Customer Reviews

Schumann: The Symphonies

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I live in a part of America where the PBS classical programming director loves the Schumann symphonies and schedules a different recording 2-3 days a week while I listen via Internet stream. They are so ridiculously overscheduled a coworker and I send e-mails to each other announcing the obligatory "Schumann hour" has commenced for the day, in case one of us should miss it. Ergo, I have heard most of the famous and infamous versions of the Schumann symphonies, including a couple of Lenny's New York recordings. I don't think Schumann was a great symphonist (he certainly was not a great orchestrator) and I don't believe, all things considered, that his four symphonies stand up to the quad of Brahms, the Mendelssohn five, Tchaikovsky's half-dozen, the nine of Beethoven, Mahler and Bruckner, the 15 of Shostakovich, or even the 3 from Rachmaninoff. Well, maybe they're better than Rachmaninoff. But you'd never know there were any limitations by listening to these glorious CDs from Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic, whose concertmaster said the 1984-85 collaboration resulted in some of the most memorable recording sessions of his lifetime (all "live" by the way...meaning not dead?) It is easy to hear that enthusiasm on these CDs. Bernstein, who could be too loud, too fast, too indulgent and just about too everything except timid, seems to me more perfectly mated to Schumann's manic-depression than just about any conductor in history. For once, Lenny's overindulgence seems perfectly at home...when it comes in the beginning of the "Rhenish"...or in the return of the first movement's big subject in "Spring"...or the drama of the Fourth Symphony's concluding Lebhaft. I thought Lenny got everything just right in these recordings. He played up the schmaltz each time it was nearby and it always sounds wonderful, evocative and appropriate. That's something I could almost never say in his other Vienna recordings, which have been reissued by DG. His Beethoven symphonies, in particular, were in my view regularly marred by exaggeration, ill tempo or inappropriate tenuto. But those gooey effects seem to enhance the drama and schizophrenia of the Schumann symphonies. I don't know another conductor who could do such a sympathetic job with the symphonies of Robert Schumann.

I have grown up with Maestro Bernstein. When I was young there was fire in all of the performances that I owned. Bernstein and Ormandy were at the top of the list when it came to fiery and great orchestral performances. I had his Beethoven cycle, several of the Mahler symphonies both with Mestroes Bernstein and Ormandy.

When I lost my first collection,to a fire,I did not buy recordings for some time. But, when I did, I went back to my old Ormandy favorites and started purchasing Muti PHO recordings and started to learn to listen to the more expres-sive and refined recordings. They were as maginificently played, as before, but I had grown and my listening powers had grown to appreciate phrasing and nuance and deeper emotional conducting. I had learned to tell the difference between the 'warhorse' style and the 'expressive' style.

I must say that this is the most beautiful, introspective conducting I might have ever heard. I say buy this set for the adagio of the 2nd symphony alone. Tears were streaming down my face at the end of it. The soaring of the strings in the final moments, I was sobbing! I don't know how the Maestro was able to conduct the finale, it was a live performance after all, although the time between movements was not on the recording itself. Musicians and conductor had to take a really deep breath after that because it was absolutely breathtaking! Then the finale was so positive so enlightening. I must say I have never heard a finer performance.

I used to have the old recordings of the first and fourth by the Maestro and also the Szell recordings, which were considered the standard, especially the second. These were not the deeply expressive performances we have here. I will say greatly performed, but 'warhorse'type performances.

Again, the instrospection and how Maestro Bernstein brings the virtuosity of the orchestra and the refinement of the strings. Yes there is fire when it is needed, but the refinement, the change of tempo, the nuance of every phase. Did Ricardo Muti study with him?

I don't know about you, but the audience noise does not bother me because recorded perfomances are usually much more intense and incredibly better in front of an audience. Isn't that what a performer dreams of doing anyway? Isn't that the life of a performer to give his/her all infront of a live audience?

Well, there is no disappointment here because the guts of every performer, including the Maestro, are laid out on the stage for all to feel and hear.

My highest recommendation!

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) made a terrific recording of the 4 Schumann Symphonies in the early 1960s with the New York Philharmonic for Columbia records, re-released by Sony Classical in the Royal Edition series of Bernstein recordings in 1993. The Sony Schumanns are now harder to find, but DG has reissued Bernstein's 1984-85 Vienna Philharmonic Schumann Symphonies in this budget 2-fer, which is quite good.

In Vienna, Bernstein conducts with his usual fire and flair, and is much better in these Schumanns than in his cycle of the Brahms Symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic (DG, 1983). Symphony 1 is youthful and fiery, and Symphony 2 quite fine in I and II, but III is too intense, with a really SLOW ending filled with mannerisms, IV quite good until the closing pages, which are slowed down too much for dramatic emphasis. (Perhaps this was more effective in a live concert than on a recording, but I find the ending just too slow for what the music can take.) Symphony 3 is as good as Bernstein's New York recording, which is considered excellent by many critics. Symphony 3 has a noble I, and a really sparking V which moves and verges on going out of control in the closing pages, but doesn't, for a really EXCITING ending. Symphony 4 is better than in New York, and in some ways resembles Furtwangler's classic Berlin Philharmonic recording (DG Originals) but has the repeat in I. Bernstein's Vienna Symphony 4 is intense and dramatic, and well worth hearing.

Other options? If you can find them, Bernstein's earlier Sony "Royal edition" release of Symphonies 1,2; and 3 (coupled with 4 which isn't as good); Szell/Cleveland (Sony); Giulini/Los Angeles for Symphony 3 (DG); and Karl Bohm/Vienna for Symphony 4 (Orfeo, with Beethoven Symphony 4). In spite of a less than great Symphony 2, I recommend this.

I'm kind of annoyed by the Hurwitz-ism at the top of this review section. Professional music-writers (or popularizers--whatever he is) really should rise above the hyperbolic--let's leave that to us bone-headed amateurs. The Mighty Hurwitzer propounds that these symphonies have (I'm paraphrasing) never been better played or recorded or something--the implication being that this is the best you can get. Hm.

If you love these symphonies you really should be exploring a variety of interpretations, and if you do you'll note that a goodly clump of them are particularly good (and the specific contents of that clump will vary from enthusiast to enthusiast). That's just the way this works. I like Gardiner's period instrument set, the Paray on Mercury Living Presence, the recent set done up by Christopher Eschenbach, the forgotten Vonk on EMI and a few others, including the earlier Bernstein set. Eschenbach is new and beautifully recorded; it lacks the--uh--indulgent touches that Bernstein brought to many of his recordings, including this one.

... and it's those indulgences that prevent me from giving this a five star rating or the kind of singular accolade Hurwitz is able to bestow. Any Schumann fan should own these--they really are remarkable and often very exciting--but be prepared for oddities, lingerings, sudden speed ups (the skyrocket ending of #4 is particularly annoying) and--well--the Bernstein usual. I've always felt that these symphonies have a kind of built-in natural momentum that a good conductor has to sense and follow--you tag after Schumann, he doesn't tag after you. Lenny brings a lot to any interpretation but there's always the sense that the composer is being squeezed between the "Bern" and the "Stein." This particular show could be renamed "Lenny Bernstein's The Schumann Symphonies."

One other thing is lost: these are hellraiser performances at the expense of good old Schumann/German Gemütlichkeit. "Lenny" has every excitable emotion down pat but the schmoozy warmth is missing which, sadly for me, is 50% of my Schumann. He tapped into that much better in his earlier set.

Not a bad review, just an alert. I think Hurwitz is why I prefer the more level-headed (grown up?) comments one finds in the Penguin Guide or coming from British reviewers generally.

I am a big Bernstein fan but just occasionally the accusations regarding his "indulgence" and lack of momentum are true. In the case of these recordings he falls into the worst of some bad habits which vitiated some of his later recordings. Just as his Mozart symphonies are interesting and affectionate, but not necessarily the ones you would want to live with, especially when compared with less intrusive interpreters such as Maag and Mackerras, these interpretations of Schumann's great works evince some appealing features but are not really definitive (if you ever can get a definitive performance of any great work).

A previous reviewer has characterised these versions as "gloopy" and he has a point. The sound is tubby, the homogeneity of the Viennese strings works against the requisite bite and attack, and Bernstein seems almost lacklustre at times - an incredible observation, I know, for so energised a conductor. To me, the essential problem is that Bernstein seems to be playing Schumann as a fully-paid-up high Romantic, when in fact he belongs much more to the sound world of Mendelssohn rather than Brahms. This approach actually seems to validate the erroneous accusation that Schumann's orchestration skills were deficient; played this way, the textures are indeed too thick and ploggy.

My acid test for these symphonies is the opening of the Rhenish. It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing, and Bernstein totally drains the syncopations of life; for the right mood I returned to my early 90's bargain discs with Janowski and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Unlikely competition, I know, but they are superior; so much more spring and life in their phrasing and articulation. (Listen to their recent Rachmaninov recordings with Petrenko to see how they have become really world class - see my review of "The Isle of the Dead" and "Symphonic Dances", or the Piano Concertos).

So as much as I am a Lenny devotee, I am sad to say that this is not one of his successes. "A special affinity for (sic) Schumman (sic bis)" is just what he lacks here. Strange how he could have had such an affinity with Haydn (see my review of the 12 disc bargain box set from Sony) yet not with Schumann's idiom.

I own the Szell recordings which finally convinced me that Schumann's symphonies were worth getting to know (Kubelik's readings on Sony just didn't do a thing for me), but listening to Bernstein's Schumann was like hearing an entirely different composer. I agree with another reviewer who wrote about his response to the Adagio in Symphony #2. Although I didn't have tears rolling down my face, it certainly grabbed me and wouldn't let go (Szell clocks-in at a little over 11 minutes; Bernstein over 13 - but its not overt indulgence like his Tchaikovsky 6th). It was like listening to Lenny's Concertgebouw Mahler 9th. It is wrenching. I wouldn't ever let go of Szell or Bernstein - both have much to say about this often maligned composer of symhonies.

It's relatively easy to acquire either of Bernstein's Schumann symphony cycles--from Nyew York (1960) and Vienna (1984)--at mid-price, and real devotees may want both, since they ae considerably different. If I had to select the best single performances, I would choose Syms. 3 and 4 from the first cycle and Syms. 1 and 2 from the second. This, despite the delirious Scherzo from the NY Phil. in Sym. #2, one of the most exciting things from the younger Bernstein.

In general, here are the key differences between the two sets as I hear them:

Sound: There is a major difference here. The NY cycle was recorded in Manhattan Center, the venue of choice for the New York Phil. before Avery Fisher Hall was inaugurated. As usual, the orchestra sounds larger than life, with wide-ranging stereo separation, deep, prominent bass, and a combination of forward placement and lots of reverberation. As a result, Schumann's orchestral writing sounds heroic, on the same scale as Bernstein's famous 1964 Eroica, recorded under similar conditions.
In Vienna 24 years later, sonices aren't better, only more modest. The cycle was ecorded live, and the orchestra is further away--the listener is sitting in the middle of the ahll. There is less inner detail as a result, and the sonics overall are much less splashy. This drier, smaller, more blended sound has less impact than the NY recordings, but the music is caught in correct proportion rather than being inflated.

Interpretation: Bernstein in 1984 was more seasoned and some would say more somber than his younger self. He still conducts these symphonies with fervor and exuberance, but in NY he produced readings that were radiant and joyous. These are subjective terms, of course, and by any measue Bernstein was always involved with this music. The NY performances in general are a touch faster, but not enough to make a big difference.

The big difference is an impalpable quality. How can ou measure joy? But one only has to listen to the first movement of the Rhenish Sym. (#3), which explodes from the speakers with exhiliration in the NY reading, to instantly recognize what is missing from the very fine Vienna one. For that reason, and since I am hooked on that huge NY sound, I rate the earlier cycle that much better than the Vienna one.

Out of the roughly 500 classical recordings that I own this ranks in my top 5. Probably Number 1 mainly because not only in sound quality but also in terms of sheer revelation. I mean, I've heard Schumann symphonies before but I really never "heard" them until I heard this. Lenny outdid himself this time. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that most conductors simply have no idea how to perform Schumann's extremely idiosyncratic orchestration. Over a century of so-called "experts" that always said Schumann was a bad orchestrator simply didn't understand that one needs to really take liberties and FEEL the music instead of just playing it like it is on paper. This is true of any work but for Schumann's orchestral works it is crucial. Bernstein totally delved into this score and deciphered every nuance of expression. Every instrument came alive. He knew just what instrument to soften at the right time and which one to augment resulting in the usual grey sound that most all conductors get out of these symphonies being transformed into a kaleidoscope of colors. Bernstein creates very vivid and transparent Berliozian/Mahlerian textures in the woodwinds, horns and brass. The score shines and resonates like never before and the end result is quite revelatory. There are beautiful rubatos throughout. Unexpected swells and exclamations are poignantly placed in all the right places. The Adagio from Symphony 2 (some of he most tragic music ever written) is simply overwhelming in Lenny's hand. The strings have the usual gritty sound that Bernstein deploys and they fit these works perfectly adding to the rustic, world-weary character of these scores.

The Vienna Philharmonic is my favorite orchestra in the whole world and the virtuosi don't disappoint as they dart flawlessly though the rapid passages and express the quiet parts with sheer delicacy. The sound is perfect. Each orchestral section is perfectly leveled and placed along the sound stage. For a live performance there is nary an audible cough. As with most of Bernstein's final live recordings on DG the sound is as perfect as studio quality as any studio can get. So what more can I say... this is just a very great and special recording in every imaginable way. I only wish Bernstein had a chance to record the rest of Schumann's orchestral works. One could only fathom at the revelations that could have been found there in.

Excellent, usual superb conducting by Leonard Bernstein. Some passages are "muddied" - like analog recording. Overall - very nice listening.

from this era, my favorite is tchaickovsky, others i consider them secondiers, i have also his serenades & hungarian dances, so i can't tell that i don't like him, but it doesn't lift my back hairs when i listen to him or hum it as i do with any piece by tchaickovsky. even so it deserves 5 stars as a rate because they are masterworks.