Symphonies nos. 1 & 5

"Vurdering: Ugens cd" - "Det er ikke første gang, at Schubert, Dausgaard og Det Svenske Kammerorkester deler titlen som Ugens Cd. Den nye cd er en del af en fremragende serie af orkestermusik med den danske dirigent og hans svenske orkester, kaldet Opening Doors ... Filosofien bag ... er at tage udgangspunkt i Det Svenske Kammerorkesters lille besætning, og at spille Schubert, og andre komponister, i en frisk og klar version ... Denne moderne, energiske, transparente musikalske verden er Thomas Dausgaards og hans kammerorkesters hjemmebane, og har været det længe. Det er tydeligt både på de øvrige cd'er i serien og på den nye udgivelse".

"Strings are well drilled, woodwind chatty and personable. Foster knows how he wants this music to go and communicates his vision to his players ... It's more than adequately played and Pentatone's sound is sympathetic to players and music alike, so a continuation from these quarters into Schubert's symphonic maturity will be interesting to hear".

"Zinman's grasp of this music is, to my mind, totally convincing; his profound understanding of the importance of pulse in Schubert adds considerably to our appreciation of the young composer's achievement ... The playing of the Zurich Tonhalle is truly excellent throughout; the musicians are as one in their realization of Zinman's view of the music ... This is a most impressive disc which is strongly recommended".

"As a total performance ... there's nothing to question, instead appreciating the woodwind decorating their parts in the slow movement, and revelling in the Zurich Tonhalle's expertise. But here's the rub: they play like a conductorless band because Zinman is dispassionate, reluctant to fathom the emotional horizons of each work".

"While he may not have trumped every ace, Dausgaard proves unusually successful in gauging their proportions so as to result in a cohesive totality [Complete cycle] ... Dausgaards account ... ranks with the best of recent years. An engaging conclusion to a fine disc, and to a notable Schubert cycle".

"The operatic fragments complement the symphonies ideally, making this a first-rate companion to the Swedish CO's discs of Symphonies Nos. 3-9".

"In all, it appears that of the recently established Schubert symphony cycles, this might be one to look out for. If further enticement to investigate were required, then a curtain-raiser in the form of a particularly louring and intense Overture to the ill-fated opera Fierrabras only adds to the allure. It feels rather as if 2019 is turning into a vintage year for Schubert recordings. Lucky old Schubert - and lucky us!".