Is this the greatest recording of Schumann's First Symphony in a generation? Some would assert it is. Is this the greatest recording of Schumann's First Symphony ever? Some would argue that it very well might be. Certainly, Thomas Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra have done everything right with Schumann's music. Their tone is powerful but nuanced, their colors strong and blended, their textures clear but balanced, and their rhythms muscular but agile. But those are just the fundamentals. The better virtue of ...
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Is this the greatest recording of Schumann's First Symphony in a generation? Some would assert it is. Is this the greatest recording of Schumann's First Symphony ever? Some would argue that it very well might be. Certainly, Thomas Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra have done everything right with Schumann's music. Their tone is powerful but nuanced, their colors strong and blended, their textures clear but balanced, and their rhythms muscular but agile. But those are just the fundamentals. The better virtue of their performance is the sense of freedom, freshness, and enthusiasm they bring to the music. Here, Schumann's First Symphony, called the "Spring Symphony" by its composer, really does sound like a work meant to evoke and celebrate the vernal season. The fanfares that start the opening Andante un poco maestoso have true joy and the tempo of the following Allegro molto Vivace has actual vivacity. The central Larghetto has a real feeling of organic growth and the closing Allegro animato e...
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