WALTER CONDUCTS SCHUBERT

WS 121.164 (2 CDs)

SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 5 – – Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished” – Symphony No. 9 “The Great”

– Incidental Music to Rosamunde

Columbia Symphony Orchestra – New York Symphony Orchestra, 1954 – 1960

BRUNO WALTER

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Among the classics of twentieth-century recording, Bruno Walter's recordings of Schubert's symphonic repertoire certainly hold a prominent place. Along with Mozart, Brahms, and Mahler, this repertoire has always been central to the artistic and human evolution of the great Berlin conductor; indeed, it can be said that the Mozart-Schubert duo dominated his programs for over sixty years of his international career, significantly influencing his discography and the tastes of audiences worldwide. In these two CDs, we have included all of Walter's Schubert recordings: the three major symphonies and the Stage Music for Rosamunda . As with Mozart, Bruno Walter also delves deeply into the score with Schubert, avoiding dramatic gestures and demonstrative sonorities, but highlighting to the fullest the lyrical, melancholic, and profoundly human side of Schubert's compositions. This is not the only possible approach to these masterpieces, but it certainly remains the most fascinating of those attempted by interpreters of the last century. In addition to Schubert's works, those pieces that are not easily found have been included: the late version of the Siegfried Idyll with the NY Philharmonic and the rare recording of the Leonore III by Beethoven, in the 1954 mono version.