Schuman: Symphony No8; Symphony No3

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Schuman's music belongs to the era that spawned Roy Harris (his teacher), Howard Hanson, and Aaron Copland. Schuman's Symphony No. 3 is a clear homage to Harris, broken rhythms and all. The Symphony for Strings (1943) comes at a time when Schuman's voice is finally his own. What could come off as exceedingly dry is here given a performance of great depth by Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. Schuman's Symphony No. 8 (1962) is truly modern, making extensive use of atonality and creating a series of stormy images--something that never appears in the music of Hanson, Copland, or Harris. A major re-release by Sony. --Paul Cook

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3: Part I - Passacaglia And Fugue
Symphony No. 3: Part II - Chorale And Toccata
Symphony For Strings In 3 Movements: I. Molto agitato ed energico
Symphony For Strings In 3 Movements: II. Larghissimo
Symphony For Strings In 3 Movements: III. Presto
Symphony No. 8: I. Lento sostenuto
Symphony No. 8: II. Largo
Symphony No. 8: III. Presto

Amazon.com

Schuman's music belongs to the era that spawned Roy Harris (his teacher), Howard Hanson, and Aaron Copland. Schuman's Symphony No. 3 is a clear homage to Harris, broken rhythms and all. The Symphony for Strings (1943) comes at a time when Schuman's voice is finally his own. What could come off as exceedingly dry is here given a performance of great depth by Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. Schuman's Symphony No. 8 (1962) is truly modern, making extensive use of atonality and creating a series of stormy images--something that never appears in the music of Hanson, Copland, or Harris. A major re-release by Sony. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Evidence why Schuman never became more well known.......2005-04-28

I guess I'm in the minority on this CD. I owned it once and didn't particularly care for it. After finding Schuman's wonderful violin concerto by Paul Zukofsky, I returned to this CD to see if I was missing something, insofar as so many people bought this and wrote rhapsodic reviews of it.

I have to admit, my return -- unlike Beethoven's return at the end of his Piano Sonata No. 26 -- was not wonderful. I found this CD to be the same as the first time I tested it. The Schuman Third Sympohny is very substantial and shares much in common with his Violin Concerto, which this recording confirms is his best composition.

As in his Violin Concerto -- which is available today in a tepid but reliable performance on the Naxos label -- the Third Symphony is written in two well-developed movements in classic sonata form. The development section of each movement is highly articulate and all the dramatic flair from the violin concerto is rekindled in the Symphony No. 3.

The other two symphonies, however, are forgettable. Neither has a single memorable theme nor are either exquisitely composed. I turned to David Ewen's guide for music published in 1954 -- when this composer was in his heyday. Ewen listed only the Third Symphony among Schuman's masterpieces.

I don't quibble with others that say Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic wrung every ounce of emotion and interest out of these three works. I would only say that, for me, two-thirds of this CD is not worth owning. The Third Symphony is on a par with Creston's Second Symphony but the others are for academics interested in Bernstein or this composer.

The ultimate Schuman performance.......2001-12-13

Though Bernstein's DG recording of Schuman's Third Symphony is good, it does not show nearly the enthusiam for the music that is present in this recording. It still sounds pretty good, despite its age. The recordings of the 5th and 8th symphonies are also good, though neither of these is quite as compelling as the 3rd. Fans should know that a new recording is now available of the Schuman 6th Symphony on the Koch label. Now when will BMG ever re-release Ormandy's recording of the Schuman 9th?

They heard America singing.......2000-09-12

The Schuman third came from an era in American music when it was still possible to write works that caught the American spirit in all its brooding, magnificence. This is a work that sings in heroic terms. Bernstein gave a glowing, but steely performance that is not likely to bettered. Not music for light listening, this. But enriching in a way that is so profound and moving. To love this symphony is to expand one's musical horizons in the most satisying way. No praise could be too high for music making of this calibre. We were most fortunate to have had Leonard Bernstein as long as we did. This disc will help you understand why.

Start your Schuman collection here!.......2000-06-19

Having read that Schuman was an "intellectual" composer who could write a fugue, I was reluctant to buy this disc, expecting Schuman's style to be the synopsis of some stodgy, neo-Brahmsian cliche. I was a bit taken aback, then, the first time I heard the rambunctious but exhilarating Third Symphony, which is much more of a show piece than I expected. For one thing, it employs a really souped-up brass section to produce some of the most hair-raisingly massive promontories of sound. It perhaps even runs the risk of being showy at the expense of organic depth. But it's a totally distinctive and essential work for your CD collection--but don't wear it out!

The three-movement Symphony for Strings (the Fifth Symphony) is, if anything, more cultured and restrained and is no less compelling. It has been called a masterpiece and deservedly so. The sophistication of the writing is impressive enough but more important, it is a genuinely inspired and joyous work.

I must admit I wasn't that crazy about the Eighth Symphony at first. It seemed to me to recall the bad old days when "random music" and dissonance were in vogue (though not among audiences). On the other hand, in this era of pop-influenced, sugar-coated minimalism, it's actually possible to be a bit nostalgic for those days! I have concluded after several listenings that the Eighth is a rewarding piece that grows on the listener. Don't give up on it!

Bernstein was at his peak in the 1960's and his full-throated, no-holds-barred approach suits the music perfectly, capturing Schuman's passion as well as his intellect. Finally, the sound is fully worthy of the music and performances. In the big Third and Eighth symphonies, it is remarkably atmospheric but sharply etched too. The recording of the Fifth is more confined acoustically but still eminently satisfactory.

The ideal introduction to one of the American greats.......2000-05-25

William Schuman is unquestionably one of the most important symphonists to have come out of America, and if you are looking for a single disc introduction to his music, look no further. The recordings are some 30-40 years old, but they sound remarkably well on this excellent transfer, and Bernstein knew just how these works should go better than virtually any other conductor. The 3rd Symphony is the best-known of the Schuman symphonies and makes a stunning impact here. The Symphony for Strings likewise receives the definitive recording here (despite some strong competition from Gerard Schwarz on Delos), and the 1970 sound is still very good. But it's the recording of the 8th Symphony which is the finest-sounding on this CD. Bernstein premiered it as part of the opening season of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1962, and this recording followed soon after. The work is in Schuman's later, more astringent and dissonant manner, but it is also a fascinating example of Schuman's propensity for putting old wine in new bottles: the last two if its three movements are reworkings (actually, "recompositions" would be the more accurate word here) of the last two movements of his 4th String Quartet of 1950, and it says much for Schuman's orchestral mastery that at no point is one aware of the music's chamber origins. Quite aside from that, however tough some listeners may find this work next to the 3rd Symphony, there's no mistaking the searing eloquence of the central, threnodic slow movement. And as for the finale, fasten your seatbelts, for the New Yorkers treat us to one of their most extraordinary displays of jaw-dropping virtuosity. A very, very important CD indeed, no question about it!

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

There Is Only One Roy Orbison/The Orbison Way [Import]

Rachel Laurin plays Liszt & Brahms

Piano Concertos 1 & 2 / 4 Hungarian Rhapsodies

Hits of Vince Gill, Vol. 1 [Karaoke]

Now Is Early

Natural Sounds: Tibetan Monastery

Master Serie, Vol.1 [Import]

Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff [Import]

One Vision [CD-single]

On the Brink of It [Import]

No Problemo [Import]

Out the Park [Explicit Lyrics]

Buxtehude: Complete Works for Organ, Vol. 1

Vibrant Tones