Schubert: Symphony No. 9

Album review

Here is an example of the sort of thing that used to drive the classical market in the past century, but in the current one is becoming an endangered species -- a standard, done by a major orchestra, with a famous conductor for a major label. In this case, it is Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9 "The Great," as recorded by the Berlin Philharmonic, under the direction of Simon Rattle. One can be thankful that EMI, with its daunting overhead and uneasy partnership with Time Warner, is still interested in making these kinds of recordings, as other "majors" have long ago given up the chase, relying on back catalog for "new" orchestral issues. Indeed, it is against back catalog that Rattle is mostly competing here; although recorded monaurally more than 50 years ago, the Schubert Ninth led by Arturo Toscanini remains an excellent option for the symphony, as do versions by Günter Wand, Sir Charles Mackerras, Bruno Weil, Eugen Jochum, Karl Böhm, and Claudio Abbado. Wand, in particular, made a specialty of "The Great."
So how does this Rattle effort compare to the parade of conductors who have done it in the past? It is lightweight, and Rattle takes seriously the idea that "The Great" is "the last great classical symphony" as expressed in the liner note by Richard Osborne. Textures are feathery, and in this respect Rattle is closest to Weil in his interpretation, except that his tempi are not as brisk as Weil's and reflect standard choices. Through utilizing a smaller group drawn from the Berlin Philharmonic rather than the whole band, Rattle has produced a recording that is a little skimpy on the low end -- timpani rolls purr rather than rumble, and the low brass seems a little sour from time to time. While it is not a bad Schubert Ninth, consumers might have a similar experience in purchasing a budget version of the same; it is not a very emotionally moving performance. The very argument that "The Great" is "the last great classical symphony" is restrictive; stylistically this symphony could go either way, but tends to favor a more Romantic interpretation and at least a little more weight than here. That's one of the reasons that the weightiness of Toscanini's recording is still viable; when the kettledrums enter against the string tremolandi and trombones in the first movement, the effect is electrifying, and nothing on this polite and careful Rattle recording comes anywhere near to delivering that kind of excitement.

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