BaL 2.06.18 - Schumann: Symphony no. 4 in D minor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This has always been a very special symphony for me. When my parents took me to Germany in 1962, our German friend (a POW they had met in Manchester in 1945) discovered my interest in classical music, so borrowed some LPs for me to listen to. One of these was a 10 inch LP of Schumann 4. I never checked the orchestra/conductor (I like to think it was Furtwangler) but it made a big impression. Nine years later, I heard it played live in the RAH (VPO/Bernstein). The tension created in the transition between the last two movements was unforgettable. The recording from these same performers is tame in comparison.

I have BPO/Furtwangler, VPO/Solti, VPO/Bernstein and VPO/Mehta.

The Mehta is beautifully played and recorded.

[Nick Armstrong]

I share your fondness for that one - the first complete Schumann cycle I ever bought, with an outstanding Stereo "Spring"... The original Mercury CD release with the lovely leafy cover.

Never heard this!

Tempted....

[jayne lee wilson]

Bear in mind, Cal, that No.4 is in mono from 1954; the others are stereo from 1958 (1, Manfred) 1955-6 (2 and 3) and the 1958 items are quite obviously superior in SQ (and MQ) to the others, which tend to the bass-heavy, or at least thumpy. No.3 was recorded in Ford Auditorium which may account for its rather distant, blowsy, oversized sound. The others more sympathetically taped in the Old Orchestra Hall.
I think by the time the Spring was recorded, Paray had learnt from the earlier recordings and takes a much lighter, buoyant view of phrasing and texture: a really lovely performance with those distinctively Detroit-resilient strings, a French view if you like. The other three can be too stereotypical-Teutonic - up-tempo, dynamically exciting but with some tendency to foursquare phrasing (that over-emphasised opening to the Rhenish) rhythms a bit heavy and overdriven. (Try the opening to the finale of No.2 and you'll hear what I mean - quick, rhythms rather flat, bass thumping away...)

In other words - caveat emptor; one to stream-before-you-buy if possible. An interesting, intermittently enjoyable set but there are quite a few I'd recommend ahead of it now (vide #6). After the Paray my next two were the stereo Szell and Zinman, which rather put it in the shade, the Zinman quite revelatory at the time and holding up wonderfully well still. That gorgeously airy Tonhalle sound certainly doesn't hurt. A joy in itself.

All the same, I'd take the springy Paray Spring over the Szell any day of the week.

[Nick Armstrong]

Thanks Jayne.

To my chagrin, I can't see the Paray Schumann set (or No 4 on its own) on Qobuz...

[Hornspieler]

I played this symphony (and the Brittens Sinfonia de Requiem) on six consecutive nights in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland under the baton of Rudolf Schwarz on the BSO's tour of Europe in 1965.

In BRNO the professor of horn, Frantizec Szolc (forgive the spelling) entertained the horn section to a drink after the performance.

When we asked him about our performance, he said

... I think the orchestra played very good the symphony and the conductor (Rudolf Schwarz) gave the performance his blessing!

...kind of sums it up for me.

I never want to hear this Symphony again (nor the Benjamin Britten)

HS

* But I do love Schumann's Second Symphony.

..

[BBMmk2]

Thanks Jayne.

To my chagrin, I can't see the Paray Schumann set (or No 4 on its own) on Qobuz...

Unless you buy the big Mercury set, it's on there, apparently. Well worth the expense, with all the other goodies on there!

[jayne lee wilson]

Some excellent background reading here...

http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics3/schumannsym.html

...by Peter Gutmann

[Beef Oven!]

Some excellent background reading here...

http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics3/schumannsym.html

...by Peter Gutmann

Many thanks Jayne - a really interesting read, and excellent background to this work. Looking forward to this BaL

P.S. It prompted me tp put Celbidache's S4 on tonight's playlist

[cloughie]

Unless you buy the big Mercury set, it's on there, apparently. Well worth the expense, with all the other goodies on there!

Go on Cali, you know you want to!

[Stanfordian]

I greatly admire Rattle with Berliner Philharmoniker recorded live at Philharmonie - November 2013 on the orchestra's own label. In fact, I relish the their complete set of Schumann's symphonies.

[cloughie]

I greatly admire Rattle with Berliner Philharmoniker recorded February 2013 on the orchestra's own label. In fact, I relish the their complete set of Schumann's symphonies.

Now that sounds interesting! Perhaps now he’ll do one with the LSO!

[Stanfordian]

Now that sounds interesting! Perhaps now he’ll do one with the LSO!

Core repertoire for Berliner Philharmoniker. Maybe he will take it to London.

[richardfinegold]

The Dausgaard recording is the one that I purchased most recently. I like it but the very revealing recording can’t disguise the lightish Chamber Orchestra lack of heft in the bigger moments. I think the Dausgaard Spring Symphony is more succesful

[Nick Armstrong]

Go on Cali, you know you want to!

I've itched and come close on a few occasions since it came out!

EDIT: actually, I can't see that the Schumann symphonies are in either of the two big 50+ CD 'Mercury Living Presence' boxes which have tempted me... Happy to be corrected.

[jayne lee wilson]

Anyone else doing a sort of continuous mini-BaL of their own...? I've been listening to (or at least "at")...

Detroit SO/Paray
Berlin Phil/Kubelik
Tonhalle Zurich/Zinman
COE/Nézet-Séguin
and the winner so far is...

next up....
Bavarian RSO/Kubelik
Swedish CO/Dausgaard...

I think I really could listen to Schumann for breakfast, tea and supper....
(alongside Holmboe of course...)