Schumann: The Four Symphonies; Manfred Overture
George Szell was on record as saying that he believed there was no  reason the Schumann symphonies shouldn't be "as popular as  Tchaikovsky." When they're played like this, it's hard to disagree.  Schumann is one of those composers that every conductor does, but that few do  really well. Part of the problem stems from the monochrome orchestration. Szell  makes minor adjustments for the sake of clarity, but otherwise leaves it up to his  superb orchestra to achieve the proper balances. And despite the usual  extraordinary discipline that he imposes on his players, he's not afraid to let the  music's Romantic temper burst out now and again in a surge of energy. With  excellently remastered sound, this set is certainly one for the record books.--David Hurwitz