Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 "Unfinished"

Album review

Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado and the Freiburger Barockorchester have established a mutually beneficial relationship, mounting a number of successful tours and a growing catalog of quality recordings. Here, Heras-Casado and the Freiburger group offer readings of two Schubert symphonies seeking to accentuate the stylistic difference between the Haydnesque Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485, and the forward-looking Symphony No. 7, D. 759 ("Unfinished"). There is no shortage of recordings of these symphonies, but there are good reasons to give this one a listen. The Freiburger Barockorchester excels with the Symphony No. 5, and this reading of the "Unfinished" will find many welcoming ears. Listener mileage will vary, naturally, depending on individual attitudes regarding the interpretation of these symphonies, but they are both played well and worth hearing. The Freiburger group has a considerable audience already, and these familiar works may be a good entry point to those less familiar with the group or who have any level of interest in the sound of a period-instrument ensemble performing this music. Heras-Casado keeps a brisk pace throughout, and the orchestra deftly follows. Another attraction here is the sound from the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, which is ideally captured by Harmonia Mundi's engineers, especially for those who have an affinity for a strong cello-and-double-bass-ensemble sound.
© Keith Finke /TiVo