Customer Reviews

Schumann: Symphonies No. 2 & No. 3

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

 

 

American conductor David Zinman has often been underrated, despite having made many exceptional recordings with various recording labels, of which his most noteworthy ones include his recent Tonhalle Orchester Zurich recordings, especially of the Beethoven symphonies using the Barenreiter Edition scores. He's also a fine orchestra builder, having raised the musical excellence of both the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Of these two fine orchestras, his more noteworthy achievement was with Baltimore, since he transformed it from a decent regional American orchestra into a first-rate ensemble worthy of ample international attention. Much of that attention is due to the superb recordings he made for Telarc, of which his two CD recordings of the four Schumann symphonies were among the reasons why fans and critics began noticing the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Zinman offers swift accounts of the 2nd and 3rd symphonies, replete with ample precise intonation from the Baltimore Symphony, especially from its winds and strings. He follows period instrument performance by emphasizing not only brisk tempi, but also lighter orchestral textures, and uses these to admirable effect, demonstrating that Schumann was a very good composer of orchestral scores. I am especially in awe of his superb interpretation of the 3rd "Rhenish" Symphony, which I regard almost as highly as Carlo Maria Giulini's great Deutsche Grammophon recording with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, though for entirely different reasons (Giulini's bold interpretation emphasizes a lush, warm, almost Central European sound, while Zinman has focused on the rich sonic architecture of the score, playing a strong emphasis on lighter orchestral textures.). Indeed, I find Zinman's account far more interesting than Nikolaus Harnoncourt's with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, which was recorded almost at the same time for Teldec (Warner Classics). I have yet to hear Zinman's celebrated new cycle with the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, but judging from the elegant, refined playing from the Baltimore Symphony on Zinman's early 1990s cycle, I have no doubt that his earlier cycle still deserves ample recognition as one of the best Schumann symphony cycles available currently.

Don't get me wrong; I don't think this CD is bad at all. I just don't think it's especially good. Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony play these symphonies with skill and precision, and their interpretations are definitely solid. However, their playing style is a bit lackluster for my taste; they just don't seem to have a solid grasp of the heroic/romantic nature of these two works. This is particularly evident in the Second symphony, which the orchestra plays in a nice, polished fashion: there's nothing wrong with playing like that (indeed, many orchestras strive to achieve that playing style), but when playing a work that's supposed to musically symbolize Schumann's personal "triumph over darkness," "polish" just isn't quite enough. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you're buying this CD solely based on its own merits, since there is a lot to like here; as aforementioned, the playing is extremely solid. When I compare this CD to the more inspired, powerful interpretations of Levine, Dohnanyi or Von Karajan, however, I'm left with the impression that things could be better than this.

If you are a Beethoven fanatic, Schumann's symphonies will not disappoint. He has wonderful technical precision backed by a Germanic gift for sounding particularly pastoral in the best sense of the word. The sparkling Finale to the Symphony No. 2 will surely capture your attention. The highlight of the disc, however is the Rhenish Symphony. Shumann dispatches with the usual 1-2 minute prelude and launches you immediately into an afternoon adventure theme. The Scherzo's rocking melody distincly captures the feel of a boat ride down the Rhine. Schumann's much maligned orchestration also sounds slightly more polished in the Rhenish. He obviosly enjoyed himself while he was writing this symphony and it shows.

This CD fulfilled my needs. I needed recordings of these two symphonies, and the interpretations suited my needs.

I heard the 2nd Symphony on Sirius Radio and was amazed to hear some parts of the orchestration, especially in the 2nd and 4th movements, that I had never heard. Very exciting performances.