Phils 13: Schumann, Haydn, Berlioz

Schumann: Manfred Overture

What a pickle! The only available recording (Giuseppe Sinopoli, Vienna Philharmonic) I cannot recommend. The best one by far (Charles Munch, Boston Symphony, RCA) used to be on a CD with Munch’s Mendelssohn Symphonies (see March 11 & 13), but not on current reissues. The second best (Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Sony) is on Bernstein’s album of Schumann’s Symphonies that are not available at the moment (see February 11 & 13). Have patience. With 2010 being the bicentennial of Schumann’s birth, maybe they’ll be re-released.

Haydn: Symphony No. 83
Bruno Weil, Tafelmusik
Sony Classical

While not ideal, Weil’s recording is the best I’ve found. His combination of style plus tempo feels just right, though the second movement is a bit rushed. If his performance had the same pungent infectiousness he gives to the other two symphonies on the album (Nos. 82 and 84), it too would be the best. Tafelmusik (from Toronto) uses period instruments.

WebTip: This recording is no longer in Sony’s catalogue but is available from online sites. It is packaged both singly and as part of a 7-CD set of Tafelmusik’s recordings of Symphonies No. 41-47, 50-52, 64-65, and 82-90. Despite my reservations about Weil’s No. 83, many of the others are simply the best.

Berlioz: Harold in Italy
William Primrose, viola; Charles Munch, Boston Symphony
RCA

Harold is on the move here. Each of the four scenes has its own distinguishing character with Munch providing a keenly alert, vital edge for probably the greatest violist of the 20th Century. Yes, they do relax at times, but even the “Pilgrim’s March” could find its Mendelssohnian place in Breaking Away.
 
WebTip: This performance has been re-released yet again, this time in SACD (super-audio) format. Earlier releases, if available, may cost less.