Sony Masterworks
Schumann: Symphonies No 1 & 2 / Kubelik, Bavarian Rso
$17.99
Details
- Composer
- SCHUMANN, ROBERT
- Artist
- Rafael, Kubelik
- Format
- CD
- Label
- Sony Masterworks
- Released
- Jun 22, 2007
- Catalog #
- SONY48269
- UPC
- 074644826920
About
I could never understand why this wonderful cycle failed to make an impact when it was first issued. Kubelik's sensitivity to detail, his refusal to bully Schumann's vulnerable structures and his ability to penetrate occasional thickets of orchestration, make these 1978-9 sessions especially memorable. Just listen to the cheeky bassoon backing clarinet, 144' into the Spring Symphony's fourth movement, the limpid phrasing of the Rhenish Symphony's Nicht schnell third movement, or the to-ing and fro-ing between first and second violins (usefully separated, as virtually always with Kubelik) in the last movement of the Second, Only the first movement of the Fourth seems to me a little heavy-handed, but then the poetry of the Romanze and the exuberance of the finale more than make amends.
First movement repeats are observed and the playing throughout is rich in felicitous turns of phrase. The sound, though, is a minor stumbling block: violins are thin (one of the few disadvantages of having them separated is that their massed tone becomes mildly diluted), brass a little fuzzy and the whole production less focused than, say, Sawallisch's EMI mid-price Dresden set. But, for me, Kubelik's insights are too varied and meaningful to miss, and I derive as much pleasure from them now as I did 13-odd years ago, when they were first issued on LP. What with a stirring Manfred Overture added for good measure, they constitute exceptional value for money.
-- Gramophone [7/1993, reviewing Sony 48269 and 48270]
First movement repeats are observed and the playing throughout is rich in felicitous turns of phrase. The sound, though, is a minor stumbling block: violins are thin (one of the few disadvantages of having them separated is that their massed tone becomes mildly diluted), brass a little fuzzy and the whole production less focused than, say, Sawallisch's EMI mid-price Dresden set. But, for me, Kubelik's insights are too varied and meaningful to miss, and I derive as much pleasure from them now as I did 13-odd years ago, when they were first issued on LP. What with a stirring Manfred Overture added for good measure, they constitute exceptional value for money.
-- Gramophone [7/1993, reviewing Sony 48269 and 48270]
Tracklist 8 tracks
-
1 I. Andante un poco maestoso - Allegro molto vivace 11:32
- Track
- 1
- Title
- I. Andante un poco maestoso - Allegro molto vivace
- Duration
- 11:32
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík
-
2 II. Larghetto 07:35
- Track
- 2
- Title
- II. Larghetto
- Duration
- 07:35
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík
-
3 III. Scherzo: Molto vivace 05:46
- Track
- 3
- Title
- III. Scherzo: Molto vivace
- Duration
- 05:46
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík
-
4 IV. Allegro animato e grazioso 09:47
- Track
- 4
- Title
- IV. Allegro animato e grazioso
- Duration
- 09:47
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík
-
5 I. Sostenuto assai 13:02
- Track
- 5
- Title
- I. Sostenuto assai
- Duration
- 13:02
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík
-
6 II. Scherzo 06:56
- Track
- 6
- Title
- II. Scherzo
- Duration
- 06:56
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík
-
7 III. Adagio espressivo 10:09
- Track
- 7
- Title
- III. Adagio espressivo
- Duration
- 10:09
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík
-
8 IV. Allegro molto vivace 08:58
- Track
- 8
- Title
- IV. Allegro molto vivace
- Duration
- 08:58
- Composer
- Robert Schumann
- Ensemble
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Conductor
- Rafael Kubelík