With the third volume in their survey of
Schubert
's Symphonies,
Edward Gardner
and the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
present the composer's
First
and
Fourth
symphonies, with the Overture to his final complete opera,
Fierrabras, D. 796
, rounding out the program. While the
Symphony No. 1 in D major, D. 82
, and
Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D. 417 ("Tragic")
, aren't heard as often or as popular as his
"Great"
"Unfinished"
symphonies, there are plenty of recording options available for these works, and listener opinions are sure to vary as to
Gardner
's approach and the full complement of the
City of Birmingham Symphony
. The overall performance of the
Symphony No. 1
is a little heavy, skewing to the more robust Romantic-era orchestral sound, though there are wonderful performances contained within. While the
looks back to the writings of
Mozart
Haydn
, similar to early
Beethoven
, the
Symphony No. 4
(from a whole three years later!) finds a much more welcoming soundscape from
and the orchestra. These forces align well for the
Fierrabras
Overture, and its inclusion offers a glimpse at this remarkable composer's growth over a ten-year span.
suffered another disappointment with
, and like much of his oeuvre, it has seen periods of neglect. However, one hopes this recording puts the Overture on the radar of those looking to offer something a little different in a program of Romantic orchestral works. ~ Keith Finke