BaL 22.04.23 - Schubert: Symphony no. 5 in B flat D. 485

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

10.30 am
Sarah Devonald compares recordings of Schubert’s Symphony No 5 and picks her favourite.

1816 was a prolific year for Franz Schubert. At the age of nineteen he composed over 100 songs, as well as two symphonies: the fourth, which he called the ‘Tragic’, and the fifth, written mainly in September of that year. Of all his symphonies, it’s the simplest in orchestration, with no clarinets, trumpets or timpani. The lighter orchestration is one of the reasons that it’s drawn comparison with the works of Mozart, being similar to that of the original version of Mozart’s own 40th.

The symphony, whose third movement has also been compared to Haydn, is now one of Schubert’s better-known symphonic works, alongside his later ‘Great’ and ‘Unfinished’ compositions.

Available versions:-

Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado
Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham
Concertgebouworkest, Eduard van Beinum
Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Leonard Bernstein
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein *
San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt
Staatskapelle Dresden, Herbert Blomstedt
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm
Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen
Sinfonie-Orchester Winterthur, Fritz Busch
Prades Festival Orchestra, Pablo Casals *
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Sergiu Celibidache *
Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard (SACD)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis *
Dogma Chamber Orchestra (SACD)
Münchner Symphoniker, Kevin John Edusei
Hungarian State Orchestra, Janos Ferencsik *
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer *
L’Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (SACD)
Collegium Musicum Basel, Simon Gaudenz
Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
Concentus Musicus Wien, Stefan Gottfried
Concertgebouworkest, Bernard Haitink
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Halasz
Berliner Philharmoniker, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (SACD)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Phillipe Herreweghe
Kammerorchester Basel & Heinz Holliger *
Anima Eterna, Jos van Immerseel
B’Rock Orchestra, René Jacobs
Stockholm Sinfonietta, Neeme Järvi
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Eugen Jochum *
Westdeutsche Sinfonia, Dirk Joeres
Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra, Djansug Kakhidze
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan *
Wiener Philharmoniker, István Kertész *
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Erich Kleiber
NDR Sinfonieorchester, Erich Kleiber *
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Berliner Philharmoniker, Clemens Krauss *
Hermitage Orchestra, Mats Liljefors *
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Lorin Maazel
Berliner Philharmoniker, Lorin Maazel *
Capella Savaria, Nicholas McGegan
Kammerakademie Potsdam, Antonello Manacorda
Georgian Festival Orchestra, Jahni Mardjani
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner
Menuhin Festival Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin *
Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Rudolf Moralt *
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch (DVD)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Münchinger *
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Riccardo Muti
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Gordan Nikolic (SACD)
London Classical Players, Sir Roger Norrington
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Sir Roger Norrington
Bamberger Symphoniker, Jonathan Nott (SACD)
The Hague Philharmonic, Willem van Otterloo
Orchestra Da Camera, Kenneth Page
Festival Orchestra Berlin, Vladimir Petroschoff *
Wiener Symphoniker, Oswald Rabasta *
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner *
Riga Sinfonietta, Maxim Rysanov
Staatskapelle Dresden, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Studio-Orchester Beromünster, Hermann Scherchen *
Orchestra Cappella Andrea Barca, András Schiff (DVD/Blu-ray)
Philharmonia Orchestra, András Schiff *
Northern Sinfonia, Heinrich Schiff *
NWDR Sinfonie-Orchester, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt *
Dresden Staatskapelle, Peter Schreier *
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Carl Schuricht
New York Chamber Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, Jerzy Semkow
Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Vienna Philharmonic, Sir Georg Solti
Neue Orchester, Christoph Spering *
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini *
Camerata Academica Des Mozarteums Salzburg, Sandor Végh
Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrucken, Marcello Viotti *
Residentie Orkest the Hague, Jan Willem de Vriend (SACD)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Günter Wand
Münchner Philharmoniker, Günter Wand
Classical Band, Bruno Weil
Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hans Zender *
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David Zinman *


* = download only

[RichardB]

Looking down the list made me realise with some surprise that I have never heard this piece, which I'm very fond of, performed on "modern" instruments, although I think I've heard most if not all of the period instrument recordings (current favourite being Michi Gaigg and L'Orfeo Barockorchester). The end of the slow movement is one of the most affecting moments in all of Romantic music as far as I'm concerned.

[Bryn]

Looking down the list made me realise with some surprise that I have never heard this piece, which I'm very fond of, performed on "modern" instruments, although I think I've heard most if not all of the period instrument recordings (current favourite being Michi Gaigg and L'Orfeo Barockorchester). The end of the slow movement is one of the most affecting moments in all of Romantic music as far as I'm concerned.

But surely, Richard, you have heard the famous recording of Cage's Variations 4 from the Fiegen Palmer Gallery. Schubert's 5th features prominently in that. Then there's Peter schikele's Quodlibet, which also gives the 5th a starting role.

[makropulos]

Thanks for the huge list. One version that seems to have gone missing in action is Charles Mackerras/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (formerly on Virgin Veritas). It doesn't seem to be available from (or listed by) Presto even as a download, but, curiously, amazon does offer a download for sale (as well as some extremely cheap used copies of the CD set including Symphonies 5, 8 and 9 all with the OAE).

[Serial_Apologist]

My favourite Schubert symphony - possibly because it's the least "Schubertian" to my ears.

[Barbirollians]

Lieder and song expert chosen for a Schubert symphony ? The choice of reviewers is increasingly inexplicable.

[jayne lee wilson]

Looking down the list made me realise with some surprise that I have never heard this piece, which I'm very fond of, performed on "modern" instruments, although I think I've heard most if not all of the period instrument recordings (current favourite being Michi Gaigg and L'Orfeo Barockorchester). The end of the slow movement is one of the most affecting moments in all of Romantic music as far as I'm concerned.

The live Gaigg from the complete cycle on CPO, or the earlier DHM studio recording?
The live concerts of all of the symphonies are wonderful, among the most compelling Schubert on record.....

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/May/Schubert-sys-5552282.htm

The 5th is the quintessential Schubert song-symphony, often referenced as his most Mozartian, but it couldn't be by anyone else. An adorably breezy, balmy Spring Day of Dance, Exhilaration and Serenity, I recall a train journey from Neuchâtel to Zurich long ago, the 5th's finale swinging and speeding through my head as if being sung out to me by the motion of the train itself....

I sometimes feel it as part of a trilogy - the 4th to the 6th, from darkness to light and then.... the transition through humour and complexity; to something higher, deeper.... an intensity beyond....

[pastoralguy]

My introduction to this work was, iirc, John Pritchard with the LPO on CfP. It was released on cd but appears to be unavailable at present.

[Pulcinella]

My introduction to this work was, iirc, John Pritchard with the LPO on CfP. It was released on cd but appears to be unavailable at present.

That's the (only) version I have on CD (unless there's BBC MM one, which there may well be; catalogue not to hand!).

PS: Yes there is. Volume 29, No 13.
BBCPO/Mena
A MediaCityUK performance on 4 July 2012

[ostuni]

Lieder and song expert chosen for a Schubert symphony ? .

Are you thinking of Natasha Loges? As far as I know, Sarah Devonald has no particular expertise in Lieder: she's an oboist and an ex-R3 producer.

[cloughie]

Many good recordings of this sunny work - for me VPO Bohm and RPO Beecham still my favourites! Probably neither will feature in the face of modern over timped, spotlit recordings which seem to be in vogue nowadays!

[MickyD]

Looking down the list made me realise with some surprise that I have never heard this piece, which I'm very fond of, performed on "modern" instruments, although I think I've heard most if not all of the period instrument recordings (current favourite being Michi Gaigg and L'Orfeo Barockorchester). The end of the slow movement is one of the most affecting moments in all of Romantic music as far as I'm concerned.

I have the Hanover Band cycle which I like very much, but have never heard Immerseel. How do you rate him in this, Richard ?

[RichardB]

I have the Hanover Band cycle which I like very much, but have never heard Immerseel. How do you rate him in this, Richard ?

Good question - I can't remember actually, which may speak for itself. Before the Gaigg recording came out I would usually listen to Brüggen.

Interestingly (or not), when I got my first mobile phone, which would have been in 2000 or so, one of the options for ringtones was "Symphony no.5". I tried it out, expecting to hear "Fate knocking on the door", and was surprised to find it was Schubert. So I guess that means I have heard at least some of it on a modern instrument.

[vinteuil]

Many good recordings of this sunny work - for me VPO Bohm and RPO Beecham still my favourites! Probably neither will feature in the face of modern over timped, spotlit recordings which seem to be in vogue nowadays!

no timps in Symphony nr 5, I think...

.

[smittims]

No, it's a small orchestra., same as Mozart's K550 and 'Summer Night on the River' I think: 1 fl. 2 ob, 2 fag, 2 hrn, str.

Beecham, yes, but also Casals, with his Brucknerian sublimity in the slow movt. And there's a very good Herbert from his early Berlin Philharmonic days on Columbia.