Shop with your exclusive business pricing
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows.
$37.95
FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, July 18
Or fastest delivery Thursday, July 17. Order within 4 hrs 35 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$37.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$37.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Schubert: The Complete Symphonies

Box Set

Colin Davis Format: Audio CD
4.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
$37.95 with 10 percent savings
List Price: $41.99
FREE Returns
Listen Now with Amazon Music
Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 1-6, 8 & 9 Amazon Music Unlimited
Price
New from Used from
MP3 Music, July 23, 2004
$22.99
$22.99 —
Audio CD, Box set, November 26, 2014
$37.95
$35.78 $7.88
Includes FREE MP3 version of this album. Provided by Amazon Digital Services LLC. Terms and Conditions. Does not apply to gift orders. Complete your purchase to save the MP3 version to your music library.
Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

Similar items that ship from close to you

Page 1 of 1 Start over
Previous set of slides
Next set of slides

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1 Symphony No. 1, D.82 in D - Adagio; Allegro Vivace
2 Symphony No. 1, D.82 in D - Andante
3 Symphony No. 1, D.82 in D - Allegro
4 Symphony No. 1, D.82 in D - Allegro Vivace
5 Symphony No. 3, D.200 in D - Adagio Maestoso; Allegro Con Brio
6 Symphony No. 3, D.200 in D - Allegretto
7 Symphony No. 3, D.200 in D - Menuetto Vivace; Trio
8 Symphony No. 3, D.200 in D - Presto Vivace
9 Symphony No. 8, D.759 in B minor - 'Unfinished' - Allegro Moderato
10 Symphony No. 8, D.759 in B minor - 'Unfinished' - Andante Con Moto

Disc: 2

1 Symphony No. 2, D.125 in B-Flat - Largo; Allegro Vivace
2 Symphony No. 2, D.125 in B-Flat - Andante
3 Symphony No. 2, D.125 in B-Flat - Menuetto: Allegro Vivace; Trio
4 Symphony No. 2, D.125 in B-Flat - Presto Vivace
5 Symphony No. 4, D.417 in C minor - 'Tragic' - Adagio Molto; Allegro Vivace
6 Symphony No. 4, D.417 in C minor - 'Tragic' - Andante
7 Symphony No. 4, D.417 in C minor - 'Tragic' - Menuetto: Allegro Vivace; Trio
8 Symphony No. 4, D.417 in C minor - 'Tragic' - Allegro

Disc: 3

1 Symphony No. 5, D.485 in B-Flat - Allegro
2 Symphony No. 5, D.485 in B-Flat - Andante Con Moto
3 Symphony No. 5, D.485 in B-Flat - Menuetto: Allegro Molto; Trio
4 Symphony No. 5, D.485 in B-Flat - Allegro Vivace
5 Symphony No. 6, D.589 in C - 'The Little' - Adagio; Allegretto
6 Symphony No. 6, D.589 in C - 'The Little' - Andante
7 Symphony No. 6, D.589 in C - 'The Little' - Scherzo: Presto
8 Symphony No. 6, D.589 in C - 'The Little' - Allegro Moderato

Disc: 4

1 Symphony No. 9, D.944 in C - 'The Great' - Andante; Allegro Ma Non Troppo
2 Symphony No. 9, D.944 in C - 'The Great' - Andante Con Moto
3 Symphony No. 9, D.944 in C - 'The Great' - Scherzo: Allegro Vivace; Trio
4 Symphony No. 9, D.944 in C - 'The Great' - Finale: Allegro Vivace

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Sir Colin Davis is a serious conductor, and he has Germany's finest orchestra playing music that they do better than virtually anyone else. From a purely technical point of view, these are fine renderings. But you can also get this same orchestra at mid or budget price, in this same music, in far less grim performances led by Blomstedt (Berlin Classics) or Sawallisch (Philips). So why spend the money if you don't have to? --David Hurwitz

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.4 x 5.6 x 4.9 inches; 4 ounces
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ RCA Legacy
  • Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2014
  • SPARS Code ‏ : ‎ DDD
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ September 30, 2006
  • Label ‏ : ‎ RCA Legacy
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000003FQH
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
18 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Gengler
    5.0 out of 5 stars SF Listeners's review is spot on, but for many of us that means 4.5 stars -
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I agree with some of the points made by Sante Fe (although this is decidedly not "meek" academic Schubert), but cringe to think that there are those who may avoid this set thinking that it only merits "3 stars". Let me start up front that although I have awarded this set 5 stars to average the rating up to 4 stars, with hope that others may choose to purchase it. Perhaps 4 1/2 stars is more like it. This is robust, traditional, big band Schubert. I agree that it is not adventurous, but there are times when I want to hear these symphonies played traditionally rather than an adventurous manner. (I think it was Sante Fe who, commenting on Bernstein's Mahler said something along the lines of "This is my Mahler - the Mahler I grew up with"). Well, this style is the Schubert that I grew up with - this is my Schubert. And I suspect that this is the Schubert that many folks would like to hear as well. Davis conducts with expression and feeling (as opposed to his Brahms cycle) and never fails to emphasize the important points. He builds symphonic structure - particularly true in the 8th and 9th symphonies, but no less so in the earlier, youthful symphonies. This is old, European Schubert and I love it. The Staatskapelle Drespen have this music in their blood, and they play their hearts out for Davis.

    This RCA box is large enough to accommodate several other discs/booklets - to it I have added Kurt Masur's Rosemunde (a perfect complement, with the incomparable Elly Ameling) Rosamunde Complete and, for those times when I am feeling more adventurous, the four Teldec discs containing Harnoncourts incomparably exciting recordings of the symphonies Schubert: The Symphonies. Harnoncourt's set is truly a 5 star version; along with Davis, these two sets are the alpha - omega of Schubert interpretation. I do not hear one as being "better" than the other. The oversized booklet from the Harnoncourt set does not, alas, fit in the box but on the shelf in between this box within a box (sort of like a set of Russian "CD matryoshkas", or nesting dolls, now that I think of it...). On the other side of the booklet? Why Abbado's set of course - Franz Schubert: 8 Symphonies and Rosamunde/Grand Duo The orchestrated Grand Duo demands to be heard - even if it goes on a bit, and is not at all the missing 7th symphony!

    Whichever set I play, depends on my listening needs or mood - today is a cold, rainy, June day in New England. A comfort food type of day - it made the choice easy - I listened to the warm lyricism of Colin Davis, and allowed the musical comfort of Schubert's vision lift my spirit. This set, frequently available in a less expensive, less collectible version Complete Symphonies Listening to Davis' 9th right now, I find myself thinking of Charles Darwin, who said "there is grandeur in this view of life". There is grandeur too, in this view of Schubert. If it is traditional readings you want, I do not think you will be disappointed by this wonderful set.

    Some may fault me and say that this is not a classic/exemplary set denoted by a 5-star rating, but I'm afraid that 3-stars does it an injustice. Check out other enthusiastic reviews at [...]
    15 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • anthony
    4.0 out of 5 stars good CD recording quality
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The CD recording quality is good
    Helpful
     Report
  • Luca
    5.0 out of 5 stars A touching rendition of Schubert's symphonic "Reise".
    Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2012
    As Claudio Arrau clearly pointed out, "Schubert is the very last problem in interpretation", obviously referring not only to the pianistic repertoire. Arrau wanted to underline the difficulties arising from any attempt of a full comprehension and rendition of Schubert's musical thought and the consequent necessity of a deep interpretative maturity to achieve them. Schubert, as a man and as an artist, was an actual early romantic. Therefore, his vital environment is the world of sentiments, as they spring out from a pure heart.
    But his music is not aimed to narrate or describe "predefined" sentiments. The music of Schubert is a narration of living moods in their continuous and unforeseeable changing and melting into each other. Surely some constant theme unifies his artistic production - the wanderer, the Sehnsucht, spontaneous joy, hopeful waiting and bitter disillusion, the loss ("Erlkönig"), the exclusion, the bitter irony ("Krähe, laß mich endlich seh'n, / Treue bis zum Grabe!"), an idealized Mediterranean zest for life, etc. - but in each composition they are continuously and differently mixed and linked together through changing nuances.

    Consequently, and here lies the difficulty pointed out by Arrau, in each composition, as in each single part of it, also when a mood seems stated, at least for a while, in its depth you will find something, less or more, maybe only for a nuance, different, caused by a sudden reminiscence or by an unpredictable association of ideas. Schubert lets his different personalities to freely express their various feelings caused by the situation. Which has to be the prevailing one is not decided by a commanding ego, but, simply, it occurs and the temporarily predominant mood can not completely overshadow the others. Therefore, the interpretative problem is to deeply understand - in particular where there are no lyrics to suggest a main pattern - at every step, at every turning point: «What was he thinking to? Which were his actual feelings?».

    In Schubert, the main technical tool used to achieve the musical expression of complex moods is not based on harmony, but on streams of marvelous melodies, interweaving, contrasting or singing together. But, to make all that even more difficult, the single melody is allowed to express, if handled and dug out by a fine interpreter, complex moods.
    Therefore, in my opinion, the problem is not if the last symphonies are superior or greater than the earlier ones. In any case the interesting thing is that each of them narrates something about the moods of those moments or of those ages.
    The first symphonies narrate of the fresh attitude of an enthusiastic, not yet disenchanted, genial teenager - obviously mature beyond his years -, attempting to apply his natural talent to express something comparable with Haydn's, Mozart's or Beethoven's (the beloved and most admired of all) heights; finally, in the last symphonies, we meet the achieved consciousness to be able to create something strongly innovative.

    But this is only the general surface of the matter. Inside each work, we can find the same imprinting: a sincere narration of changing moods, from adolescence to maturity. Surely, during the "Reise", soul pain will soon become a main leitmotiv, but joined to the suggestion to plentifully live the rare moments of joy, at least till next disillusion or loss.
    Indeed the deepest message is of respect and admiration for the beauty, the unicity, the miracle of human high feelings. Schubert would not exchange neither his rare joyfulness nor his constant painfulness, both generated by his extreme and noble sensitiveness, with all the well-being coming from superficiality or acceptation of conventional feelings and attitudes.
    Moral pain and sincere and spontaneous joyfulness are what gives dignity and nobleness to human beings. As a matter of fact, Schubert's music is able to be highly consolatory ("One glance at Schubert's trio and the troubles of our human experiences disappear and all the world is fresh and bright again" - R. Schumann).

    To have all the symphonies in an unitary collection allows us to listen to them like to a sort of cycle of complex instrumental lieder, where the linking theme is the wanderer's spiritual life of the Author himself.
    Within the limits of every simplification, Mozart proposes an harmonious cosmic construction; Haydn proposes to interpret the world through the lens of intelligent fantasy, smiling and indulgent irony, joyful industriousness and sincere faith; Beethoven proposes a world of human brotherhood. Each of them tries for a rational answer to the challenging questions arising from the contradictions of human condition.
    Schubert simply tells us about the man. A man, who terribly suffers from his loneliness, hiding in his heart an Utopian social project, while actual socialization implies unacceptable compromises with the insensitiveness or the evilness of the others. As the distorted and partial interpretation of the Enlightenment brought the eighteen century towards the Reign of Terror and to the Napoleonic wars, the distortion of Romantic ideals brought the nineteenth century to incarnates them in the concept of Nation and then in a degraded concept of State, which individuals are subjected to and not viceversa. There, Schubert could not be other than a rootless wanderer, allowed to be sung in the local inns or to induce little tears to drop from the "romantic" eyes of some pale dame sighing in a salon during Schubertiades, but excluded from participating to the weaving of the social fabric, as his wanderer is not admitted to the bridal chamber of the schöne Müllerin. Schubert's peaceful message had to wait for the carnage of WWI, for, among the others, Remarque, for the horrors and massacres of civilians of WWII to be given credit and to be permanently welcomed amongst universally shared values.

    In conclusion, Schubert asks for versatility, sincere sensitiveness, spontaneity, extreme artistry and musicality, intellectual maturity. Colin Davis, in 1996 aged 69, is exactly the right man and the wonderful Staatskapelle Dresden, with its astonishingly colorful sonorities, vividly supports him during the "Reise", giving us a top level collection with a gorgeous sound, where the coherency and unitarity of the vision is masterfully joined to the superb interpretations of every single symphony.
    The Ninth too may be rated as one of the best ever recorded. Here Davis does not incur in the frequent error of weighting it down to gain "profundity" or to fasten tempos to easily gain superficial "brilliancy". The typical heavenly lightness of Schubert's melody-based harmonic structure is attentively preserved, every rhetorical temptation cleverly avoided.
    The result is a sincere and moving narration of the whole sentimental life of Schubert himself, the good and sensitive excluded man, and, by doing so, his peaceful and consolatory message springs out simply and naturally, without the superimposition of any intellectualistic or rhetorical artifice, exactly as the Melody Master deserves.

    The packaging of the 4 CDs in single envelopes in a cardboard box and the symphonies allocation to them (1-3-8) (2-4) (5-6) (9) are more than adequate for a low-priced edition. The booklet supplies basic, but not shallow information, in English, German and French.
    13 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Huntley Dent
    3.0 out of 5 stars A mellifluous Schubert cycle, but lacking in adventure
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2006
    Until fairly recently Schubert's symhonic output was largely unrecognized except for three works, the Mozartean #5, the passionate "Unfinished," and the sunny, expansive Ninth. Great conductors restricted themselves to thise three works, with the exception of Beecham, who championed Sym. #3, #4, and #6 with great effectiveness. Colin Davis is his successor in Britain as the acknowledged Grand Old Man of Music, but I'm not sure his Schubert is a real advance over the past.

    All these readings are well played and recorded, and there are flashes of spirited interpretation, such as the opening movement of Sym. #3, which is forceful but without the toughness and edge that Carlos Kleiber brought to it. In general the best word for Davis's approach is poised, and the worst is meek. This is the mellifluous Schubert of old, the simple schoolteacher who hapened to be a melodic genius. One misses the brave thrust of Harnoncourt's readings with the Concertgebouw (Teldec), which inject a good deal of Beethoven into the mix.

    If you are a traditionalist, Davis's cycle will be very satisfying--by comparison, Karajan's big-band approach with the Berlin Phil. (EMI) feels inflated and self-important. Too bad that Davis lets us down in the late masterpieces, the 'Unfinished' and the C major 'Great,' where his pleasant straightforwardness doesn't come close to doing justice to Schubert's genius. The rest of the symphonies come off sunny and bright without apology.
    15 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Scott G
    4.0 out of 5 stars Early Symphonies Shine in Davis Set
    Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    Sir Colin Davis is one of my favorite conductors, and has a very long list of wonderful recordings, including symphony sets of Haydn's London Symphonies and Sibelius (now, 2 complete sets). I don't know if this recent release of Schubert's symphonies will reach the classic status of these others, but they well might, as they are extremely well played, sound fantastic, and are all very enjoyable.

    I think Davis’ account of the first 4 symphonies are really fantastic. These are extremely well played, alert, and stylish. Most importantly, they don’t lose the youthful Schubert, trying to make him sound more than what he was at that moment. Tempi are brisk, as they generally are through out the set, and the strings have a resilient lightness that suites the music perfectly. These are stronger performances than Marriner’s, and have more personality, and aren’t as heavy (in the strings particularly) as Bohm’s. The best part about this Davis set is that I will be turning to the early Schubert more frequently now.

    Symphonies 5, 6, 8, and 9 are extremely well done, but here Davis enters into a more competitive field, and it takes more to impress. As I said at the beginning, all of these performances are really enjoyable, but Davis’ performances of the more popular Schubert symphonies really didn’t add any new insights for me. Who can forget Beecham’s recordings, or those of Sinopoli and Guilini. Bohm, too, led an outstanding version of the 8th and 9th with the Berlin Philharmonic. There are many great recordings of the “Great C major”, in fact, but this just isn’t one of them. The Furtwangler, Szell (first one), and Solti recordings are my favorites, but this one by Davis just doesn’t have the intensity or depth that some others do. I enjoy it when I listen to it, and I wouldn’t let this put you off purchasing the whole set, but I wouldn’t pick this 9th over some of the others I’ve listed.

    So, all in all, a very good, enjoyable cycle of Schubert, and at this very, very reasonable price, it’s an excellent bargin. If you’re looking for a complete set, you won’t be disappointed; in fact, you may even be delighted to discover how joyous and beautiful his early works really are.
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime
    Reviewed in France on May 12, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Autrement plus convaincant que Böhm
    Report
  • R. J. Knight
    5.0 out of 5 stars Schubert Sounding Superb
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Having heard bits and pieces of these symphonies on the radio for quite some time I took the plunge and bought this set largely on the basis of the other rather glowing reviews here. They were right and I wasn't disappointed. Sir Colin Davis and the Staatskapelle Dresden serve up a sumptuous sound for these vastly underrated symphonies...but then that was the fate of many who struggled to flourish in the shadow of the incomparable Beethoven. The sound of Schubert is probably best described as something like Mozart and Haydn filtered through Beethoven. There is the melodic fizz and sparkle of Mozart, the measured dexterity and playfulness of Haydn and the exuberance of Beethoven-and you sense all this in Schubert's first symphony that was, somewhat astonishingly considering the command he displays in it of symphonic composition, written at the age of sixteen. From that symphony on you find yourself being reminded, at various points, of the aformentioned three great composers until arriving at the ninth, or 'The Great', symphony where his own unique musical imagination comes to the fore.

    Unlike the 'Unfinished' symphony, that sounds exactly like that-a series of musical ideas that you sense he didn't really know what to do with-the ninth is a truly remarkable work and given an outstanding performance here by Sir Colin Davis and the Staatskapelle Dresden. At over an hour long it keeps hold of your attention for every second because, unlike some later turgid attempts at super-long symphonies, Schubert knew the value of a good tune, thematic development and a delight in the beautiful sounds a large orchestra can give voice to. There's no padding, empty flourishes and flimsy tunes dressed up with incomprehensible bombast here : just lots of memorable melodies that will lodge in your mind and provide a mental soundtrack to your life for years to come.
    Report
  • Amazon カスタマー
    5.0 out of 5 stars 高品質
    Reviewed in Japan on January 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    「非常に良い」とのラベルに違わず、たいへん良いコンディションの商品でした。ありがとうございました。
    Report
  • 札幌やまぴー
    4.0 out of 5 stars 堂々たる演奏
    Reviewed in Japan on December 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    デイヴィス／シュターツカペレドレスデンの相性は良く、モーツァルトでも名演を聴かせてくれた。
    シューベルトの交響曲全集も正面から取り組んだ堂々たる演奏で、特に中期の3-6番は青年期の青臭さを感じさせない出来栄え。
    オケの音が渋いせいか、最後のグレートのみ少し落ち着きすぎで老成した印象を受けた。
    それでも、全集全体の統一感もあり十分お勧めできる。
    Report