As in the two previous issues of this Brahms symphony cycle Chandos have provided a rarely played work by Schumann as fill-up. And as before there is a strange contrast between the performance of the symphony and that of the shorter Schumann work. Julius Caesar is a good, strong, effective piece, played with splendid vigour and purpose, as one would expect from Jarvi. But then the symphony opens gently and unobtrusively, and with a rather enervating lack of momentum. Phrasing is routine, the music's pulse is slack, and although the LSO play well they don't seem at all inspired. Towards the middle of the movement tension rises a little, but then Jarvi introduces expressive ritardandos which impede the musical argument and pull the structure out of shape. The temperature is low in the slow movement too, which tends to meander, and the third movement is routinely played, with little sparkle. In the finale Jarvi gets livelier playing from the LSO, but accents are still not sharp enough and phrasing is uninspired. It is a curiously generalized interpretation, with a lack of real commitment and warmth. At the end of the work Jarvi does find more energy and attack, but it's too late to save the performance as a whole, which is set in a very high-quality recording.
How different is Gunter Wand's performance of the symphony on EMI. His is a rather old-fashionedly romantic approach, with generous phrasing, golden warmth and lyricism, and a luminous quality in the orchestral texture. But there is still a clear sense of shape and line in his use of phrase, and particularly in the first movement a feeling of cumulative growth and an eye for the need to preserve a sense of structure. Only in the last movement is there perhaps a slight lack of energy. Wand receives a good, average recording. Karajan's mid-price EMI disc dates from 1955, but the sound is astonishingly fine. His performance is more objective than that of Wand, well-paced and shaped, with broad, flowing lines and a certain restrained lyricism. And he offers too a very good account of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony.
Wand's disc has no fill-up, but if price is not a factor then his performance is still the best available.'