The news that Daniel Barenboim has stepped back from conducting to focus on his health gives the appearance of a new recording by him an extra cachet. The release of this set of Schumann’s symphonies also marks his 80th birthday, which falls on November 15.
The recordings were made with the Staatskapelle Berlin in October last year and mark the third time that he has recorded these four symphonies. For Barenboim, Schumann was “historically . . . one of the most important composers of the 19th century”, an essential link between Beethoven and Wagner.
His performances are pitched so that they are equally true to both. That is thanks, not least, to the august tradition of the Staatskapelle Berlin, which can trace its roots back as far as 1570. The orchestra guarantees a highly cultivated style of playing, striking a natural balance between the rhythmic grip of the classical symphony and the warm lyricism of the romantic movement.
For all that, the energy comes and goes. The Symphony No. 2 gets a thoroughly involving performance, embracing a slow movement that is Wagner-in-the-making and a scherzo of headlong vitality, but the invigorating opening movement of the Third lacks lift and that of the Fourth is rather four-square. What never fails Barenboim is his ability to see each symphony as an overarching piece of architecture.
Overall, this new set is best heard alongside contrasting alternatives, such as the recordings by Herbert von Karajan or John Eliot Gardiner, fresh and buoyant with period instruments.
★★★☆☆
‘Schumann: The Symphonies’ is released by DG
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