Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Rosamunde Overture
2. 1. Allegro
3. 2. Andante con moto
4. 3. Menuetto e Trio: Allegro molto
5. 4. Allegro vivace
6. 1. Adagio - Allegretto
7. 2. Andante
8. 3. Scherzo: Presto - Trio: Più lento
9. 4. Allegro moderato

Disc 2:

1. 1. Allegro moderato
2. 2. Andante con moto
3. 1. Andante - Allegro ma non troppo
4. 2. Andante con moto
5. 3. Scherzo e Trio: Allegro vivace
6. 4. Finale: Allegro vivace

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51134 in Music
• Released on: 2005-02-15
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

Sterling 9th
You know, maybe there is just something to a composers Symphony No. 9. Beethoven, Bruckner and Schubert all had amazing 9th Symphonies, but I digress. This CD is worth the money (which isn't very much) just to hear "The Great" C Major Symphony. I haven't found a better recording of it anywhere. Once again, Karajan turns out a gem.

Karajan's Schubert Cycle Reissued for Cheap!
EMI's new "Gemini" series is a breath of fresh air amidst all the smoke being put forth recently by the major classical labels. While Sony is deleting most of their classical budget discs, BMG is raising theirs to mid-price and UNI is convinced that 3CDs are always better than one, EMI decides to start a two-fer line that sells for significantly less than the competition, not to mention their own "Double Forte" series. It might not be as cheap as the old "Seraphim" series, but they could certainly be charging more for quality recordings such as these.

Herbert von Karajan's Schubert Symphony Cycle, made between 1975-78 for EMI with the Berlin Philharmonic, has been available previously on CD in the "Karajan Edition." However, those discs, released as four single titles with two Symphonies each, were twice the price of these new reissues. These performances of Symphonies 5, 6, 8 & 9 plus the Rosamunde Overture are certainly solid, but Karajan was never celebrated as a conductor of Schubert. One wonders if that is why DG had a young Lorin Maazel record the Schubert Symphonies with the Berliners instead of Herbie at the dawn of the stereo age, and that ultimately EMI had him record this Cycle because it was something he hadn't yet done for DG. In any event, I would certainly recommend the Bohm boxed set on DG or the Kertesz on London/Decca (see my review of the latter) ahead of these performances. But considering how cheap these two double discs are, maybe picking up an extra Schubert Cycle is worth it after all.

Wagnerian Schubert.
(Note: I purchased both sets of the Karajan/BPO Schubert symphonies and am posting the same review to both here at Amazon. The review pretty much applies to both recordings.)

I love Karajan. Who could doubt his importance, if not his musical stature? I love rich orchestral sounds and a somewhat hefty approach to late Classical Period orchestral music (including the late Haydn symphonies) because I honestly would prefer a historically uninformed but powerful performance of great music rather than anthropology disguised as art.

However, Karajan is of a generation of virtuoso conductors whose personalities and personal tastes dictated orchestral style for a great many years of the 20th Century and here we have a recording that seems to wallow in the kind of bloated sound that while often energetic, ignores some of this music's essential charm. Overall, the early symphonies suffer from being 'overproduced' and I keep missing my favorite inner passages. However, there are exceptions: The Andante from the 4th is just about perfect here and overall, the 5th is very good. The BPO can play this music beautifully, but whenever the score is marked 'forte' and/or there are drums/trumpets/trombones playing, stand back!

Only the 8th ("Unfinished") and 9th ("Great") symphonies are in good balance here and I will say this for Karajan: His interpretation of the 8th's first movement is the best I've heard in many years. The development section where Schubert seems to describe a horrifying vision and then a fevered panic is absolutely breathtaking.

The price is certainly good, although shop around -- I bought both sets (symphonies 1-4 and symphonies 5-9) for less than advertised here.