Franz Schmidt: Complete Symphonies Frankfurt Radio Symphony & Paavo Järvi

• Franz Schmidt (1874 - 1939): Symphony No. 1 in E Major:
• 1 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E Major: I. Sehr langsam - Sehr lebhaft 12:41
• 2 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E Major: II. Langsam 11:23
• 3 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E Major: III. Schnell und leicht 10:46
• 4 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E Major: IV. Lebhaft, doch nicht zu schnell 10:28
• Symphony No. 2 in E Flat Major:
• 5 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 2 in E Flat Major: I. Lebhaft 14:33
• 6 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 2 in E Flat Major: II. Allegretto con variazioni. Einfach und zart 17:40
• 7 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 2 in E Flat Major: III. Finale. Langsam 13:18
• Notre Dame:
• 8 Franz Schmidt: Notre Dame: Intermezzo 04:40
• Symphony No. 3 in A Major:
• 9 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 3 in A Major: I. Allegro molto moderato 12:54
• 10 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 3 in A Major: II. Adagio 07:36
• 11 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 3 in A Major: III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace 07:59
• 12 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 3 in A Major: IV. Lento - Allegro vivace 11:57
• Symphony No. 4 in C Major:
• 13 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 in C Major: I. Allegro molto moderato - Passionato 14:27
• 14 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 in C Major: II. Adagio - Piu lento - Adagio 12:34
• 15 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 in C Major: III. Molto Vivace 07:12
• 16 Franz Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 in C Major: IV. Tempo primo un poco sostenuto - Passionato - Tempo primo. Allegro molto moderato 10:21
• Total Runtime 03:00:29

Info for Franz Schmidt: Complete Symphonies

At a time when many of his contemporaries were exploring more fluid structures, Franz Schmidt while perhaps stretching tonal harmony to its limits, continued to embrace 19th-century form and achieved a highly personal synthesis of the diverse traditions of the Austro-German symphony. His language, rather than being wedded to a narrative of dissolution and tragedy is radiant and belligerently optimistic and reveals this scion of largely Hungarian forebears as the last great exponent of the style hongrois after Schubert, Liszt and Brahms.

His work having fallen from prominence, Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony's dazzling live performances of all four of his symphonies, and the famous Notre Dame Intermezzo, shine a new light on this fascinating oeuvre and also on an affable and genial soul, and reminds us of the constant need to reappraise and enrich our account of music during the first half of the 20th century.

“A composer of the same lavish style as Mahler, Richard Strauss and Schoenberg, Schmidt fell from prominence having been a composer feted by the Nazis, but his output reminds us of the constant need to reappraise, rewrite and enrich our account of the music of the first half of the 20th century. Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony’s dazzling live performances in this album of all four of his symphonies and the famous Notre Dame Intermezzo, shine a light on this fascinating oeuvre.”

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi, conductor

The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester)br> is among the best European orchestras today. 85 years after its formation, the long-standing German radio orchestra plays convincingly in all styles and periods – from Baroque to contemporary avant-garde – reflecting the ensemble’s flexibility, open-mindedness and high technical excellence. With a wide variety of concerts and CD releases, the symphony orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk (German Public Radio of Hesse) has celebrated worldwide success and is a prestigious guest on renowned international stages such as at the »Proms« in London, the »Concertgebouw« in Amsterdam, and in places like Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, Budapest and Prague, Japan and China.

Rising to prominence in the 1980s with its ground-breaking CD recordings, which set new standards in the Romantic and Late Romantic repertoire, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra is considered an internationally leading Mahler and Bruckner Orchestra. This musical tradition, initiated by Eliahu Inbal, has shone through under the aegis of Music Directors Dmitri Kitaenko and Hugh Wolff into the musical work of Paavo Järvi, the current Conductor Laureate.

From its very inception in 1929, the orchestra displayed a firm commitment to both traditional and contemporary music under its first Music Director Hans Rosbaud. Following the war and during reconstruction, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra grew with Kurt Schröder, Winfried Zillig and Otto Matzerath at the helm, finally achieving international standing between the 1960s and 1980s under Dean Dixon and Eliahu Inbal, with guest performances worldwide and the production of multi-award-winning records.

Famed for its outstanding wind section, its rich string sound and its culture of dynamic performances, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra now offers a broad spectrum of styles. Together with its Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the ensemble is associated not only with musical excellence but also an interesting and varied repertoire. Experiments and discoveries, both in the area of old and new music, and collaboration with top-class conductors and soloists is just as much a part of its artistic profile as the cross-border Music Discovery Project and numerous well-received children and youth projects.

Paavo Järvi
Järvi’ssecond season as Chief Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra opened on a high when he conducts Mahler’s Symphony No.8 in celebration of the orchestra’s 90th Anniversary. They also performed Mahler to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Suntory Hall and they will embark on a major European tour in spring 2017 with performances in Berlin, Luxembourg, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Vienna and Cologne.

As Artistic Director of The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Paavo Järvi and the orchestra returned to Asia for performances across Taiwan and Japan in autumn 2016. Throughout the season they will continue their critically acclaimed Brahms symphony cycle with performances throughout Germany and Switzerland. The first recording of the Brahms cycle is released on Sony’s, RCA label in spring 2017.

In summer 2016, Paavo Järvi concluded his highly successful tenure as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris and was simultaneously heralded by the French Critics’ Association as ‘Musical Personality of the Year’. Highlights of his six year tenure included conducting the opening concerts of the new Paris Philhamonie which were recorded for i-Tunes and immediately became an international bestseller; the Sibelius Medal in recognition of his achievements in championing the Finnish composer’s music in France: and the release of his highly acclaimed recording of music by Dutilleux on the Erato label which received an Echo Klassik Award for contemporary recording.

Guest engagements see the completion of Paavo Järvi’s extensive Nielsen Symphony Cycle with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, return visits to the Wiener Symphoniker, Berlin Staatskapelle and performances with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Budapest Festival Orchestra, and L’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. In spring 2017 Paavo Järvi also conducts Don Giovanni at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala as well as orchestral concerts with the La Scala orchestra. He also returns to conduct the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, where he is Conductor Laureate.

The 2016/17 season concludes with a week of performances in mid-July at the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia. Founded in 2010 by Paavo Järvi, the festival offers both conducting master-classes and concerts. As a festival celebrating the orchestra at its heart, Järvi created a new ensemble which has become the uncontested highlight of the summer season; the Estonian Festival Orchestra brings together leading Estonian musicians with soloists from Europe’s top-ranking orchestras.

With an extensive discography, Paavo Järvi’s latest releases are the complete Nielsen Symphonies with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony on Sony Japan, and Elgar and Walton’s Cello Concertos with Steven Isserlis and the Philharmonia Orchestra on Hyperion. He was named Artist of the Year by both Gramophone (UK) and Diapason (France) in autumn 2015.