Schubert: Symphony No. 9 ("Great") in C Major, Five German Dances

Featuring

Iván Fischer
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Franz Schubert

Did you know?

1/7

Composition History

Robert Schumann discovered Schubert's Ninth Symphony in 1838 among a pile of manuscripts at Schubert's brother Ferdinand's home, exclaiming, 'Those who do not know this work, know little of Schubert!'

Compositional Technique

Schubert composed over 400 waltzes, ländler, and other dances for piano, many of which were improvised at social occasions and later refined and written down.

Performer Biography

Iván Fischer, the conductor on this album, is the founder and Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C.

Composer Biography

Franz Schubert, unlike other Viennese classical composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, was the only one who originated from Vienna and spent his entire life there.

Critical Reception

Schubert's Ninth Symphony, known as 'the Great,' was initially deemed too long and difficult by orchestral musicians, with the strings finding the finale unplayable.

Critical Reception

When Felix Mendelssohn attempted to rehearse Schubert's Ninth Symphony in London, the orchestra reportedly burst out laughing at the horn theme in the last movement.

Performer Biography

Iván Fischer has introduced new types of concerts, including 'cocoa-concerts' for children, 'surprise' concerts with unannounced programs, and 'one forint concerts' where he speaks to the audience.