Right from the Spring Symphony's opening fanfare there is no doubt that Masur's Schumann means business. Bracing and boldly sounded, this is Schumann of immense confidence, purpose and strength. The first movement's allegro, though, would have been even more impressive if the vibrant LPO strings had been matched by the kind of spirited woodwind and brass playing to be found in Chailly's recent version on Decca. The Larghetto flows faster than usual (it is closer to the metronome marking than most rivals), with stresses and dynamics richly observed. There is an inevitable 'rightness', a natural release of happiness in its animated climax; and the woodwind and delicate string tracery of the main theme's restatement are in perfect proportion.
The finale contains some interesting features: the slight increase in speed at the end of the exposition (1'47'' and in repeat) prepares us for a more radical increase at the end of the recapitulation that pre-empts the coda's marked accelerando (I'm not wholly convinced); the tense crescendo of the development is ignited (literally) by forte trombones that arrive like a bolt from the blue (4'05'') but, a few seconds on, the rhythm is disrupted by a bad edit; and the firm tone and thrust in the closing pages provide an impressive, if somewhat cavalier conclusion.
I marginally prefer Chailly's warmer, more smiling way with the Spring Symphony (and not only because of the Royal Concertgebouw's more involved wind band) to Masur's Beethovenian muscle, but there's no doubting the stature of this reading. The real value of the disc, however, lies in Masur's very vital account of the original (1841 Leipzig) version of the Fourth. It is well known that Brahms preferred it to the more commonly known 1851 revision, referring to its ''greater charm, ease and clarity''. It's also well known that Schumann thickened the orchestration to make it more performance foolproof—but was this the real reason? Roger Norrington, who recently chose to record the revised version (EMI (CD) CDC7 54025-2—to be reviewed next month), felt that Schumann wanted ''the orchestra to sound like a choir, with instrumental doublings almost the way you'd find them in Bach or Handel''. It is also true to say that modern interpreters like Sawallisch (mid-price EMI) and Chailly don't seem to have a problem unravelling the revision's ''strangling undergrowth of woodwind'' (Tovey).
Certainly the decidedly jerky lead in to the first movement's allegro is a bit of a shock, and it is initially difficult not to conclude that this allegro sounds rather skeletal in its original form. But the clarity brings rewards in the finale, especially the second subject, where a dialogue of single woodwind instruments was later transformed into, as Tovey put it, ''thick plaster for full wind band''. There is something of the Spring Symphony's freshness here, which is surely appropriate as the 'original' Fourth dates from the same year. Countless other felicities, far too numerous to mention, await those only familiar with the revision, and Masur is a much more positive advocate than Solomons with his very fragile sounding Authentic Orchestra on a recent Collins Classics release. Watford Town Hall provides the setting for a lively, robust and airy sound with a good dynamic range and pleasing bloom.
The Haitink readings were perhaps underrated on first appearance, where the sound attracted more comment than the performances. Woodwind may lack the bright, open presence of the new Chailly, and there is sometimes an uneasy relationship between close strings and distant brass. But don't let these small details put you off, this is vintage Philips Concertgebouw sound, and vintage Haitink, too. The Spring Symphony marries gracioso refinement with youthful, bucolic energy; and if, in the Fourth, Haitink's architectural approach brings understatement in the earlier movements (the Romanza is slow and wan), patience is rewarded with one of the most exciting performances of the finale I've heard—the slow introduction has a monumental majesty, and the horns blaze gloriously at the close. In the final analysis, though, Sawallisch's readings are more consistently alive, and his disc also finds room for the Overture, Scherzo and Finale. There is, alas, no information on the music with this new Philips Laser Line Classics series.'