Franz Schmidt – The Symphonies

[Peter1953]

I like to discover and explore the symphonies of Franz Schmidt. I've listened to several audio excerpts (jpc.de), but cannot make up my mind which performances are the best. Which one do members recommend?

[Alan Howe]

Järvi on Chandos is generally quite brisk, but he has the benefit of superb orchestras and recordings; Sinaisky on Naxos chooses broader tempi, but perhaps loses out in excitement. Of the recordings of No.4, my favourite is still Mehta with the VPO, mainly because of its superb orchestral playing; perhaps the Viennese understand this music best of all...

[M. Henriksen]

Järvi is solid as ever in this repertoire. And as Alan says, the recordings are high-quality as so often from Chandos.
A wise investment at this price for all 4 symphonies:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Franz-Schmidt-1874-1939-Symphonie-Nr-4/hnum/7903511

Franz Welser-Möst made a recording of no. 4 with the London Philharmonic for EMI. I remember it was well received by the critics.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-No-4-Variations-Hussars-Song/dp/B000002RVP/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1335470792&sr=1-2


Morten

[mbhaub]

I've been a Schmidt fan for 30+ years and have collected every known recording of everything he wrote -- I love this music. Here's my take:

4th: Mehta is just superb - playing, conducting, recording. Some people claim it's too lush and romantic. While it is slower than Schmidt himself took it, Mehta allows the music to breathe. Top notch. For more modern sound, the Pentatone with Kreizberg is quite good. He made specialty of it. The new Naxos is very good and well worth the price. Jarvi is just too fast.

3rd: Sinaisky on Naxos is wonderful. Great playing, well thought out tempos. The Supraphon with Pesek is the next best thing, too bad the recorded sound isn't top notch. Jarvi just whizzes through the slow movement, completely ruining it.

2nd: Jarvi with Chicago on Chandos is utterly sensational. Stunning playing of an enormously difficult symphony. There was a chance to get another superb one with Sawallisch in Philadelphia. The live concert was thrilling. Too bad a recording wasn't made.

1st: Sinaisky on Naxos is my top choice currently. There are enough problems with the other recordings that this one takes the spot. Jarvi is pretty good.


So to sum it up: if you're new to Schmidt or want to try it out without breaking the bank, get the entire Naxos series. There's not a dud among them. Avoid completely the Rajter set on various labels - badly played, conducted, not worth it. The Luisi set has remarkably poor sound for being so recent, and despite the other virtues, you can do better. The old, early recordings (Moralt in 4, Mitropoulos and Leinsdorf in 2) are really not very good - incredibly bad playing.

Das Buch: hard to believe how many recordings of this there are, but I think it's essential listening. I suppose the Welser-Most on EMI is about as good as it gets. My own favorite is the 50+ year old recording with the Munich Philharmonic that was made in Graz. The release I have is on the Amadeo label. It has an authenticity and integrity that I love. Skip Jarvi the younger.

[Peter1953]

Thanks very much, Alan, Morten and Martin for your suggestions. Time to give it a try. I'll go for the Naxos series, but also try to find the Mehta (I've seen a Double Decca with Mahler 2).

[Alan Howe]

...and that Mahler 2 is one of the more unsung great performances of the work! Well worth getting!

[Jimfin]

This was useful for me too: I'm just starting to get into Schmidt. I can't stop listening to the 2nd in particular.