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This hybrid SACD – meaning it plays on regular CD players as well as SACD players – offers Schubert’s 6th Symphony and his “Unfinished Symphony” (alternatively labeled his 8th or 7th Symphony) in excellent SACD sound with well executed performances which are, in my opinion, unfortunately diminished by Philippe Herreweghe’s use of minimal vibrato strings.
To my ear the impact of the diminished strings is most pronounced in the 6th Symphony. Comparing Herreweghe’s performance with Istvan Kertesz’s performance and, or, Ricardo Muti’s performance, both with the Vienna Philharmonic and offering rich and vibrant strings to accompany the remainder of the orchestra, vividly highlights what is missing from Herreweghe’s performance.
While the diminished strings are also apparent in the 8th Symphony, Herreweghe has the Royal Flemish Philharmonic playing very well with the result being a sense of missed potential and what might have been. Listeners may also agree that Herreweghe’s performance lacks the deep, dark tones some other performances use to produce intense dynamic contrasts – which go a long way, in my opinion, to making Schubert’s 8th Symphony special. That said, I found Herreweghe’s performance of the 8th Symphony, considered by itself and not in comparison to other performances, enjoyable – but I have many other performances I enjoy more.
Listeners who like minimal string vibrato symphonic performances may want to consider this SACD – I’d recommend searching the web for sound clips (typically 30 to 45 seconds) to sample what you will get. Unfortunately, Amazon seems to have scaled back on those sound clips which I found immensely helpful in deciding whether or not to purchase a CD.
In terms of finding more enjoyable alternatives – for the 6th Symphony I recommend, to mention just two, Ricardo Muti’s superb Schubert Symphony cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic and Istvan Kertesz’s similarly superb Schubert Symphony cycle also with the Vienna Philharmonic. Both of those cycles also offer extremely enjoyable performances of the 8th Symphony. Muti’s cycle is readily available at an extremely reasonable price. Kertesz’s cycle can be difficult to find – I purchased a used copy about a year ago from the Amazon Japan marketplace and several weeks ago saw a 24-bit remaster copy on Tower Records of Japan which I immediately purchased. For an extremely enjoyable 8th Symphony performance which is not part of a Schubert Symphony cycle, I’d recommend Otto Klemperer with the Philharmonia Orchestra. While Klemperer’s performance dates from the early 1960s, it is, in my opinion, a magnificent performance and the remastered sound is more than adequate to allow listeners to enjoy Klemperer’s interpretation which provides excellent instrumental detail. Klemperer’s performance of the 8th Symphony is available on the Amazon Japan site in SACD with a superb performance of the 9th Symphony – search the Amazon Japan site for ASIN: B01GEWJEUE or EAN: 4943674240456.
Overall, except for listeners who like minimal vibrato performances of Schubert’s 6th and 8th Symphonies, I recommend against purchasing this disc.
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- Johannes Brahms: Complete Symphonies [3 CD]John Eliot Gardiner/Royal Concertgebouw OrchestraAudio CD
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Hansjörg EgliReviewed in Germany on January 22, 2014
Meine Bewertung der vorliegenden Aufnahme
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