Drained as they are of light and color, these dour performances of Schumann's Second and Third symphonies by
Franz Konwitschny and the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester are tough to take. Though
Konwitschny was one of the better first-generation East German conductors with fine Wagner and Beethoven recordings to his credit, this Schumann is at best lackluster and at worst dreary. His Second limps along on stiff tempos, and the Third, known as the "Rheinische" because of its joyous evocation of the great German river Rhein, sounds like a murky and meandering tributary. Historically one of the great German orchestras, the Gewandhausorchester sounds surprisingly sloppy, scrappy, and bored here. Berlin Classics' early stereo sound is the aural equivalent of cold and overcast with a chance of rain. There are dozens of better recordings of Schumann's Second and Third symphonies -- one thinks immediately of
Szell and the
Cleveland Orchestra's bright, propulsive performances or
Sawallisch and the
Dresden Staatskapelle's big-hearted readings -- and this disc may ultimately be of interest only to those who collect
Konwitschny recordings.