Search - Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Giuseppe Sinopoli :: Schubert: Symphony No.8/Mendelssohn: Symphony No.4

The best recording of Schubert's "Unfinished," bar none.

06/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sinopoli's conducting of the Philharmonia is exquisite. Here their lush string section is highlighted against bright brass and some resounding kettle drums. He brings a warm glow to the music's quiet passages, highlighting the symphony's subtle tragic dimension. Slower than Kleiber's interpretation, but with a poetic quality all its own."

A breakthrough recording for a unique conductor

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since this now-classic pairing of the Schubert "Unfinished" and Mendelssohn "Italian" Sym. is so well known, one can pause to refute David Hurwitz's abssurd claim that Sinopoli never fulfilled his early promise. This 1984 recording from London came at a time when English critics sniffed at Sinopoli during his tenure with the Philharmonia (a flagging ensemble since Klemperer's death that he revitalized). The same critics continue to look askance; Sinopoli made little impact in the U.S., since his guest aappearances with American orchestras were spotty.



Sinopoli came to conducting by an eccentric route through medical school and psychiatry--he was also a dedicated Egyptologist in his spare time--but Sinoploi was the real thing, a born conductor with amazing musical instincts. It takes such gifts to say something new about the Unfinished, which Sinopoli paces deliberately in both movements (2 or 3 min. slower in each than Klemperer and Bernstein, or even the later Sinopoli, who chose more standard tempos in his remake with the Dresden Staatskapelle for DG). Broadening the tempo allows him to personalize and dramatize every bar. One comes away feeling that new things happened from moment to moment, without a hint of rote repetition. The "Italian" is more conventional in the fast outer movements, but Sinopoli takes time to expressively shape the two middle movements, and the whole symphony is lifted high above routine. The recorded sound is a bit boomy and larger-than-life but quite warm.



This ability to make music seem freshly composed and original is something Sinopoli kept to the end. He left behind superlative opera recordings of Nabucco, Macbeth, Tannhauser, Salome, Tosca, The Flying Dutchman, Ariadne auf Naxos, Elektra, Die Frau Ohne Schatten, and Manon Lescaut (he died on the podium in his fifties conducting Aida), which hardly bespeaks failed promise. Even his Rigoletto and Il Trovatore, both marred by weak casting, are fascinating on his part.



Sinopoli's orcchestral interpretations were more controversial, and especially vexing to the British when he took up Elgar, a sacred monster that one simply doesn't tamper with. But there are quite a number of Mahler and Bruckner recordings that deserve high ratings, along with estimable Schumann, Richard Strauss, and this recording. Sinopoli was also a modernist composer and conducted at least one CD of his own music from an opera about the femme fatale of psychiatry, Lou Andreas Salome.



Overall, I would say that a listener could live with both these readings for life without needing another. I can't give higher praise, and as for dissing Sinopoli beyond the grave, talent will out in the end."

Great Performances of Schubert and Mendlessohn Symphonies

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 09/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Without a doubt, this excellent recording was one of the best Sinopoli did with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Here he gives two vibrant readings of Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony and Mendlessohn's 4th "Italian" Symphony. The Philharmonia Orchestra's playing is quite refined, with much warmth and brilliance. Most noteworthy is the exceptional playing of the woodwind and string sections. Much to his credit, Sinopoli's conducting is not at all idiosyncratic, but remains faithful to Schubert's and Mendlessohn's scores. Anyone interested in a fine recording of these two symphonies will not be disappointed with this CD."