Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" & No. 9 "The Great"

Franz Schubert (Composer), George Szell (Conductor), Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra
• Conductor: George Szell
• Composer: Franz Schubert
• Audio CD (November 17, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Classical
• ASIN: B0000027XR
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,010 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Either Symphony...Look NO Further, January 15, 2000

By 

"kek5" (Westerville, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" & No. 9 "The Great" (Audio CD)

I guess I'll have to disagree with everyone on one point or another. I simply love Szell's versions of both symphonies and despite owning other efforts, this is the disc I always come back to. Szell's 4th movement of the 9th is just beyond belief. If you aren't up dancing in less than a minute check your pulse...chances are you're dead and just don't know it. And quite frankly, as much as I enjoy Furtwangler's work in Beethoven, I do NOT recommend his version of the 9th...more emphasis on length than heaven, and it does not make me dance. At less than a ten-spot, this Szell disc cannot be beat.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Great C Major" rates an A ; "Unfinished", a B ., January 31, 2003

By 

Jeffrey Lee (Asheville area, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" & No. 9 "The Great" (Audio CD)

Though there are a number of very fine recorded performances of the Schubert Ninth, it's this one by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra I return to most frequently. I gather that others either love or hate Szell in this, his first stereo version, originally recorded for Columbia on the Epic label. Many also feel the 1952 DGG Furtwangler is the greatest "C Major" ever put on disc. I do not. Despite the reverence many have for Furtwangler I do not particularly care for what I hear as a tendency at times to draw out slower passages. By comparison, I prefer Szell's relative tautness of line and somewhat more mobile pace during slower segments. I also find his choices of inflections and his manner of displaying radiance and grandeur more appealing in contrast to Furtwangler's approach. After listening frequently to Szell's interpretation for many years, I have come full circle, from fondness to disfavor to admiration. In sum, I am able to "smell the flowers", enjoy the driving energy, as well as revel in the superb articulation of the Cleveland Orchestra all at once. One of Szell's finest accounts ever and surely one of the greatest "Greats". For somewhat of a different though very satisfying interpretation, try the Bernstein/New York Philharmonic reading. Different in yet another way is the powerful, richly textured version with Hermann Abendroth and the Leipzig Radio Orchestra in monophonic sound only.

As for the "Unfinished", it is a fine performance on technical grounds. Emotionally, I perceive it as just a bit unyielding. More importantly, it just doesn't move me. There's one version of this symphony that has long stood as my absolute favorite---Bruno Walter's with the New York Philharmonic. It's literally poetry in motion, and it's very special. Though not the equal of Walter, Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic provide an extremely well characterized alternative.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely the best, October 1, 2005

By 

Ryan Richards "reb77" (Midland, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" & No. 9 "The Great" (Audio CD)

There's not much I can say that other reviewers haven't covered in spades, but I do want to call attention to David Hurwitz's line about balancing passion with discipline. This is particularly true in the "Unfinished" symphony, which always runs the risk of being bogged down with sap by well-meaning but overly Romantic conductors. Szell's "Unfinished" is appropriately spooky and atmospheric, tender and lyrical, and furious by turns, but its hallmark is that it keeps moving, never allowing the momentum to flag. It's similar to Carlos Kleiber's famous recording, but I think Szell's is even better: Kleiber brings an intensity that almost overwhelms the work's atmosphere, whereas Szell balances his momentum with a keen ear for the mood of each movement, resulting in a performance that perfectly captures the completely unique sound of this symphony. The same is true in the "Great" symphony, wherein Szell and the Clevelanders somehow combine incisive rhythmic attacks and metronome-perfect precision with the singing quality unique to Schubert's music. Listen in particular to the sharply accented opening of the Scherzo (with the strings digging away at their instruments!), and then contrast it with the lilting, bucolic Trio, in which Szell calls attention to the beautiful scenery without bogging down the whole works in Romantic admiration. A truly thoughtful, well-considered performance that isn't afraid to be intellectual *or* powerful, and does indeed miraculously combine the two. A seemingly impossible feat? Yes, but this is Szell and Cleveland - impossible was the order of the day. The hell-for-leather last few measures of the "Great", with that last note that blasts out of the speakers, cement the greatness of the rest of this disc. This disc would be a bargain at ten times the price, but for the price it's offered at, you should feel no hesitation at clicking that "Buy" button right now. As far as I know, this CD's out of print, so don't wait until it's gone.