Opening Doors: Schumann Symphony No. 1, Ouvertures
Information:
Pris:
Verk
Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38
Overture to Schiller's "Braut von Messina", Op. 100
Overture to the opera "Genoveva", Op. 81
"Zwickau Symphony" in G minor
Overture, Scherzo and Finale
Artister
Svenska Kammarorkestern
Recensioner
Can so small an ensemble really do Schumann justice? I was skeptical, but the group won me over. The seemingly motile tempos, transparent textures and lithe phrasing of the “Spring" symphony are no surprise. The revelation comes in seeing how, in this context, crisp accents provide thrust without impeding a sense of airborne, buoyant line. The unfolding of the first movement sounds unusually joyous and appropriately springlike ... As all this might suggest, Thomas Dausgaard´s leadership is stylish and astute ...
The rest of this generous program is served equally well. Two overtures—Genoveva and The Bride of Messina—and the one-movement “Zwickau" symphonic torso are taut, cohesively shaped and unfailingly beautiful in tone. And Dausgaard finds sweetness and infectious charm as well as drama in that almost-symphony, the Overture, Scherzo and Finale. Throughout, the sound is clean, ungimmicked and breathtakingly clear.
Thomas Dausgaard presents a characteristically transparent account of the Spring Symphony. He finds exactly the right tempo for its finale - an elusive Allegro animato e grazioso that can easily lack charm if taken too fast as does Gardiner, or can miss out on symphonic tension if it's too gracefully balletic, as in Kubelíck's otherwise admirable performance with the Bavarian SO (Sony).
Dausgaard's tautly-sprung rhythms also pay dividends in the opening movement, but his scherzo is rather sedate. Gardiner's recording, more ideally paced in the inner movements remains my benchmark. However, Dausgaard offers plenty of additional enticements. The attractive Overture, Scherzo and Finale, written shortly after the Spring Symphony, would have formed a cyclic symphony itself if Schumann had provided it with a slow movement. A still rarer item is the opening movement of a G minor Symphony written nearly a decade earlier - an apprentice-piece, rather awkwardly scored but full of striking ideas. The overture to Schumann's opera, Genoveva, turns up occasionally on concert programmes, but the other overture here, to Schiller's Die Braut von Messsina, is unjustly neglected - a dark and brooding piece that shows the composer's late style as its most profound.
Schumann with a 'Spring' in his step from the energetic Swedish band
To call a perfomance "well made" might seem like a half-hearted compliment but in the case of Thomas Dausgaard's account of the Spring Symphony it's only part of the story, albeit a very important part. Clarity is a given with this particular band (their coupling of Symphonies Nos 2 and 4 has already proved that) and here the same impressions of transparency, watertight ensemble, dovetailed phrasing and buoyant rhythms pertain. The first movement is kept on its toes and "in tempo", and likewise the Scherzo where the Trios are skilfully integrated into the rest of the movement, the first of them opening, unusually, to a gently brushed legato. The Larghetto is streamlined without sounding cold, the important horn and pizzicato string parts always crystal-clear, whereas the finale's prime virtue is its judicious pacing, especially the idyllic horn passage just after the halfway point, and the symphony's closing pages, which are thrillingly played.
Dausgaard's understanding of tempo relations is even better demonstrated in the "Zwickau" movement of an early G minor symphony. I'm reminded of early Schubert and Bruckner in that rays of light are crossed with moments of darkness, for example the unresolved bassoon motif that closes the exposition, very imaginative (and unsettling), and so is the return of the stern introduction towards the end of the movement.
The Mendelssohnian Overture, Schertzo and Finale is again beautifully shaped, the introduction unusually pensive, the ensuing Allegro full of life (and I love the antiphonal switching between violin desks at 3 '05"), the Scherzo crisp but unhurried. The two relatively late overtures again benefit from smaller-than-usual orchestral forces and perceptive direction, Dausgaard generating bags of energy while allowing textures to breathe. So all we need now is an equally compelling Rhenish Symphony to round off the cycle. The recorded sound is superb..
Entusiastisk. Nok en melankoliker: Robert Schumann. Men her er han i sin første, vårlige symfoni livsbejaende og mottagende for alt som måtte komme av natur- og livsopplevelse. Det er en frisk symfoni, som av og til lider av å bli spilt for tungt her spilles den skjørt, ja riktig ungdommelig av Det svenske kammerorkester.
Dette er så renvasket og entusiastisk spilt at jeg vil gå på rødt for å høre den én gang til. Nydelig klang, skarpe, klare kanter, kanskje litt manert enkelte steder, men det ligger én klar tanke bak, enn si et temmet vell av følelser.
Romantikk kan bli formløs. Ikke minst innen musikken. Her står symfonien som en torso, avkledd alle ytre atributter. Ganske forfriskende på en varm vårdag. Dette med det manerte vel, det kommer an på hvem som hører. Det er kanskje bare uvant at klangen, rytmene, melodiføringen er så til de grader gjennomført.
Dausgaard returns these works to their rightful context, with a small modern instrument orchestra whose strings play with sparing vibrato, natural trumpets and hard sticks for the timpani. This is not a new idea, of course; several chamber orchestra versions have been recorded, as well as symphony cycles from period instrument groups. However, this is the first time such an approach has appeared on SACD, and the high-definition sound is certainly revelatory.
Personally, I have never found the Early Romantic Schumann symphonies convincing when garbed in the fineries and slower tempi of the Late Romantic, particularly in slow movements. Dausgaard's disc of Symphonies 2 and 4, however, did open the door for me, and I enjoyed the performances greatly. His direct, vigorous approach opens up the sometimes clogged textures which latterly earned Schumann a reputation as a poor orchestrator ...
The vivid playing on this disc is matched by its engineering. Although I felt that the ambience of the Õrebro Concert Hall was rather dry, the sound is akin to a fine etching, full of detail and stark relief. The lower strings are particularly impressive in this hall. The clarity of sound somehow adds to the impression of an early Romantic orchestra and also emphasises the associations with Beethoven in the music itself.
For lovers of the Schumann symphonies, I would suggest they try this disc; I think they will find it does indeed 'Open Doors'.