This 2023 release, recorded in 2020, completes a cycle of
Schumann
's symphonies by the
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
under
Marin Alsop
, who seems to be growing into her role as chief conductor. The symphonies are billed as having been "re-orchestrated" by
Mahler
, which makes the alterations sound more substantial than they, in fact, are; essentially, these are
editions, and listeners will find the
symphonies they know and love. The
versions are infrequently recorded, and it was not a surprise to see this release land on classical best-seller lists in early 2023. Far from trying to turn
into
, these versions actually thin out the texture;
cut out some of the brass lines to make the music more transparent in the hands of a 100-player orchestra. This is ideally suited to
Alsop
's approach to these works, which is light and clear. If
Leonard Bernstein
had recorded these, it might have worked considerably less well. Sample the airy finale of the
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 ("Rhenish")
. The biggest differences are in the
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120
, where
eliminated repeats and restored other features of
's original version of the work, which was also championed by
Brahms
but vehemently rejected by
Clara Schumann
; it is interesting to hear this hybrid version. Well executed in every way, this is an essential release for
buffs. ~ James Manheim