"The Franz Schmidt Project" by Jonathan Berman & BBC National Orchestra of Wales

[eschiss1]

True. Though a half-complete recording under different conductors (symphonies 2 & 3) was released in 1977 by Classical Excellence, I believe?? (I don't know if symphony no.1 was recorded before Etti/Tonkünstler Orchestra on ÖRF in 1984... symphony no.4 first in 1955, yes.)

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Adriano, for that personal memoir of Rajter and his pioneering work on behalf of Franz Schmidt. We must always be grateful to those musicians who brought great music to a wider public. We are indeed fortunate to live in times when so much unsung repertoire can now be heard and appreciated.

[Rainolf]

If you want to know more about Jonathan Berman's views on Franz Schmidt, his music and his times, here is an interview I did with him:

http://www.the-new-listener.de/index.php/2024/11/17/franz-schmidt-and-his-symphonies-an-interview-with-jonathan-berman/

"There's some very good music that you spend six months learning, and then a week with an orchestra, and then you're happy to leave it for a few years. I always want to go back to Schmidt's music. After a performance the first thing I do is: I open the score and want to explore more..." (Jonathan Berman)

[Pyramus]

Jonathan Berman's mention of Dohnanyi is interesting as I had wondered if he and Schmidt knew each other. I have the piano part of Dohnanyi's Sextet in C major at the moment and one passage in particular reminds me of Schmidt. Good to see another set of the Schmidt symphonies. I have the Sinaisky/Malmö Symphony Orchestra set but my first encounter was over 50 years ago with the Mehta recording of the fourth.

[Alan Howe]

but my first encounter was over 50 years ago with the Mehta recording of the fourth.

...which is still by far the best recording of Schmidt's greatest symphony. He gets the slow movement better than anyone else and so doesn't hurry what is supposed to be a proper late-romantic Adagio.

[Ilja]

I agree with that, but I also prefer Paavo Järvi in the other movements, not least because the percussion in the Mehta sounds rather too clickety-clackety for my liking and is too much recessed.

[Alan Howe]

Well, the Mehta is now over fifty years old - and I'm probably very biased! Imagine a time when the other symphonies were all but unknown and there was just that one precious Decca LP of the 4th. I have a vague memory of travelling back from London on the train having bought myself a copy. I was probably about 18! Happy days...

[eschiss1]

Horvat's recordings of the whole cycle were released only 5 years later (1977), though their availability may not have been universally wide