Schumann: Symphonies 1, 3 & Manfred Overture – George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra (2001) {SACD ISO + FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz}

These performances remain as great as ever, and the remastering is a source of wonder; if you don’t own these recordings, here’s a rare chance to correct the oversight. Take advantage of it while you can.

Magical and stunning music! You don’t have to spend a fortune going back to vinyl, these SACD versions of 50 year-old analog recordings contain all that warmth and transparency you’re looking for. It’s not about digital vs analog, it’s about superb reproduction qualities with no gimmicks or artificial studio effects.

Szell’s Schumann is a MUST for any serious listener of nineteenth-century music. These discs are not merely an essential addition to a collection: this is the only account of the Schumann symphonies you should have. So why Schumann? And why Szell?

Szell’s commitment to performances of Schumann is well known; having programmed a Schumann symphony at least once in almost every season he conducted the Cleveland Orchestra, his knowledge of the composer is unsurpassed. He appreciated the nuances of Schumann better than any other conductor, even demonstrating the temerity to alter subtly Schumann’s scores in order to achieve a more refined balance of orchestral sounds. His Cleveland Orchestra here is playing at its finest. By the late 1950s and 60s Cleveland was as strong as any orchestra playing anywhere in the world. As an example, just listen to the 2nd movement (the scherzo) of the 2nd symphony; you will stunned by the perfect unison of the strings.

Schumann’s four symphonies are masterpieces deserving to be better known and appreciated. They evoke later Beethoven, particularly his 7th and 8th symphonies, but are entirely original, composed in an idiom uniquely Schumann’s own. They are filled with joyful melodies, thrillingprestissimo runs, and aching shifts between major and minor keys. Schumann is the true embodiment of the Romantic sensibility; in fact, Szell claimed that Schumann was the most perfect exemplar of Romanticism within classical music. Amazing performances, gorgeously remastered!

Tracklist:

Robert Schumann:
1-4. Symphony No 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 “Spring”
5-9. Symphony No 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 “Rhenish”
10. Manfred Overture, Op. 115

Artists:
Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, conductor
Recorded in Severance Hall, Cleveland Ohio – 1959-1960

SACD ISO

SchumannSymphoniesNos.13SzellClevelandSACDISO.part1.rar
SchumannSymphoniesNos.13SzellClevelandSACDISO.part2.rar
SchumannSymphoniesNos.13SzellClevelandSACDISO.part3.rar
SchumannSymphoniesNos.13SzellClevelandSACDISO.part4.rar

FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz

SchumannSymphoniesNos.13SzellClevelandSACDripFlac.part1.rar
SchumannSymphoniesNos.13SzellClevelandSACDripFlac.part2.rar