoli alters for no reason whatsoever (the tempo changes in the recording are not in any copy of the score I've seen). As with the Scherzo, the Allegro vivace is lacking rhythmic drive, so that the symphony peters out rather than concluding.
Despite the excellent sonics and fine orchestral playing, this disc is a non-starter.
"
One of the best versions in the catalogue
G.D. | Norway | 01/14/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Interestingly, I have to note my disagreement with the other reviewer here on almost every point, so potential buyers are, perhaps, recommended to listen before buying. I've long been searching for an account of Schubert's 9th to live with, and even though this one is probably not perfect, it is the closest I've come (tied with Wand). Now, I should admit that I belong to those who prefer a Brucknerian approach to late Schubert, and Sinopoli's approach clearly belongs to that category. That does of course not imply heavy-handedness - indeed, this version sounds texturally lighter than many competitors.
The first movement is spirited and elegant without any intrusive over-interpretations or choices made just for the sake of being unorthodox (a charge Sinopoli has frankly been sometimes guilty of on earlier occasions - including possibly the interpretation of the eighth on this very disc). Both in the first and second movement there are some tempo-changes, but these work surprisingly well. The Scherzo is full of color and zest; it is simply wonderful and I haven't actually heard better on disc, and the finale is utterly engaging. Indeed, I can find little to object to in this reading (no repeats, perhaps); overall it is extremely well-argued and consistently cogently phrased; a reading where every detail is given due attention but where a tightly argued but epic sense of structure is never lost.
What about Sinopoli's account of the eighth? Well, this one is a little more complicated. In this as in the ninth, there are variations of and fluctuations in tempo, but I am less convinced here than in the ninth. Does he achieve a sense of suspension of temporality? Maybe, but sometimes it sounds almost tiresome as well, with too many quirks for comfort. The recordings are very fine, if perhaps a little reverberant. A top choice for the ninth, then, and an interesting but in the end perhaps not completely convincing account of the eighth."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1
