Schubert / Antwerp Symphony Orch / Herreweghe - Symphonies 2 & 5 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Philippe Herreweghe and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra explore the tormented world of Robert Schumann. Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4 plunge us into the psychological tangles of the composer's mind, reflecting his relentless struggle with melancholy and depression. In these two seminal works, a slow and somber introduction unveils the main motifs that will unfold throughout, before culminating in an emphatic and optimistic finale. The director from Ghent (and former psychiatrist) pHilippe Herreweghe manages to grasp the full complexity of this cathartic process leading us from darkness into light. He delivers a lively and urgent interpretation of these romantic masterpieces, confirming his reputation as an unrivalled performer of the German repertoire. Album Tracks 1. Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61 2. Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120

While offering little suggestion of the symphonic mastery he would attain less than a decade later, the First Symphony, influenced by Mozart's last symphonies and completed in October 1813, is a remarkable achievement. Schubert composed his Third Symphony over a period of about two months, completing the work in July 1815. The Third Symphony is generally characterized by an increased rhythmic intensity, at times bordering on obsession. We may well think of Schubert primarily as a wonderful melodist, but driving, sometimes overpowering rhythm is just as strong a feature of many of his greatest works. The question of why Schubert left this B minor symphony unfinished has continued to exercise scholars. The most convincing explanation is that he simply found himself unable to continue on the same exalted level and resigned himself to leaving the symphony as it was- two movements of breathtaking quality and imagination. There is no evidence that he ever wished, in his remaining six years, to return to the work, or that he regarded it as Inchunfinished.Inch Beethoven's influence on the historic development of the symphony was staggering. His own examples, widening the expressive range of the genre, opened up a new world. Against this background, Schubert conceived a work of much greater poetry, drama and profundity than he had attempted in his previous symphonies. Over-familiarity may well have blunted our appreciation of this symphony, which is strikingly original from almost every aspect. Apart from the concentrated, expressive quality, there is also an enhanced sense of tone color, with much richer sonorities, and a new spaciousness.

Album Tracks 1. Sinfonie NR. 1 D-Dur, D.82 2. Sinfonie NR. 2 B-Dur, D. 125 3. Sinfonie NR. 3 D-Dur, D. 200 4. Sinfonie NR. 6 C-Dur, D. 589 5. Sinfonie NR. 4 C-Moll, D. 417 InchTragischeInch 6. Sinfonie NR. 8 H-Moll, D. 759 InchUnvollendeteInch 7. Sinfonie NR. 5 B-Dur, D. 485 8. Rosamunde, D. 797 9. Sinfonie NR. 9 C-Dur, D. 944 InchGroße C-DurInch