4 in C Minor, D. 417 “Tragic” – Bamberger Symphoniker/ Jonathan Nott –
Tudor MultiChannel SACD 7142 6802 ****:
Lithe, light, and at times breathless, Jonathan Nott’s 2003 renditions
of two early Schubert symphonies should have your feet tapping and your
blood pounding. Nott takes the repeats in the C Minor Symphony, which
expands the somber opus to something like epic proportions. Resolute
and sympathetic, Nott’s reading has discipline, impetus, and tremendous
verve; the acoustics for the interior lines, especially the second
violins, compels our undivided attention. With surround sound, we have
articulate, defined separation in the orchestral voicing, the clarinet
and oboe each making its contribution at different points of entry.
The B-flat Symphony, a compositional cross of Handelian flavor and
Beethoven strategies, emanates a decided gallop throughout, the
syncopations and rich modulations speeding by in a blur of wonderful
colors. The Andante, a series of variations in E-flat, has Nott focused
on his lower strings, effecting some high drama when the music moves to
E-flat Minor. The fugal work in the C Minor Symphony’s Andante, too,
with its F Minor agitations, recalls the fugal work in Mozart’s G Minor
Symphony. The harmonic tensions – F Minor competing with A-flat – offer
Nott many opportunities to strut the Bamberg’s polished capacities for
instrumental virtuosity. This disc makes an excellent introduction to
Nott’s Schubert cycle, audiophile-ready at every turn.
–Gary Lemco
