Search - Robert Schumann, Kurt Masur, London Philharmonic Orchestra :: Schumann: Symphonies 1-4

Excellent, and a bargain too!

janus_kreisler_sachs | the Midwest, USA | 06/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Masur seems to have an affinity for the music of the early romantics -- witness his recordings of Mendelssohn's music, particularly his fabulous interpretation of Elias (also on Teldec). This affinity also extends to Schumann. Anyone who thinks of Schumann's symphonies as incompetently orchestrated and hard to follow should listen to these recordings. Masur balances textures carefully, resulting in a refreshing clarity that is clearly preferable to Karajan's or Bernstein's recordings of these works. Masur's tempi are very lively (though I do think the finale of the first symphony could be faster still), and his dynamics and articulation are wonderfully varied. The structure and the emotions of these works are projected clearly and convincingly. All the repeats are taken, and Masur makes the interesting decision to play the first version of the D minor symphony (No. 4), rather than its more grandiouse, thickly orchestrated revision (though I actually prefer the revision because of its more satisfactory structure). Now that this two-disc Schumann cycle is being offered for the price of one disc, anyone who is interested in Schumann's music should not hesitate. This double CD set has the potential to convert skeptics to the cause of these glorious works. If you don't mind spending more, John Eliot Gardiner has a three-CD Schumann cycle (period instruments, and including the early G minor symphony, BOTH versions of the D minor symphony, and the Konzertstück for four horns) that is even more fiery than Masur's. But if you *must* have modern instruments in these works, this Masur cycle should do the trick."