Starting in 2003, Jonathan Nott and the Bamberg Symphony pursued the ambitious project of recording Franz Schubert's symphonies Nos. 1-8, and the SACDs were individually released later that decade to considerable critical praise. This 2011 set of six SACDs brings together the four albums with the symphonies, plus two collections of modern compositions inspired by Schubert's music. Nott's conducting tends to be on the fast side in Schubert, and the Bamberg Symphony is sometimes a little uneven in sound quality. But by and large, they demonstrate a great understanding of Schubert's styles, both in his Classical and Romantic veins, and acquit themselves with enthusiasm and brilliance. While there is little doubt that listeners will enjoy the clarity and transparency of the Schubert recordings, the Dialog and Epilog volumes will be a harder sell, for the offerings by Jorg Widmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Bruno Mantovani, Dieter Schnebel, Luciano Berio, Aribert Reimann, Hans Werner Henze, Hans Zender, and Kurt Schwertsik will be, for most listeners, quite difficult to relate back to Schubert. Their reliance on quotations, fragments, and fleeting references to pieces by Schubert gives them a rationale for being included to show how he still influences composers to this day. But the strong avant-garde or experimental flavors of these works will likely put off those who only care for the unadulterated symphonies. The sound quality of all the recordings is outstanding, thanks to the brilliant engineering of Tudor and Bavarian Radio. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi
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