"Among the German composers, the first place, after Beethoven, indisputably belongs to Schumann… Schumann's symphonies yield to Beethoven's Ninth only … in thought, his overtures are more diverse and deeper than Mendelssohn's ones," the Russian composer and music critic César Cui said about Robert Schumann's symphonic works.
The composer's symphonic heritage includes four symphonies written within the 1840–1850s: symphony No. 1 in B flat major (known as Spring), Op. 38; symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61; symphony No. 3 "Rhenish" in E flat major, Op. 97; and symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120.
This Firma Melodiya release features Schumann's symphonies edited by George Szell and performed by the Estonian Symphony Orchestra conducted by the celebrated Gennady Rozhdestvensky. "The remarkable conductor George Szell made superb versions of Schumann's four symphonies. These recordings have been made based on his versions … they are a result of the conductor's tremendous experience combined with a most delicate feeling for style…" that's how the maestro explained his choice of Szell's versions.
