Franz Schmidt - Symphony No. 3; Chaconne (Vassily Sinaisky)

Information

Composer: Franz Schmidt

• Symphony No. 3 in A major
• Chaconne in D minor

Malmö Symphony Orchestra

Vassily Sinaisky, conductor

Date: 2010

Label: Naxos

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Review

The Third is the subtlest of Franz Schmidt’s four symphonies, outwardly genial and relaxed but beneath the surface teeming with contrapuntal intricacy and compositional finesse. Composed in 1927-28, it won the Austrian section of the Columbia Graphophone Company’s Schubert Centennial Competition (ultimately won by Atterberg’s Sixth) and is a large-scale, four-movement symphony imbued with the Classical tradition. Perhaps in tribute to Schubert, Schmidt – nothing if not a fine melodist – emphasised the lyrical even more than usual to produce a work of beguiling late-Romanticism.

As with the Second, the benchmark for No 3 was established by Neeme Järvi and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, although Fabio Luisi has subsequently provided stiff competition. Sinaisky and the Malmö Symphony prove once more how much they are on Schmidt’s wavelength and taken in isolation this is a fine account, well played and nicely paced. Comparisons with Järvi are revealing, however, the Chicago SO’s playing having greater polish (as one might expect) and a huge difference in duration: 42'10" for Järvi, 50'07" for Sinaisky. Both approaches work well and if the Russian’s tempi at times risk losing impetus, as in the Adagio and the Scherzo’s Trio section, they remain well calculated in his overall conception.

The filler on what is a very well filled disc is the mighty Chaconne in D minor, originally penned for organ two years before the symphony and orchestrated in 1931. Luisi has no filler, Järvi – curiously – Hindemith’s Orchestral Concerto. Sinaisky’s handling of the great opening (13-minute) paragraph is mightily impressive and, as with the symphony, the orchestral delivery is a delight. Recommended.

— Guy Rickards

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Franz Schmidt (22 December 1874 – 11 February 1939) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. A piano student of Theodor Leschetizky and a composition pupil of Anton Bruckner, he began his career as a cellist with the Vienna Court Opera, where he experienced professional tensions with Gustav Mahler. Schmidt later taught composition at the Vienna Staatsakademie and served as director of the Musikhochschule (1927–31). His music, sometimes compared to Max Reger, includes the opera Notre Dame, the oratorio Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln, four symphonies, left-hand works for Paul Wittgenstein, and organ works.

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Vassily Sinaisky (born 20 April 1947) is a Russian conductor. Trained at the Leningrad Conservatory, he began his career assisting Kirill Kondrashin at the Moscow Philharmonic. He gained international reputation after winning the Gold Medal at the Herbert von Karajan Competition in 1973. Sinaisky has held prominent leadership roles, including Chief Conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Moscow Philharmonic and the Bolshoi Theatre. He has also collaborated with leading orchestras worldwide and produced acclaimed recordings. He teaches at the St Petersburg Conservatoire.

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