Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944 'The Great'

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The pace of the Andante con moto second movement is close to perfection: a touch of the forward-striding hiker but far from unbending. There are moments of a quite visionary loveliness: like... — BBC Music Magazine, March 2006, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 9th Jan 2006
Catalogue No: 3393822
Label: Warner Classics
Length: 57 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

March 2006

Editor's Choice

Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944 'The Great'

Work length57:42

Album only

Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle

I. Andante - Allegro ma non troppo

Track length16:48

Album only

II. Andante con moto

Track length16:26

Album only

III. Scherzo Allegro vivace

Track length12:13

Album only

IV. Allegro vivace

Track length12:15

Album only

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Recorded live June 2005

Reviews

March 2006

The pace of the Andante con moto second movement is close to perfection: a touch of the forward-striding hiker but far from unbending. There are moments of a quite visionary loveliness: like the high-floating string polyphony in the Andante, of the tremolos near the central climax of the finale... Most of all, there's an expressive richness that makes Mackerras or the much-praised Marriner recording seem fatally black-and-white in comparison.

2010

Knowing Sir Simon Rattle has regularly conducted period-instrument orchestras, it may come as a surprise that with his Berlin Philharmonic he takes a relatively free and romantic view of this massive symphony, maybe reflecting that this is a live recording. Not only are his speeds on the broad side, but he allows marked rallentandi at the ends of sections, as at the end of the development sections of both the first and last movements.
His moulding of phrases, too, seems to reflect the older traditions of this great orchestra rather than those of Karajan. One key passage comes in the middle of the Andante con moto slow movement, where on repeated phrases in crescendo Schubert builds up the movement's biggest climax, resolved after a sudden pause on an affectionate cello melody. What emerges from this relatively relaxed approach is an extra sense of joy in Schubert's inspiration, with rhythms lifted infectiously.
Not that Rattle's interpretation lacks bite or precision – quite the opposite: one of its great qualities is the way he brings out the many counter- motifs, notably on cellos or second violins, that in many performances are hidden. That transparency of texture is outstanding: Rattle persuades the orchestra to produce extreme pianissimi, as at the start of the recapitulation in the first movement, where far more than usually one is aware of the score markings.
With full, warm sound, this is a first-rate recommendation.
The only slight reservation is that it comes without a coupling, though at 58 minutes for the symphony (even with one of the repeats in the Scherzo and that of the exposition in the finale omitted), one cannot really complain of short measure.

March 2006

…Simon Rattle… take a relatively free and romantic view of this massive symphony, maybe reflecting that this is a live recording. What emerges from this relatively relaxed approach is an extra sense of joy in Schubert's inspiration, with rhythms lifted infectiously. Not that Rattle's interpretation lacks bite or precision - quite the opposite: one of its great qualities is the way he brings out the many counter-motifs, notably on cellos or second violins, that in many performances are hidden. With full, warm sound, this is a first-rate recommendation.

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Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944 'The Great'

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