Franz Schubert
(1797-1828)
Symphony #4 in C Minor "Tragic", D. 417
Symphony in C Major
Failoni Orchestra/Michael Halász
Naxos 8.553095 75:57
Apart from the eight familiar Schubert symphonies (1-6, 8, 9), there are various others which have either been completed or orchestrated after Schubert's death. The fourth symphony is well-known. The Symphony in C Major is an orchestration by Joseph Joachim, the nineteeth-century violinist and composer, of the Grand Duo D. 812 for two pianos. Robert Schumann and others found a symphonic quality to the duo and wondered if Schubert had intended it as such. Purists may quibble, but the orchestration sounds suitably Schubertian and provides us with about 45 minutes of attractive orchestral music. Halász has recorded the rest of the usual canon for Naxos and although I have not heard them all, I can recommend those that I have.
