Title : Schubert: Symphonies No.8 "Unfinished" & No.9 "The Great"
Author : Schubert, Franz
Release Date : 19921117
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $7.98
Amazon.com Price : $6.79
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Editorial Reviews : Schubert's two greatest orchestral works on one CD at budget price--if the performances were indifferent this would be no bargain at all, but they are superb. In fact, these versions may have been equaled, but they have never been surpassed. George Szell understood intuitively how to balance Romantic passion with intellectual discipline. In difficult pieces like the Schubert Ninth, he rose to the challenge like an Olympic athlete after a new world record. The recordings he made in his prime with his own Cleveland Orchestra comprise one of the most satisfying legacies in the history of classical music on disc. Within even this impressive legacy, these performances stand high. --David Hurwitz
Buyer Reviews : Schubert's more intimately structured works(songs, chamber music, piano sonatas) are so amazing that his orchestral music is often given the cold shoulder, and not rightly so. Schubert was truly the first romantic and in these two greatest of his symphonies it really shows. Even the often cold George Szell warms up to the emotion that Schubert poured into these orchestral masterworks. The unfinished symphony, I must say, is the highlight. It's truly sad that it never was finished, because if the first two movements are any indication, the listener would be emotionally drained by the piece's end. The ninth is also spectacular. No...Szell doesn't wring every last ounce of emotion from this work, but he does definitely do a good job of eliciting a great deal of emotion all the while playing in a very intelligent and technically sound manner. These aren't definitive performances, but they're up there with the best orchestral Schubert that I've heard.
