SCHUBERT/RATTLE – SYMPHONY NO.9 CD

Description

Here is an example of the sort of thing that used to drive the classical market in the past century, but in the current one is becoming an endangered species — a standard, done by a major orchestra, with a famous conductor for a major label. In this case, it is Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 “The Great,” as recorded by the Berlin Philharmonic, under the direction of Simon Rattle. One can be thankful that EMI, with its daunting overhead and uneasy partnership with Time Warner, is still interested in making these kinds of recordings, as other “majors” have long ago given up the chase, relying on back catalog for “new” orchestral issues. Indeed, it is against back catalog that Rattle is mostly competing here; although recorded monaurally more than 50 years ago, the Schubert Ninth led by Arturo Toscanini remains an excellent option for the symphony, as do versions by Günter Wand, Sir Charles Mackerras, Bruno Weil, Eugen Jochum, Karl Böhm, and Claudio Abbado.