Schumann: The Four Symphonies / Manfred Overture
Paray's Schumann is characterized by swift tempos, flowing slow movements, carefully judged instrumental balances, and rhythmic precision--attributes associated with the French school of which he was an outstanding exemplar. The result: lithe, energetic interpretations that avoid the muddiness that too often typifies performances of Schumann's orchestral works. TheSpringSymphony benefits from this approach; the introduction, so often pompous or rushed, here manages to be both buoyant andun poco maestoso, and the rhapsodic nature of the piece comes to the fore. The Second is as attractive, its flowing Adagio a welcome relief from some recent readings that degenerate into stasis. Paray'sRhenishSymphony offers headlong forward thrust and an exuberant finale, while the Fourth builds with cumulative power. The filler, theManfredOverture, is romanticism incarnate and Paray captures the moodiness and struggles at its core. Mercury's sound wears its age lightly (the recordings were made between 1954 and 1958) and all but the fine-sounding Fourth Symphony are in stereo. There are other fine integral sets of Schumann's symphonies available, such as the recently reissued ones by Szell and Bernstein, but Paray's is a very welcome addition to the catalogue.--Dan Davis