Search - Franz Schubert, Dresden Staatskapelle Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt :: Schubert: Complete Symphonies

Blomstedt, DresdenSK: Schubert Syms Comp: Charm, Sparkle, Bi

Dan Fee | Berkeley, CA USA | 05/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've recently praised Jos van Immerseel and Orchestra Anima Aeterna for their HIP excellence in the complete Schubert symphonies; really their overall musicality wins the day, period instruments or not.



Now I come face to face with Herbert Blomstedt leading one of Europe's oldest and most distinguished orchestras, the Dresden Staatskapelle. I am listening to the complete set. Most of these discs are also available singly. I must concur with David Hurwitz in praise of all of these readings.



Disc 1 has symphonies 1 plus 2. Each of these two early Schubert symphonies has four movements per the dominant, familiar western classical period model. While influences from Haydn and Mozart are audible in passing, the overall strong impression is for the subtle uniqueness of Schubert's musical voice. Some of this special quality no doubt involves those wonderful, long-breathed Schubert melodies. Add in, Schubert's sideways habits with narrative and harmony. And, finally, complete the mix with Schubert's special, glowing sound, most obviously in his woodwind writing.



Like Haydn and Mozart, the first symphony opens with a slow introduction; but already the melody and harmony have a sense of Schubert space and leisure about them. You know that Haydn and Mozart already did this type of thing; yet you may find yourself listening anew, to engage with Schubert's style and substance. An Andante is simply sung out, gorgeous. The Menuetto Allegro is lively and full of charm, even showing off a certain sly wit in its theatrics. The concluding Allegro vivace wraps up the first symphony quite nicely.



Schubert's second happens along very similar lines, except that it has its own melodies, harmonies, and moments of insight or wit or warmth.



Disc 2 contains the third and fourth symphonies. Disc 3, the fifth and sixth. Disc 4, the "Unfinished" eighth, plus the Great C Major ninth.



Schubert's third symphony intensifies the underlying sense of theater, though it, too, sticks to its models in Haydn and Mozart. Generally, these first three symphonies are quite a welcome accomplishment in writing for the orchestra, with probably only Mozart able to equal the marvel that was Franz Schubert, age 17-18 years. In the fourth we come to a remarkable step forward. A musical deepening unusual for most nineteen year olds. The fourth has been subtitled, Tragic, mainly because it has shadows as well as lights, foreboding and unease as well as song and charm and wit. Besides the later Unfinished yet to be written, the fourth is Schubert's only symphony in a minor key.



The fifth was also written by Schubert at nineteen, followed quickly by the sixth symphony, subtitled Little C Major (to distinguish this earlier sixth from the later ninth), all in 1816. Then we find Schubert busy with all his other projects until 1822, when so far as we can tell, an impending honorary degree to be awarded by the Graz Music Society occasioned the composer to begin writing a symphony to acknowledge the society. Schubert was about 24 years old by this time. He had penned a nearly continuous stream of great lieder, including some of his very greatest songs, as well as numerous other works for chorus, piano solo, or chamber ensemble. Great mystery surrounds this symphony, which we now know as the Unfinished symphony, since it really exists only in two completed movements, plus a sketched out third, and various conjectures as to what could have been a fourth movement. Increasing this sense of mystery is the curious fact that Huttenbrenner, a friend of Schubert's who was also a member of the society, did receive the music. Yet he utterly failed to tell anybody else about it, nor have it performed, for nearly forty years. Only when Huttenbrenner was very old and sensed he was near to dying, did he reveal the Unfinished to others, it being recognized as a special work of genius despite its alternative form. This symphony is one of western classical musics perennial favorites.



Finally, this set concludes with the Great C Major symphony, the ninth. (1825-26, Schubert age 28-29 years old.) It is again a work of genius, a sort of musical breakthrough, nearly unique in its style and breadth of symphonic writing.



One of the risks of recording a complete symphony set is that one must do right by all of the symphonies, first to last. Since any composer whose music we still attend probably changed a lot over the stretch of time from first to last work, rising to the varied musical challenges is a success no conductor or band can afford to take automatically for granted. When we regard Schubert, this is as true as for any other composer. The reach from early Schubert to the last two works is remarkable. Another set of risks involved in playing the early symphonies is that one can be too easy with them, and they end up sounding weak, too much like ersatz Haydn or Mozart or somebody else whose name we cannot quite match up from memory.



Happily, within the parameters of big band orchestra playing, Dresden and Blomstedt get it all, early music to late. The early symphonies, one through six, sound chock full of youthful brio, overflow with charm, and offer three discs full of compelling early Schubert. The band and conductor do particularly well with the utterly winsome woodwind writing, and the balances among the orchestra departments is always fine. One can readily hear the Haydn or Mozart floor plans in symphonies one to six, yet recognize that this music was not exactly penned by either Haydn or Mozart. Right through all six, Blomstedt and Dresden manage the subtle and rewarding task of position Schubert as his own youthful musical self. Another risk in these early works is their sheer fluency. Schubert said something like, I write music as an apple tree makes apples. So it is entirely easy in Schubert to breeze along this incredibly free-flowing musical stream, ending up with not much more than musical pleasantries. Blomstedt and Dresden let us know we are doing far more than just passing the time of day, symphonies one through six.



These readings will wear well, I predict. Their young man's sense of new discoveries, expressed in prodigious internalization of going classical forms and reckless with beauty, is really something like hearing the teen symphony by Bizet. Fresh, evergreen fresh. Wide open, in love with music, disarming. If you loved finally seeing your own children take wing as they reached young adulthood, you will probably recall many a fine moment as you listen to these Schubert early symphonies.



Blomstedt and Dresden also shift gears, magically. You can tell one early work from another. By the time we get to the mysterious Unfinished, another sort of magic is happening altogether. Given the popularity of this work, you can find many good readings of it in the existing catalog. I would put Blomstedt in Dresden right up with the best of the catalog.



Then we finish with the ninth, that symphonic peak so forbidding that at first even the venerable Vienna Philharmonic balked at the sheer work of playing it publicly. I am quite picky about my Schubert ninths. Even very good readings often do not quite work for my ears. My fav shelf touchstones have long been Heinz Rogner (Berlin Radio East), and Bernard Haitink (Amsterdam). I can listen to many others, but I usually come away with a nagging sense that we just missed the highest marks in our Schubert ninth.



I can add Blomstedt and Dresden to my short list of ninths. Everybody manages, nothing neglected. The sheer large size of the symphony comes through, loud and clear. So does the heightened sense of warmth and charm, that deep humanity we have long associated with late Schubert. Think of the famed quintet. You need that sort of depth for a viable ninth symphony, and it is a lot harder to consistently realize throughout, than not. Finally, the expressive magic of the Great C Major comes through, just as it does in great experiences of the Unfinished. Goodness, those woodwinds in Dresden, whew.



Competition for Schubert symphonies is stiff. Even just in Dresden, Sawallisch and Colin Davis offer complete sets. Then add in Kertesz in Vienna, von Karajan in Berlin, Muti in Vienna, Gunter Wand in Cologne, Karl Bohm in Berlin, Marriner with St. Martin's, Viotti in Saarbrucken, and Hans Zender in Baden-Baden & Freiburg.



Jonathan Nott in Bamberg offers up very good readings of symphonies one through six, plus a viable Unfinished. But I find his ninth lacking, suddenly eclipsed, gone all small scale.



The sound in all discs is solid, mainstream red book PCM stereo. One suspects that the venue may have been the fabulous Lukaskirche. No sonic complaints, then.



Stars, five stars - for any disc individually, and for the symphony set, entire."

Bang for the buck

Sidney Jwanier | Phila | 11/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thanks to a glowing review by Mr. Fee I purchased this set from Amazon.com. My box contained no documentation whatsoever which is a drawback.

The eight symphonies come two to a CD -four in all, in cardboard sleeves.For reviews of individual symphonies I recommend reading Mr. Fee.

Blomstedt and his Dresden Orch.give consistantly fine ,often inspired performances of all the symphonies-;not a dud here.

You can get this set for around $20.00 which is amazing.With beautiful sound as well ,I can't recommend this set too highly.Grab it!"