Starter Packs

Complete your collection with these curated titles, grouped at a special discount.

Shop Now
Franz Schmidt: Symphony No 4, Variations On A Hussar's Song / Sinaisky, Malmo Symphony
Naxos

Franz Schmidt: Symphony No 4, Variations On A Hussar's Song / Sinaisky, Malmo Symphony

$19.99 Only 1 left

Details

Composer
SCHMIDT, FRANZ
Artist
Sinaisky
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Nov 16, 2010
Catalog #
8572118
UPC
747313211876

About

Franz Schmidt was an inconsistent composer, and his Variations on a Hussar's Song is an odd work. The best thing about it is the song; the variations are nothing special. It's a jolly, diatonic tune that Schmidt decorates with increasingly ugly chromatic doodads as the music proceeds. A note in the score makes a special point of the fact that the composer uses no divisi strings at any point, as if this matters. Still, this is a good performance; it may be that the first trumpet fails to assert himself ideally, and the percussion is a touch recessed, but the work's 28 minutes pass pleasantly enough.

The symphony, on the other hand, is a masterpiece, and it has been well treated on disc. Mehta's Vienna Philharmonic recording remains the benchmark, and if you want modern sound, Kreizberg's (PentaTone) also is quite good. So is this one. To be sure, the Malmö strings haven't the weight and richness of the Vienna Philharmonic, but the performance is very well paced and the Naxos engineers see to it that textures remain clean and clear (the harp is particularly well caught). Given the fact that the Variations constitute a genuine rarity, and you may well enjoy that work more than I did, this release is certainly recommendable as a supplement to the Mehta recording of the symphony.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Tracklist 11 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro molto moderato - Passionato - 14:28
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro molto moderato - Passionato -
    Duration
    14:28
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  2. 2 II. Adagio - Più lento - Adagio - 13:24
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Adagio - Più lento - Adagio -
    Duration
    13:24
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  3. 3 III. Molto vivace - 07:40
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Molto vivace -
    Duration
    07:40
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  4. 4 IV. Tempo primo un poco sostenuto - Passionato - Tempo primo: Allegro molto moderato 10:50
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Tempo primo un poco sostenuto - Passionato - Tempo primo: Allegro molto moderato
    Duration
    10:50
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  5. 5 Adagio 05:30
    Track
    5
    Title
    Adagio
    Duration
    05:30
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  6. 6 Vivace alla marcia 03:55
    Track
    6
    Title
    Vivace alla marcia
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  7. 7 Lento - Andante tranquillo - Allegretto molto moderato - Più tranquillo 04:57
    Track
    7
    Title
    Lento - Andante tranquillo - Allegretto molto moderato - Più tranquillo
    Duration
    04:57
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  8. 8 Allegro - Presto - 04:10
    Track
    8
    Title
    Allegro - Presto -
    Duration
    04:10
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  9. 9 Lento - Adagio 04:11
    Track
    9
    Title
    Lento - Adagio
    Duration
    04:11
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  10. 10 Vivace 03:56
    Track
    10
    Title
    Vivace
    Duration
    03:56
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky
  11. 11 A tempo 01:50
    Track
    11
    Title
    A tempo
    Duration
    01:50
    Composer
    Franz Schmidt
    Ensemble
    Malmö Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Vassily Sinaisky