Customer Reviews

Schubert: Symphonies Nos 8 & 9

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I urge any lovers of Schubert to get this great set of the last 2 Symphonies. Wand and the BPO are beautiful through out. His feeling for phrasing and detail and the BPO peerless ability to respond to a conductor's wishes are put on display. All of this serves Schubert and the music.

As an example listen to the openining of the 9th Symphony. Another example is the 3rd movement of the 9th symphony. The orchestra play the music so naturally. I'm not sure if I have heard the trio better played even by this very orchestra.

Please if your in the market for a Schubert 8/9 Symphonies consider this disc.

I followed the reviewer's advice below. I have no regrets whatsoever. This is definitely among the best 8th & 9th I've ever heard. The 9th is up there with Abbado, Solti with the advantage that the Berlin strings are sooooo wondrously and beautifully sonorous!! The Berliners really play their hearts out for Wand - who is conducting the BPO the first time in 46 years!!! It's a very special occasion. The 8th is gripping from start to finish - Wand is a true servant of the composer.

Very very highly recommended.

These two performances are truly a testament not only to Schubert's genius, but also to Gunter Wand's genius as a conductor. Never before have I heard such a well groomed, polished, balanced, and rehearsed performance, even more shocking considering these are live performances. At the same time, these performances sound spontaneous, alive, and vibrant. There are perfect interpretations. Its honestly hard to write a review for this CD because there is so little to say; Wand and the BPO say everything already. This is the definitive Schubert Unfinished and Ninth.

Gunter Wand ended his years as an acclaimed conducotr, largely thanks to English critics who kept pushing his recordings, and RCA booked the Berlin Phil. for him several times. Wand worked for decades as a provincial conductor, but he was a perfectionist nonetheless, and it was expensive to give him all the rehearsal time he demanded. As the rave reviews below point out, the orchestra plays gorgeously, and the sonics are clear and natural.

Let me call a spade a spade, however. The Berliners can play the Schubert "Unfinished" and Ninth Sym. in their sleep, and I don't hear anything that speaks of deep, prolonged rehearsal- indeed, the first movement of the Ninth is all but asleep in its feet, a routine run-through bar by bar without a flicker of an idea from the podium. If you're serious about calling a performance great, doesn't there have to be an interpretation somewhere? Wand provides us with updated Ormandy--gorgeous sounds in the service of innocuous musicianship. Tempos are moderate throughout, accents aren't touched very hard, the line flows smoothly. If that's all you demand from a masterpiece, have at it.

Far superior pairings of these two symphonies can be had from Sinopoli from Dresden, Klemperer from London, and Bernstein from NY on Sony, just to name three that come instantly to mind.

I decided to buy this CD after reading the reviews and doing some research on Gunter Wand. While not musically trained, I was familiar with Schubert's #8 from childhood, and #9 from early adulthood. Sometimes when you hear a different version of a piece you are familiar with, you feel there is something lacking. These performances Do Not Disappoint!!! They are eminently satisfying -- as a matter of fact, each time we hear them my daughter and I feel like applauding. BRAVO Gunter Wand!!