Thread: Recommended Recordings: Schumann Symphony #1

The April issue of BBC Music Magazine gave the following recommendations for recordings of the "Spring" Symphony:

CHOICE - Gardiner/ORR (DG Archiv)

GREAT - Dausgaard/Swedish Chamber Orchestra (BIS)
. Kubelik/BPO (DG Originals)
. Kertesz/LSO (BBC Legends)

AVOID - Norrington
. Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic

The only one of these I've heard is the Kubelik. Though I love his versions of #2 & #4, I find his "Spring" to be a bit too relaxed in the finale, and he slows down the second trio of the minuet a bit too much for my taste.

I've heard Bernstein's NYPO recording, and he does get a bit too flexible with the tempi, I think (also slowing down that second trio way, way too much).

I cut my Schumann teeth on Charles Munch's BSO recording from the early 1960s. Although it was really the Manfred Overture that fascinated me the most on that recording, I did like his version of the "Spring", and I think his tempi and dynamics have always remained the ideal for me.

Any thoughts?

What about the recommended recordings, particularly the Gardiner?

When I saw that article I was really miffed. The Bernstein recording is my absolute favorite version of Schumann's 1st. I've played that symphony many times as an orchestral hornist and in my humble opinion Bernstein is a marvelous interpreter of Schumann. To each his own I guess but for the writer to dismiss the recording with a throwaway line like "Bernstein thinks he's conducting Mahler in the 2nd movement" is a bit cliche' and shows a lack of effort on the part of the writer to embrace the interpretation.

Just my opinion.

Don´t agree with the views either. Am satisfied with the classsic Sawallisch, whereas the Gardiner and Dausgaard I heard (not the 1st) were disappointing, especially Dausgaard. Don´t have Paray yet. Bernstein on DG has many very knowledgeable admirers.

The reviewer clearly places himself in the HIP / "Histroically Informed Performance" camp, and I assume both Gardiner and Dausgaard seem typical for that - a mostly light-footed approach and even the occasional playing down of climaxes / breadth.

Well, I finally heard the Gardiner version of the 1st. It's definitely not a warm or genial approach. However, it is probably the "cleanest" sounding "Spring" I've ever heard. I actually kind of like it.

Munch is still my favorite, though. His version is fast, but not hurried, and it has a lot of warmth.

I don't mind Bernstein until the second trio of the scherzo. That super-slowed down reading just doesn't sound right to me. It sounds like he's just trying to put his own stamp on the work and it doesn't convince.

Currently I like Gardiner/ORR best of all among the set that I have, the others being: Dausgard/Swedish CO, Goodman/Hanover Band, Harnoncourt/COE, Sawallisch/Dresden SK, Szell/Cleveland, Zinman/Tonhalle. But I tend to rotate them as they're all good.

So, after all that, I ordered the Zinman set. What could I do? It was so amazingly inexpensive and had a lot of good reviews.