Marin Alsop, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra - Schumann: Symphonies No. 3 and No. 4 (arr. Mahler) - Import CD

Credits:

Marin Alsop, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra

Description:

The second installment of the Mahler version of Schumann: The Complete Symphonies, performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, has attracted much attention for its innovative sound. When played by modern orchestras, they often sound muddy or unbalanced, and have been said to be conductor's pet peeves. Mahler, who was a composer and one of the most famous conductors of his time, boldly answered this difficult question. He made numerous changes and cuts to the scores of the four symphonies to make them sound better with the orchestras of his time. Many of these changes were made to reinforce motifs that Mahler considered important by increasing or decreasing percussion and brass, and to suppress those he considered unimportant, but are now often avoided on the grounds that they were not written as Schumann himself wrote them. Orsop has recorded all four pieces with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in order to re-evaluate Mahler's orchestration. This is the second volume, which includes Symphony No. 3 "Rhine" and No. 4. Symphony No. 3 "Rhein" was composed in 1850 and premiered by Schumann himself in 1851. The title "Rhein" is not Schumann's own name, but it is a magnificent work that evokes the majestic flow of a river. Mahler's arrangement is characterized especially by the reduction of wind instruments, and there are many memorable parts, such as the modification of the horn part and the beginning of the 5th movement.The Fourth Symphony was conceived soon after the completion of the First Symphony, and when completed in 1841, it was given to his wife Clara as a birthday present. Originally written in a single movement, it was not well received at its premiere, and Schumann made significant revisions to the work over the next decade. The version known today is this one, and Mahler also made some alterations to this revised version, but his revisions in this piece are not so prominent. Overall, Orsop keeps the tempo fast, giving the entire piece a clean, uncluttered impression. Naxos Japan