Reviewing the ASMF performances of Weber's symphonies on ASV, William Mann took pleasure in their freshness and in the clear quality of the recording; and so do I. Sawallisch's performances are less well recorded—I doubt if the slight haze on the tone can be attributed to romantic distancing from the object perceieved—though there is nothing that need deter those who prefer his style of performance. This is sometimes more obviously romantic, in its sense of foreboding and its feeling for darkness; but, as in the first movement of Symphony No. 1, Marriner can produce a suitably furtive, sinister air that is blown away by the almost pert brightness of the succeeding episode. Marriner also has a more appealing oboe player than Sawallisch: the part is an important one in both symphonies, for the Duke who commissioned them was particularly fond of the oboe. Marriner gives the finale of this work greater sharpness and pungency.
In No. 2, the chief surprise is the tempo of the Menuetto, marked Allegro but taken by Sawallisch at an almost Klemperer-like portentous pace; Marriner is brisk here, and I think more effective. The finales go well in both accounts; in the dark-hued Adagio of No. 2, there is a point in Sawallisch's more mysterious manner, though I like the sensitive phrasing and the clearer recorded balance of Marriner, especially when Weber's scoring is so original. But though my own choice goes to Marriner, it is good to see an alternative offered for these works, which have a good case made out for them by the German writer of the Orfeo sleeve-note, Dietmar Holland.'