Young Schubert, with corrected links
The Schubert Listening Challenge, week two; plus, Road Music!
Schubert was a compositional prodigy but not so much of an instrumental one, so unlike Mozart, he did not become a celebrity as a boy—or at all, until after his death. (He was also utterly unable to promote himself and depended entirely on his friends for his musical reputation.) As a young composer, he was largely enthralled by Haydn and Mozart, as our selections for this week demonstrate, both of which Schubert composed when he was a teenager.
First up is the Fifth Symphony in B-Flat, which is gorgeously Mozartian, with a bit of that added Schubertian lyrical lilt for flavor. The first six symphonies are completely unlike the last two in terms of style and are not recorded or performed nearly so often. They are worthy of attention, however, and Herbert Blomstedt's recording with the Staatskapelle Dresden demonstrates this. (Our selected recording is part of an excellent complete cycle of the symphonies—highly recommended.)
Next is Schubert's Second Mass, also Mozartian, this time in the choral mode. Our recording by Bruno Weil and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment uses a newer version of the score, which includes changes that Schubert later added, including extra instrumentation, which completely transforms the work and expands its scope.
Later in his career, Schubert would compose works in these forms, symphonies and masses, of towering ambition—works which he would never hear performed, and we will feature some of those in the coming weeks.
Links to the PCF Schubert playlists:
PCF Schubert Playlist on Apple Music
PCF Schubert Playlist on Spotify
Laniappe: Road Music for your Summer
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer, and so it is the time for road trips. With that in mind, I am sharing my personal "Road Music" playlist, guaranteed to keep up your energy for almost four hours, after which you will probably be ready for a rest area and a spot of lunch, and then maybe an audiobook.
PCF Road Music Playlist on Apple Music
PCF Road Music Playlist on Spotify
Thanks for reading, and for listening, from my fancy internet car stereo to yours.
Magical!
Schubert's 5th symphony is my favourite*. That opening cadence of the first movment is the nearest music gets to pure joy. Woodwinds and strings are always the perfect tonal complements to each other, so the simple instrumentation is perfect. I am sure that the second movement has been used as incidental music in an Austen production but I cannot remember which one.
*Funny, because several readers agreed that Vaughan Williams' 5th is a favourite and Beethoven's 5th is rightfully famous. Maybe it takes five attempts to fully master the form.
I think that is the first time I heard all of Schubert's second mass. The Kyrie solo line is beautiful. The Credo is one of the simplest I've heard, and yet so effective in conveying the drama of the middle section in between the elegant theme of the first and third sections.