Track Listing

1. Symphony No. 3: Part I - Passacaglia And Fugue
2. Symphony No. 3: Part II - Chorale And Toccata
3. Symphony For Strings In 3 Movements: I. Molto agitato ed energico
4. Symphony For Strings In 3 Movements: II. Larghissimo
5. Symphony For Strings In 3 Movements: III. Presto
6. Symphony No. 8: I. Lento sostenuto
7. Symphony No. 8: II. Largo
8. Symphony No. 8: III. Presto

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125370 in Music
• Released on: 1997-10-28
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Schuman's music belongs to the era that spawned Roy Harris (his teacher), Howard Hanson, and Aaron Copland. Schuman's Symphony No. 3 is a clear homage to Harris, broken rhythms and all. The Symphony for Strings (1943) comes at a time when Schuman's voice is finally his own. What could come off as exceedingly dry is here given a performance of great depth by Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. Schuman's Symphony No. 8 (1962) is truly modern, making extensive use of atonality and creating a series of stormy images--something that never appears in the music of Hanson, Copland, or Harris. A major re-release by Sony. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews

Evidence why Schuman never became more well known
I guess I'm in the minority on this CD. I owned it once and didn't particularly care for it. After finding Schuman's wonderful violin concerto by Paul Zukofsky, I returned to this CD to see if I was missing something, insofar as so many people bought this and wrote rhapsodic reviews of it.

I have to admit, my return -- unlike Beethoven's return at the end of his Piano Sonata No. 26 -- was not wonderful. I found this CD to be the same as the first time I tested it. The Schuman Third Sympohny is very substantial and shares much in common with his Violin Concerto, which this recording confirms is his best composition.

As in his Violin Concerto -- which is available today in a tepid but reliable performance on the Naxos label -- the Third Symphony is written in two well-developed movements in classic sonata form. The development section of each movement is highly articulate and all the dramatic flair from the violin concerto is rekindled in the Symphony No. 3.

The other two symphonies, however, are forgettable. Neither has a single memorable theme nor are either exquisitely composed. I turned to David Ewen's guide for music published in 1954 -- when this composer was in his heyday. Ewen listed only the Third Symphony among Schuman's masterpieces.

I don't quibble with others that say Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic wrung every ounce of emotion and interest out of these three works. I would only say that, for me, two-thirds of this CD is not worth owning. The Third Symphony is on a par with Creston's Second Symphony but the others are for academics interested in Bernstein or this composer.

The ultimate Schuman performance
Though Bernstein's DG recording of Schuman's Third Symphony is good, it does not show nearly the enthusiam for the music that is present in this recording. It still sounds pretty good, despite its age. The recordings of the 5th and 8th symphonies are also good, though neither of these is quite as compelling as the 3rd. Fans should know that a new recording is now available of the Schuman 6th Symphony on the Koch label. Now when will BMG ever re-release Ormandy's recording of the Schuman 9th?

They heard America singing
The Schuman third came from an era in American music when it was still possible to write works that caught the American spirit in all its brooding, magnificence. This is a work that sings in heroic terms. Bernstein gave a glowing, but steely performance that is not likely to bettered. Not music for light listening, this. But enriching in a way that is so profound and moving. To love this symphony is to expand one's musical horizons in the most satisying way. No praise could be too high for music making of this calibre. We were most fortunate to have had Leonard Bernstein as long as we did. This disc will help you understand why.