I missed these Haenssler (here licensed to MHS) recordings on initial release a couple of years ago, and it was my loss. These are some of the finest Schumann performances available, and more than a bit of a shock considering the fact that Marriner’s earlier traversal of these works (on Capriccio) was a total non-happening. The Fourth Symphony sounds especially powerful and full of unexpected (and delightful) rhetorical touches: just the sort of thing you least expect from an interpretive “straight arrow” like Marriner. Listen, for example, to the emphatic way he introduces the first movement’s second subject, or to his smiling, easeful handling of the violin’s response to the first appearance of the “motto” theme in the development section. He takes the Romanze swiftly, the scherzo powerfully, and then cuts loose with a transition to the finale that would have sent Furtwängler running for cover. The finale itself explodes as if shot out of a cannon. The Second Symphony is no less persuasive: a boldly articulated first movement, scintillating scherzo, gorgeously flowing Adagio, and noble finale. This is the real thing, folks, and the recorded sound makes Schumann sound like a great orchestrator to boot. Magnificent!
