I'd be interested to know your recommendation for the above. I don't listen to that much Schubert but I like this work and wonder what your favourite recorded version is.
Thanks in advance as always. :)
Quote from: vandermolen on October 31, 2016, 03:20:07 AM
I'd be interested to know your recommendation for the above.
Toscanini/NBC - AT's way with Schubert is very muscular, powerful...plus he observes the Allegro moderato, not the so-often-heard,
"Andante con rubato schmalzando" that disfigures this music. Toscanini drives it forward, with powerful phrasing, and excellent long-line momentum.
Quote from: Heck148 on October 31, 2016, 05:11:18 AM
Toscanini/NBC - AT's way with Schubert is very muscular, powerful...plus he observes the Allegro moderato, not the so-often-heard, "Andante con rubato schmalzando" that disfigures this music. Toscanini drives it forward, with powerful phrasing, and excellent long-line momentum.
Very many thanks - will look out for that one.
Klemperer is "massive" and somewhat severe but also remarkably fleet in the first movement (and observes the repeat). C. Kleiber is on the fleet side as well.
In many readings the two movements seem in a rather similar tempo as the common tempo for the first movement is very broad and not all conserve the contrast by broadening the andante (which should be rather fluent as well and even has a few almost dance-like passages) to a standstill.
I think it is also worthwhile to hear a "completed" version (with completed scherzo and Rosamunde entr'acte, recorded by Mackerras and others although it is not completely convincing.
Lots of options, few of them bad, but not really many great ones either. I'd suggest Sinopoli or Wand/Berlin as a starting point. I believe Sinopoli takes the repeat (don't remember with Wand). Wand actually has several - I was thinking of the live version on RCA label.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on October 31, 2016, 06:17:05 AM
Lots of options, few of them bad, but not really many great ones either. I'd suggest Sinopoli or Wand/Berlin as a starting point. I believe Sinopoli takes the repeat (don't remember with Wand). Wand actually has several - I was thinking of the live version on RCA label.
For that matter Sinopoli has at least two (Philharmonia and Dresden).
It's hard not to keep returning to Carlos Kleiber. I have all the others mentioned here, but the very subtle rubato makes for such a natural flow, the whole thing just kind of creeps up on you and draws you in.
Quote from: vandermolen on October 31, 2016, 03:20:07 AM
I'd be interested to know your recommendation for the above. I don't listen to that much Schubert but I like this work and wonder what your favourite recorded version is.
Thanks in advance as always. :)
Bernstein's on Columbia (Sony) is my favorite even though it's almost on the verge of being Mahlerian, grotesque, and completely un-Schubertian. :) Love it anyway...warts and all. I haven't heard Bernstein's DG remake, so I may have to check that out at some point.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/816nV6tyotL._SL1500_.jpg)
Gosh, so many recommendations! Thank very much to you all. The Toscanini is very expensive so I'll be guided by budget as well as performances.
Thanks again. :)
Added later:
I ordered this due to the price and coupling, although I will look out for the others too.
[asin]B000001GNF[/asin]
Bernstein, Wand, Klemperer and Kleiber all sound worth investigating. All conductors I admire although I know less of Kleiber than the others.
If you are not totally averse to used copies, you can get the Toscanini used on the amazon marketplace from ca. 3 GBP as a single disc of the RCA AT edition or about 8 GBP in a newer twofer (with Mendelssohn). Note that these seem the same recordings of the Unfinished, but in different remasterings/issues. I do not know if the "Immortal" series is considered an improvement vs. the older issues. (My hunch is that the differences are marginal.)
[asin]B000026F6T[/asin][asin]B00000JPCF[/asin]
There are countless recordings; it must be one of the most frequently recorded classical pieces...
Quote from: Jo498 on October 31, 2016, 07:58:20 AM
If you are not totally averse to used copies, you can get the Toscanini used on the amazon marketplace from ca. 3 GBP as a single disc of the RCA AT edition or about 8 GBP in a newer twofer (with Mendelssohn).
[asin]B000026F6T[/asin][asin]B00000JPCF[/asin]
There are countless recordings; it must be one of the most frequently recorded classical pieces...
Oh gosh, I could only see it for about £300 :o
I may get this as well. Thank you.
Quote from: vandermolen on October 31, 2016, 07:49:57 AM
Gosh, so many recommendations! Thank very much to you all. The Toscanini is very expensive so I'll be guided by budget as well as performances.
Thanks again. :)
Added later:
I ordered this due to the price and coupling, although I will look out for the others too.
[asin]B000001GNF[/asin]
Bernstein, Wand, Klemperer and Kleiber all sound worth investigating. All conductors I admire although I know less of Kleiber than the others.
That's my very first owned-by-myself vinyl LP!
30 years ago or so....
:)
(http://116.imagebam.com/download/WKvdWnNjW1LT_DvoILNmTg/51260/512590734/MI0001086672.jpg)
I went home, listened to the 'Unvollendete' and was mesmerized.
Although, of this particular Sinopoli album, right now I might prefer his reading of Mendelssohn's 'Italienische'.
Quote from: Marc on October 31, 2016, 09:46:22 AM
That's my very first owned-by-myself vinyl LP!
30 years ago or so....
:)
(http://116.imagebam.com/download/WKvdWnNjW1LT_DvoILNmTg/51260/512590734/MI0001086672.jpg)
I went home, listened to the 'Unvollendete' and was mesmerized.
Although, of this particular Sinopoli album, right now I might prefer his reading of Mendelssohn's 'Italienische'.
How interesting! A good omen I think. :)
For some reason both of the Sinopoli covers feature the "Italian" landscape symphony in favor of the Schubert...
Quote from: vandermolen on October 31, 2016, 07:49:57 AM
Bernstein, Wand, Klemperer and Kleiber all sound worth investigating. All conductors I admire although I know less of Kleiber than the others.
You need to remedy that. Which isn't hard because once past his apprenticeship years, Carlos Kleiber had a tiny active repertoire, so his official recorded output is easily surveyed. But everything he touched was gold.
Quote from: vandermolen on October 31, 2016, 07:49:57 AM
Gosh, so many recommendations! Thank very much to you all. The Toscanini is very expensive so I'll be guided by budget as well as performances.
Thanks again. :)
Added later:
I ordered this due to the price and coupling, although I will look out for the others too.
[asin]B000001GNF[/asin]
Bernstein, Wand, Klemperer and Kleiber all sound worth investigating. All conductors I admire although I know less of Kleiber than the others.
That's the one I meant. I hope you like it....
Quote from: Jo498 on October 31, 2016, 07:58:20 AM
If you are not totally averse to used copies, you can get the Toscanini used on the amazon marketplace from ca. 3 GBP as a single disc of the RCA AT edition or about 8 GBP in a newer twofer (with Mendelssohn). Note that these seem the same recordings of the Unfinished, but in different remasterings/issues. I do not know if the "Immortal" series is considered an improvement vs. the older issues. (My hunch is that the differences are marginal.)
[asin]B000026F6T[/asin][asin]B00000JPCF[/asin]
There are countless recordings; it must be one of the most frequently recorded classical pieces...
If the LvB symphonies and the Verdi Requiem are anything to go by the Immortal series are a significant sonic improvement on the AT series. I have the LvB and my only regret is that they used the 1953 Eroica recording instead of his 1949 version which I consider to be superior.
Quote from: Holden on October 31, 2016, 05:21:11 PM
....my only regret is that they used the 1953 Eroica recording instead of his 1949 version which I consider to be superior.
Agreed - '53 is very good, but '49 is one of the greatest ever of this masterwork.
I really love this one:
[asin]B00000E8PI[/asin]
(not the same as the one in his later Schubert cycle.)
Then there's this, already mentioned
[asin]B000001GXE[/asin]
Finally there is this one
[asin]B000W99IK2[/asin]
This 1965 recording just blows my mind, in the way Karajan controls the orchestral timbre to create an otherworldly string sound in various crucial passages.
Quote from: Jo498 on October 31, 2016, 01:00:42 PM
For some reason both of the Sinopoli covers feature the "Italian" landscape symphony in favor of the Schubert...
Although isn't the painting of the one I bought of Goethe? It looks like he is in an Italian landscape too.
I can see that I'm going to have to build up a collection of different recordings of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony! Thanks for all the recommendations.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on October 31, 2016, 04:44:56 PM
That's the one I meant. I hope you like it....
Great - thank you. It was under £2.00 on Amazon UK. Sounds like a wonderful bargain.
I just bought the Kleiber too (£3.00 second hand). It will be interesting to compare them - both DGG recordings.
Yes it is Goethe in Italy (otherwise the picture would be complete nonsense because there is no Goethe connection to either symphony).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe_in_the_Roman_Campagna
I beg to differ wrt the earlier Harnoncourt/Wiener Symphoniker. This is one of the few recordings by that conductor I found extremely disappointing. It's sluggish and "grey in grey" with hardly any contrast between the two movements, a really leaden performance. I assume that this was done on purpose but it does not work for me. (It was reissued several times and can be found dirt cheap, so there is not much risk in trying for oneself, though.)
Quote from: Jo498 on October 31, 2016, 11:39:50 PM
Yes it is Goethe in Italy (otherwise the picture would be complete nonsense because there is no Goethe connection to either symphony).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe_in_the_Roman_Campagna
I beg to differ wrt the earlier Harnoncourt/Wiener Symphoniker. This is one of the few recordings by that conductor I found extremely disappointing. It's sluggish and "grey in grey" with hardly any contrast between the two movements, a really leaden performance. I assume that this was done on purpose but it does not work for me. (It was reissued several times and can be found dirt cheap, so there is not much risk in trying for oneself, though.)
Thanks - I just ordered the Kleiber version as well as the Sinopoli.
Quote from: Scarpia on October 31, 2016, 10:17:39 PM
I really love this one:
[asin]B00000E8PI[/asin]
(not the same as the one in his later Schubert cycle.)
This is my favorite, nice to see another likes it too. Aces!
Another vote for the Toscanini: it is too bad that stereo was not available to him, but we still have a great, great performance despite the monaural sound.
The same goes for his Beethoven, and not to be forgotten, a Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony that is also amazing!
What recordings do people own?
I have no favourite, but consider the Marriner set to be mainly for completists though:
- Mengelberg,CtGeb 1942 & 1939 (?)
- Abendroth,Leipzig (1950)
- Scherchen,Wiener StatsOper
- Szell,ClevelandSO
- Harnoncourt/CtGebouw
- Mravinsky,LeningradPO (1978)
- C.Kleiber,VPO (1979)
- Marriner,AcStM
Quote from: Turner on November 01, 2016, 05:00:59 AM
What recordings do people own?
I have no favourite, but consider the Marriner set to be mainly for completists though:
- Mengelberg,CtGeb 1942 & 1939 (?)
- Abendroth,Leipzig (1950)
- Scherchen,Wiener StatsOper
- Szell,ClevelandSO
- Harnoncourt/CtGebouw
- Mravinsky,LeningradPO (1978)
- C.Kleiber,VPO (1979)
- Marriner,AcStM
My personal favourite is Mackerras/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: fresh, dynamic and dramatic!
Van Immerseel's Schubert (the entire cycle) is very good, too.
Both on period instruments, btw.
Quote from: Marc on November 01, 2016, 09:05:21 PM
My personal favourite is Mackerras/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: fresh, dynamic and dramatic!
This is the "completed version" on Virgin, right?
Quote from: Marc on November 01, 2016, 09:05:21 PM
My personal favourite is Mackerras/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: fresh, dynamic and dramatic!
Van Immerseel's Schubert (the entire cycle) is very good, too.
Both on period instruments, btw.
+1 :)
Tanks very much for all the helpful responses (and they are all helpful). I didn't expect so many.
:)
I haven't done comparative listenings in a long time (and this is a work I think I've hardly ever encountered a truly awful rendition of); that said, some versions I keep returning to are:
VPO/Kleiber
SD/Sinopoli
Philharmonia/Sinopoli
Concertgebouw/Harnoncourt
Here's a list of what I have in my collection. Like I mentioned above, my favorite is Harnoncourt/Vienna Phil. 1984 (Teldec). What I listen for is how well I hear the trombones in the recording. I also enjoy the Brian Newbold completion immensely.
Abbado/Lucerne Festival Orch. 8.23.2013 (broadcast recording)
Abbado/Chamber Orch. of Europe (DG)
Asahina/Osaka Phil. Orch. (Kapelle)(with Scherzo fragment played)
Barenboim/Berlin Phil. (Sony label)
Bernstein/ New York Phil (Columbia)
Bohm/Berlin Phil. (DG)
Boult/Philharmonia Orch. 7.30.64 (BBC Legends)
Giulini/Berlin Phil. (DG label)
Goberman, Max/Vienna New Symphony (1962 Odyssey LP) (with Scherzo fragment played)
Harnoncourt/Royal Concertgebouw Orc. (Warner)
Harnoncourt/Vienna Phil. 1984 (Teldec)
Horenstein/BBC Symphony (BBC Legends)
Jochum/Boston Symphony Orch. 1973 (DG)
Karajan/Berlin Phil.(DG)
Kleiber/Vienna Phil. (DG)
Klemperer/Philharmonia Orch. (EMI)
Klemperer/Bavarian Symp. (live 1966) (EMI)
Klemperer/Vienna Phil. 6.16.1968 (Testament)
Knappertsbusch/Berlin Phil. 1.28.1950 (Audite)
Knappertsbusch/Berlin Phil. 1.30.1950 (Audite)
Mackerras/Orch. of Age of Enlightenment (Veritas) (Newbold completion)
Lehmann, Fritz/Berlin Phil. (Decca LP)
Marriner/Academy of St. Martin (Philips) (Newbold completion)
Mengelberg/Royal Concertgebouw Orch. (Pearl)
Munchinger/Vienna Phil. (Decca LP)
Nott/Bamburg Symp. Orch. (Tudor)
Felix Prohaska/Vienna State Opera Orch. (Bach Guild download)
Sanderling/BBC Northern Symp. Orch. (BBC Legends)
Sawallisch/Staatskapelle Dresden (Philips)
Sinopoli/Staatskapelle Dresden (DG)
Tennstedt/London Phil. 1984 (TDK)
van Immerseel/Anima Eterna Orch. (Zig Zag)
Wand/Kolner Rundfunk... (RCA)
Zinman/Tonhalle Orch. (RCA)
Quote from: Leo K. on November 02, 2016, 05:41:16 PM
What I listen for is how well I hear the trombones in the recording.
Then Toscanini/NBC is your ticket - AT really featured the trombones in his Schubert recordings - 8 and 9....really prominent.
Quote from: Jo498 on November 01, 2016, 11:42:16 PM
This is the "completed version" on Virgin, right?
Yep.
But it doesn't matter to me that Schubert didn't finish this one.
I love it already as a 2 movement piece.
Sinopoli/Philharmonia and
C.Kleiber/VPO are really solid first choice recommendations.
Other than those I like late Bohm/VPO, any of the Mravinsky recordings and Scherchen/VSOO.
Quote from: Turner on November 01, 2016, 05:00:59 AM
- Scherchen,Wiener StatsOper
In which form do you have it, LP? I'm not sure if it ever was released on CD. All I have is some not so great LP transfer, there's better sounding youtube clip.
Quote from: Draško on November 03, 2016, 04:24:34 AM
Sinopoli/Philharmonia and C.Kleiber/VPO are really solid first choice recommendations.
Other than those I like late Bohm/VPO, any of the Mravinsky recordings and Scherchen/VSOO.
In which form do you have it, LP? I'm not sure if it ever was released on CD. All I have is some not so great LP transfer, there's better sounding youtube clip.
It´s an old Supraphon mono LP, no. DV 5030, possibly from 1965, coupled with some Rosamunde excerpts conducted by Jean Meylan.
It´s quite rare, I think; youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9vKoBz9Os
His Schubert 5+6 aren´t that interesting, as far as I remember, but the 8th is better.
Quote from: Turner on November 01, 2016, 05:00:59 AM
What recordings do people own?
WAND/KÖLNER RSO
SOLTI/VIENNA PHIL
SINOPOLI/PHILHARMONIA
SINOPOLI/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
KLEMPERER/PHILHARMONIA
ABENDROTH/RSO LEIPZIG
KLEIBER/VIENNA PHIL
BERNSTEIN/CONCERTGEBOUW
SZELL/CLEVELAND
GIULINI/CHICAGO
GOODMAN/HANOVER BAND
HARNONCOURT/CONCERTGEBOUW
IMMERSEEL/ANIMA ETERNA
DAVIS/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
BLOMSTEDT/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
MAAZEL/SOBR
ABBADO/COE
Quote from: Turner on November 03, 2016, 04:32:29 AM
It´s an old Supraphon mono LP, no. DV 5030, possibly from 1965, coupled with some Rosamunde excerpts conducted by Jean Meylan.
It´s quite rare, I think; youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9vKoBz9Os
His Schubert 5+6 aren´t that interesting, as far as I remember, but the 8th is better.
Great, thanks for the info!
Supraphon LPs (even old ones) are quite numerous in used bins here where I live. I'll keep my eye out for it.
About 20, I could have overlooked one; it is an absurd number considering that I never really collected the piece on purpose...
E.Kleiber/Berlin
Furtwängler/Berlin (and another one from Vienna with an editing error missing part of the second movement)
Mengelberg
Abendroth/Leipzig
Schuricht/Vienna
Maazel/Berlin
Munch/Boston
Szell/Cleveland
Klemperer/Philharmonia
Fischer-Dieskau/Philharmonia
C. Kleiber/Vienna
Giulini/Chicago
Davis/Dresden
Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw
Keitel/Putbus
HIP:
Brüggen
Weil
Mackerras
Spering
I also had but got rid of: Harnoncourt/Wiener Symphoniker, Karajan/Berlin, Sawallisch/Concertgebouw
There's also a wonderful Schuricht/VPO stereo recording in the Decca Schuricht box.
And here's a video with Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNiy4WN31Js
Here's Solti with Chicago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-p58OSYhG0
Eschenbach with Frankfurt RSO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBPwpX3VDZE
Quote from: Jo498 on November 03, 2016, 05:03:58 AM
About 20, I could have overlooked one; it is an absurd number considering that I never really collected the piece on purpose...
As is common with warhorses, they find their way into box sets of all sorts and you just wind up with a boat load of them...
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on November 03, 2016, 07:01:16 AM
As is common with warhorses, they find their way into box sets of all sorts and you just wind up with a boat load of them...
Especially relatively short warhorses that can be used as filler material. ;)
About half of mine are in boxes, but two of them are boxes with Schubert symphonies only.
Quote from: Turner on November 01, 2016, 05:00:59 AM
What recordings do people own?
I have no favourite, but consider the Marriner set to be mainly for completists though:
- Mengelberg,CtGeb 1942 & 1939 (?)
- Abendroth,Leipzig (1950)
- Scherchen,Wiener StatsOper
- Szell,ClevelandSO
- Harnoncourt/CtGebouw
- Mravinsky,LeningradPO (1978)
- C.Kleiber,VPO (1979)
- Marriner,AcStM
I did get Philippe Jordan recording with the Wiener Symphoniker last year
[asin]B012BTVUFG[/asin]
motivated by the high resolution. The sound and the interpretation are excellent. However, I was hoping to get the three dimensional sound rendition of a concert Hall, and on that count, this fell a bit short. The other performance I have is C. Kleiber with the Vienna Philaharmonic, also musically excellent.
i am so jaded by this piece i cant tell if it is good performance or bad.
If you want something rather different, try Spering/op.111. It is by far the fastest recording I have heard and rather lean toned, so many will not find it dark or mysterious enough but it's consistent and achieves a dancing quality in the andante while keeping some tempo difference between the movements.
Whereas Brüggen (very slow in the first mvmt, not only compared to other HIPsters) takes both movements almost at the same tempo, only slightly slower in the andante.
Quote from: Spineur on November 03, 2016, 10:24:55 AM
I did get Philippe Jordan recording with the Wiener Symphoniker last year
[asin]B012BTVUFG[/asin]
motivated by the high resolution. The sound and the interpretation are excellent. However, I was hoping to get the three dimensional sound rendition of a concert Hall, and on that count, this fell a bit short. The other performance I have is C. Kleiber with the Vienna Philaharmonic, also musically excellent.
I HATE when they call the last 2 symphonies 7 and 8.
BTW why does the backcover say MUSIKVEREIN? Doesn't the Vienna Symphoniker play at the Konzert Haus?
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71GmQAUpcNL._SL1476_.jpg)
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on November 03, 2016, 11:13:48 AM
[...]
BTW why does the backcover say MUSIKVEREIN? Doesn't the Vienna Symphoniker play at the Konzert Haus?
[...]
Aufnahmeort: Musikverein Wien, 15. /16. November 2014 (,,Unfinished")
Musikverein Wien, 11./12. April 2015 (,,The Great")http://www.wienersymphoniker.at/Home/Service-Kontakt/Presse/Presseaussendungen/Franz-Schubert
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on November 03, 2016, 11:13:48 AM
BTW why does the backcover say MUSIKVEREIN? Doesn't the Vienna Symphoniker play at the Konzert Haus?
They regularly play there. When I visited Vienna I heard them in the Musikverein.
This one does it for me, Schubert being early romantic, there should be in the playing manner much of what we associate with 'classical' delivery -- no schmaltzing about, clarity, and this one has an unstoppable continuum of forward motion in the way of its rhythmic drive. Too, it is performed by an orchestra with about the number of players it would have had when 'new.'
There is such a wide variance in recordings and deliveries that it somewhat proves out my theory that much great music, suffering stylistic faux pax or entire misses, still comes through to the listener and is somewhat "indestructible."
Chamber orchestra of Europe, Maestro Abbado at the helm....
https://www.youtube.com/v/TSMsKW2gCHY
Enjoy.
Best regards
Well, my second-hand copies of the DGG Kleiber and Sinopoli versions arrived today and I have enjoyed both enormously. I marginally prefer the Sinopoli which is about five minutes longer than the Kleiber version and projects a rather 'darker' image, especially at the start. My favourite section, at the end of the first movement goes brilliantly in both versions and I'm delighted to have two rather different performances. Thanks again for all your suggestions.
:)
As each year rolls by, I've come to love Newbould's completion of the 8th - it sounds convincing to my ear.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The "completion" is also far less of a stretch than many others. The "finale" is a complete piece by Schubert and there is even a plausible hypothesis that the movement had been composed by Schubert as a finale to the b minor fragment and only later ended up in the incidental music. (Even if this hypothesis is wrong, the movement is nevertheless all original Schubert.)
The scherzo was sketched to a considerable extent to Newbould only had to complete and orchestrate the scherzo. As the scherzo usually is the simplest and most predictable movement not as daunting a task as e.g. completing the finale of the "Reliquie" D 840.
This is one of my favorite works, as I'm sure it is for many of y'all. What recordings do you like?
For me, I like Szell/Cleveland and Blomstedt/Dresden. Been listening to the Harnoncourt/RCO lately too, it's a bit longer (I think he takes all the repeats?)
There is only one repeat that makes a difference of ~3-4 min. in the first movement. (it's 110 bars, so at 110 beats/minute it would be exactly 3 min.) Tempi differ quite strongly among conductors, also in the second movement.
The piece works quite well both in more traditional "romantic" and in leaner or historically informed approaches. (One might consider that the piece was only premiered about 40 years after its composition, so there never was a performance in 1820s style...)
It's a piece I have known for so long and listened to so often that I rarely do so any more. I think it is hard to completely mess up the piece. The only recording I actively disliked was the old Harnoncourt/Vienna Symphony that was so leaden and grey that I could not stand it, it seems to have been on purpose, though, his Concertgebouw is much better (I have not heard the two live cycles (Berlin and CoEurope)).
The Carlos Kleiber recording is justly famous, although too fast and lean for many tastes. The fastest and leanest I know is Spering/op.111 (HIP). Brüggen made slow and brooding recording on historical instruments.
I usually enjoy the work regardless of who does it. Kleiber is fine, as is the old Hvk/Philharmonia.
Kleiber is good too, I forgot to mention it. It was one of the first classical CDs I bought actually.
My main complaint is when many conductors treat the piece as if it is two slow movements, making the first movement "profound" by playing it as an andante. Unfortunately, some of the HIP conductors who treat the first movement as a true allegro (like Dausgaard) also sacrifice all expressiveness and beauty. You don't have to choose one or the other!
To me the ideal performance would have a singing, lyrical string sonority and timings of around 12 minutes and 10 minutes for the two movements, including the exposition repeat. I don't know if this exists.
Not a frequent listening of mine. But there's a good deal of repetitiveness and overall structure in the work, that perhaps make differences in recordings less important for appreciating it - as long as the performance is just not too pedestrian and/or unengaged.
Quote from: Brian on February 08, 2022, 06:31:01 AM
My main complaint is when many conductors treat the piece as if it is two slow movements, making the first movement "profound" by playing it as an andante. Unfortunately, some of the HIP conductors who treat the first movement as a true allegro (like Dausgaard) also sacrifice all expressiveness and beauty. You don't have to choose one or the other!
To me the ideal performance would have a singing, lyrical string sonority and timings of around 12 minutes and 10 minutes for the two movements, including the exposition repeat. I don't know if this exists.
It's partly Schubert's fault. Both movements are in triple time and some main melodies (like the "motto" of the first movement) go in whole bars, suggesting a moderate tempo for whole bars or a very flowing tempo for quarter/8ths. So it easily happens that the movements are assimilated to each other in tempo.
(This might have been one reason for the abandonment, because the Scherzo would be yet another movement in triple time and whole bars, although of course faster)
Weil and Spering are at under 12 and under 9 mins. for the movements of the Unfinished. AFAIR I found Spering more convincing despite being even faster although there is no question that the character of the music changes. I have too many recordings and not enough patience for thorough comparison but I think one solution in the first (or both) movements might be a bit more (tempo) flexibility.
I like this recording:
(//)
Quote from: vers la flamme on February 07, 2022, 06:35:36 PM
This is one of my favorite works, as I'm sure it is for many of y'all. What recordings do you like?
For me, I like Szell/Cleveland and Blomstedt/Dresden. Been listening to the Harnoncourt/RCO lately too, it's a bit longer (I think he takes all the repeats?)
I like Harnoncourt/Wiener Sinfoniker! Another favorite is the Karajan/Berlin recording from the 1960's.
Walter NYP (Sony, very good stereo sound), Sinopoli Staatskapelle Dresden, Böhm WP, Giulini Chicago, Abbado COE, Karajan BP (all DGG) are all superb. I think the first 4 cannot be ignored. In the box sets, Suitner and Abbado are tops.
Quote from: Spotted Horses on February 08, 2022, 10:47:13 AM
I like Harnoncourt/Wiener Sinfoniker! Another favorite is the Karajan/Berlin recording from the 1960's.
The Harnoncourt/Wiener Sinfoniker is my top Schubert 8 since I first heard it in the late 80's. It has incredible power and great orchestral detail.
Quote from: Leo K. on February 15, 2022, 06:34:50 AM
The Harnoncourt/Wiener Sinfoniker is my top Schubert 8 since I first heard it in the late 80's. It has incredible power and great orchestral detail.
I am flabbergasted by this description.
Unfortunately, I got rid of it years ago. I remember it as one of the most disappointing, even irritating recordings I encountered, and I am usually a fan of Harnoncourt's, even in his odd or mannered mode. It's all dreary shades of grey and little contrast between the movements, partly because the first ist too slow. As it seems to be a favorite of several others, I am almost tempted to revisit it somehow.
Have you heard the Concertgebouw recording from the early 1990s? I must have found this so clearly superior that I gave the older one away but I don't remember the Concertgebouw as a fav either.
As much as I absolutely adore the Kertesz Vienna Philharmonic complete Schubert symphony cycle (marvelous if you like the brisker tempos in general), the recording of the Unfinished is a bit of a letdown.
However, I don't know if the letdown is more due to the recording dynamics/sound engineers or from Kertesz and the musicians?
The opening is WAY too pianissimo. Too quiet, you can barely hear the basses unless you crank it up at full volume.