Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard, conductor
January 2014
BIS
Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 3, 4 & 5
The SCO’s accounts of the ‘Unfinished’ and ‘Great C major’ Symphonies made critics sit up and take notice: ‘a consistently refreshing view of both masterpieces’ was the verdict of Gramophone, with the Daily Telegraph comparing the result to ‘having a layer of varnish removed from a much-loved painting’.
These three Symphonies were all composed before Schubert was twenty and were probably intended for small student or private orchestras. This makes them ideal candidates for the small but deft treatment of the SCO along with the intricate and stylish details brought out by Dausgaard.
Tracklisting
Symphony No. 3 in D Major, D. 200
1. I. Adagio maestoso – Allegro con brio 8:366
2. II. Allegretto 4:11
3. III. Neuetto, Vivace 3:49
4. IV. Presto vivace 6:38
Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D. 417 “Tragic”
5. I. Adagio molto – Allegro vivace 8:50
6. II. Andante 7:31
7. III. Menuetto. Allegro vivace 2:51
8. IV. Allegro 10:26
Symphony No. 5 in B flat Major, D. 485
9. I. Allegro 6:27
10. II. Andante con moto 8:54
11. III. Menuetto. Allegro molto 4:28
12. IV. Allegro vivace 8:11
Reviews
“Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra are the latest team to make them sound like grown-up scores, worthwhile in their own right. Dausgaard’s orchestra is small – 38 players – buit it punches above its weight, bringing muscle to Schubert’s early, Classical-style writing…Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra are never less than invigorating.” – BBC Music Magazine ****
“Images of urbane Schubert disappear at the opening fortissimo chord of No. 3…Expect this standard of musicianship in the other movements too…there is no subduing the force of Dausgaard’s interpretation.” – Gramophone Magazine
“Even if not in his mature style, and showing the influence of Rossini, as well as of Haydn and Mozart, they are pure Schubert, not least in harmony and scoring, and they stand up well to the high-powered approach of Dausgaard and the splendid Swedish Chamber Orchestra.” – The Sunday Times (London)