Schumann, Manfred Overture
Schumann, Symphony No. 4
Beethoven, Symphony No. 3, ‘Eroica’
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler
Audite 91.441 (2 SACDs)
This 2-disc release from Audite of a live performance from
the 1953 Lucerne festival is obviously a real treat for Furtwängler fans. But it
is not just of historical interest. The sound quality is good enough that it
should appeal to anyone interested in outstanding performances of two great
symphonies, as well as of Schumann’s Manfred Overture (here released for the
first time).
The Schumann and Beethoven symphonies have been issued many
different times before, but typically in private recordings made from the radio
broadcasts. At best, the sound quality has been acceptable for enthusiasts.
This release, however, is based on a remastering of the original tapes
rediscovered in the archives of Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF). The result
is extraordinarily good (both when played in a SACD player and on an ordinary
CD player). The acoustic clarity of the Eroica recording compares well with
Furtwängler’s studio recording for EMI of the same symphony with the Vienna
Philharmonic (admittedly recorded nearly a decade earlier in 1944).
All three pieces are played with Furtwängler’s
characteristic intensity and depth. The two works by Schumann bring out both
poles of the composer’s complex character, as personified in his two personae,
the extroverted, boisterous Florestan, and the introverted Eusebio. And it is
hard to imagine a better performance of the Eroica, particularly the Funeral
March. This is a must-buy disc for anyone seriously interested in the Romantic
symphony.
