Robin Ticciati & SCO - Schumann: The Symphonies - Inside Story

Andrew Ford's pick of 2014 album releases

...

Finally, no new release has given me greater pleasure in 2014 than conductor Robin Ticciati's survey of the four symphonies of Schumann with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. You still find people who believe these pieces to consist of orchestral stodge, but over the years a succession of conductors have taken it upon themselves to prove otherwise. For some reason, the music has appealed especially to composer-conductors. Leonard Bernstein and Benjamin Britten were both champions of Schumann. Pierre Boulez brought his x-ray ears to the orchestral works to prove you could hear all the details. Mahler even rewrote the symphonies to give Schumann a helping hand. Ticciati shows, beyond doubt, that if you balance the instruments correctly, find the right tempi - swift, but not extremely so - and phrase and point the music with care, the pieces can have the same buoyancy and gossamer transparency as Mendelssohn. Perhaps it helps that Ticciati's orchestra is small, but I must say there's no want of power here, just wonderful playing that fully refurbishes four repertoire staples.