Monday 31 December 2012

Schubert - Symphony 9 'The Great' [Marriner-The Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields] 

An old chestnut as it were, i can't exactly remember the first time i listened to this work, but it was Karl Bohm on a DG cassette, and it wasn't long before i loved this work, the version that i've listened to the most is Abbado on DG, Marriner is actually a very recent acquisition, this is the first time i've played it, and he certainly sounds different, i think i'm overexposed to the Abbado version, as i judge everything else by it, and i'm thankful for listening to this work 'through different ears'.

Neville Marriner is English, he's now 88, and it seems that he's been around forever, and he recorded this work in 1984, the front cover is a painting by Ruisdael entitled 'View Of The Woods', usually i don'tlike artwork, but this is a very nice painting, and the colours are great, plus a nice sharp reproduction of it, plus the lettering is perfect, notice the light pink colour which breaks things up nicely.

It was the last movement which was so tremendous, actually the Symphony got better and better the more i listened to it, what a tremendous work it is, 

Here's Frans Bruggen conducting the fourth movement on YouTube, though he takes it thrillingly fast.