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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The Schumann symphonies are such wonderful pieces of music, that there seem to be very few weak sets of them out there. Sawallisch has a special feeling for this music, and these performances are fresh, lively and happy! The recordings are excellent as well, so if you want these works, then look no further...
...that said, there are some interesting alternatives that should not be dismissed. Schumann has been criticised in the past for his "weak" orchestration, many would say unfairly. Mahler did some re-touching of the symphonies for his own performances - a labour of love, rather than a basic attempt to improve Schumann, and these versions can be heard on excellent recordings under Riccardo Chailly on Decca. Even better is the set under John Eliot Gardiner, where Schumann is performed on original instruments on DGG, and these are quite an eye opener! However, as a central recommendation, the Sawallisch set are superb.
...that said, there are some interesting alternatives that should not be dismissed. Schumann has been criticised in the past for his "weak" orchestration, many would say unfairly. Mahler did some re-touching of the symphonies for his own performances - a labour of love, rather than a basic attempt to improve Schumann, and these versions can be heard on excellent recordings under Riccardo Chailly on Decca. Even better is the set under John Eliot Gardiner, where Schumann is performed on original instruments on DGG, and these are quite an eye opener! However, as a central recommendation, the Sawallisch set are superb.
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's good that these classic performances by Sawallisch and the Staatskapelle Dresden have always held a place in EMI's catalogue in some form or other. They are now re-issued in EMI's `Great Recordings of the Century' collection and, as one reviewer has already pointed out, deservedly so as they really are great performances by any standard.
Sawallisch really does give the lie to the lazy cliché that Schumann's scoring in these works is too heavy and he proves that there is no need to retouch (a la Mahler) the instrumentation or thin it out at all. All it takes is a conductor attuned to Schumann's language and Sawallisch definitely proves himself that here.
I can't think of a single weak movement in this entire set, but the highlights are many. Tempi are well judged: in the first movement of the Rhenish the musical lines and the listener are carried along on a surge of irresistible momentum; there is a similar forward drive in all these works, but always at the service of the musical argument and nothing feels rushed. Where the music calls for it, Sawallisch has the requisite sensitivity of phrasing too - the `larghetto' of the first symphony, for example, is exquisitely done, and Sawallisch really brings out the quiet (but no less deep for that) passion implied in Schumann's frequently used direction, "mit innigkeit".
The recording still sounds good, even though it is nearly 40 years old now. It is warm but there is no lack of detail: even the timpani - so important in the first and fourth symphonies and played here on soft-headed sticks - come through with remarkable clarity and presence. The recapitulation in the Rhenish, where the horns ring out, is a thrilling moment sonically and musically; and the forebodingly tragic passage that links the scherzo and finale of the fourth symphony is as awe-inspiring here as in any performance I have heard, on modern or period instruments.
I could spend all day listing the virtues of this Schumann cycle, which I have lived with for many years and which is the one I listen to most often. Suffice it to say, for me it is the first choice without any doubt and no lover of Schumann's music should be without it.
Sawallisch really does give the lie to the lazy cliché that Schumann's scoring in these works is too heavy and he proves that there is no need to retouch (a la Mahler) the instrumentation or thin it out at all. All it takes is a conductor attuned to Schumann's language and Sawallisch definitely proves himself that here.
I can't think of a single weak movement in this entire set, but the highlights are many. Tempi are well judged: in the first movement of the Rhenish the musical lines and the listener are carried along on a surge of irresistible momentum; there is a similar forward drive in all these works, but always at the service of the musical argument and nothing feels rushed. Where the music calls for it, Sawallisch has the requisite sensitivity of phrasing too - the `larghetto' of the first symphony, for example, is exquisitely done, and Sawallisch really brings out the quiet (but no less deep for that) passion implied in Schumann's frequently used direction, "mit innigkeit".
The recording still sounds good, even though it is nearly 40 years old now. It is warm but there is no lack of detail: even the timpani - so important in the first and fourth symphonies and played here on soft-headed sticks - come through with remarkable clarity and presence. The recapitulation in the Rhenish, where the horns ring out, is a thrilling moment sonically and musically; and the forebodingly tragic passage that links the scherzo and finale of the fourth symphony is as awe-inspiring here as in any performance I have heard, on modern or period instruments.
I could spend all day listing the virtues of this Schumann cycle, which I have lived with for many years and which is the one I listen to most often. Suffice it to say, for me it is the first choice without any doubt and no lover of Schumann's music should be without it.
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The celebrated 1972 recordings of Schumann's four symphonies and the Overture, scherzo and finale by the Staatskapelle Dresden under Sawallisch have now been reissued in EMI's "Great recordings of the century" series. This is no exaggeration, for these are indeed great recordings. Sawallisch brought a clarity to these works which in other hands can sound ponderous, and the latest Abbey Road digital remastering makes them sound better than ever.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Literal but powerful
There's something truly catchy about these readings. The very opening of Schumann's 1st Symphony, catches us off guard with its power and dignity. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Andrew R. Barnard
Schumann: Symphonies, 1-4
I have been aware for some time that this was the version of the Schumann symphonies to own. With them now in this 2 CD set at Amazon's bargain price I jumped at the chance to have... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Kenneth Steven
Schumann - Complete Symphonies by Sawallisch
I bought the original LPs in the seventies and was bowled over then by both the playing and interpretation of these evergreen symphonies by Schumann. Read more
Published 3 months ago by ASJ
Fine recording
I just love the Schumann symphonies especially the second. I will no doubt soon wear this CD out and have to replace it!
Published 6 months ago by Ian
Outstanding.........
I've had several different recordings of Schumann's Symphonies over the years including the same recording of the Sawallisch on an L.P. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Blue and white
Wow!
This is one of the best classical recordings I have ever heard. I bought the LP:s when they were published and immediately loved what I heard. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dag Kyndel
Excellent Schumann at amazing price!
I've long loved the Schumann symphonies and had aged LPs by various performers, though not the Sawallisch recordings. Read more
Published 13 months ago by MR P S AUSTEN
Sawallisch legacy
I love Schumann symphonies.
I own Bernstein, Haitink and Masur editions, but this set is by far the best.
Sawallisch and Staatskapelle sound at their best.
I own Bernstein, Haitink and Masur editions, but this set is by far the best.
Sawallisch and Staatskapelle sound at their best.
Published 23 months ago by Fabrizio Comandini
wonderful, wonderful, wonderful
These are great accounts of these marvellous symphonies. They are classics that have stood the test of time ... Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by enthusiast
Perfect Performances
These are by far the best performances on CD of Schumann's symphonies, and were the best on LP. The qualities of every movement are brought out in a perfection that I have not... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2002
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