Franz Schmidt, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi

The Canadian
27.11.2020

The situation is funny: Järvi father (Neeme) and Järvi fils (Paavo) compete for the market for the integrals of the symphonies of Franz Schmidt, a Viennese, whose production covers the period 1899-1933. The postromantic Schmidt never really made its hole, except, relatively, for the 4e Symphony, orchestral requiem in memory of his daughter. Its musical language derives from Mahler and Richard Strauss, but with a profusion and harmonic complexity that need to be tamed, as in Zemlinsky for example. The decisive contribution of Paavo Järvi is to clarify the structures and the polyphony of Schmidt. The close and precise sound recording allows a more carnal contact with sound textures, and the approach to the music is also more active and lively than that of its other competitors (Sinaïski, Luisi, Rajter). Paavo Järvi never “listens to himself conduct” while swooning over the beautiful music his orchestra produces. With its disarming evidence, it now dominates the discography and facilitates the composer’s approach.

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