FRANZ BERWALD : Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (Thomas Dausgaard) 2CD (2004) Two Version | APE (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Half a decade after their first release on Chandos, Brilliant Classics has re-released Thomas Dausgaard and the Danish National Radio Symphony's recording Berwald's four symphonies. The only thing that has changed between the two releases is the price. The quality of the pieces, the performances, and the sound remain as they were before. The pieces, of course, are far and away the best symphonies written by a Swede in the Romantic period. Highly imaginative, brilliantly scored, robustly rhythmic, formally inventive, and thoroughly melodic, Berwald's symphonies rank right below Mendelssohn and Schumann's symphonies in the post-Beethoven/pre-Brahms repertoire. The performances, while very good, are not quite great. A skillful conductor, Dausgaard clearly understands the music and manifestly feels some affection for it, but his performances are just a tad too heavy and a shade too dark for the ebullient Berwald. Where the music should run, it jogs, and where it should soar, it plods. The Danish musicians do an adequate job of getting through the scores, but their playing lacks shine and sparkle. Chandos' sound was a bit distant, but clear and colorful, and Brilliant's sound is exactly identical. Of the digital recordings, Okko Kamu's, Roy Goodman's, Sixten Ehrling's, and Herbert Blomstedt's are better choices. James Leonard 
FRANZ BERWALD (1796-1868)
Tracklist 1 :
1-4.    Sinfonie Sérieuse (Symphony No. 1) In G Minor
5.    Erinnerung An Die Norwegischen Alpen (Memory Of The Norwegian Alps)    
6-8.    Sinfonie Capricieuse (Symphony No. 2) In D Major
Tracklist 2 :
1-3.    Sinfonie Singulière (Symphony No. 3) In C Major
4.    Elfenspiel (Play Of The Elves) Tone Painting For Large Orchestra
5-8.    Sinfonie Naïve (Symphony No. 4) In E Flat Major
Credits : 
Conductor – Thomas Dausgaard
Orchestra – Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.  

FRANZ BERWALD : 4 Symphonies (Gothenburg SO · Neeme Järvi) 2CD | Three Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

FRANZ BERWALD (1796-1868)
Tracklist 1 :
1-3.    Sinfonie Singulière (No 3) In C Major
4-6.    Sinfonie Capricieuse (No 2) In D Major
Tracklist 2 :
1-4.    Sinfonie "No 4" In E Flat Major
5-8.    Sinfonie Sérieuse (No 1)
Credits : 
Conductor – Neeme Järvi
Orchestra – Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra 

FRANZ BERWALD : Piano Quintets (Uppsala Chamber Soloists · Bengt-Åke Lundin) (2000) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless.cue), lossless

 For much of the nineteenth century in Sweden, music-making was confined to small-scale chamber music at home and ambitious composers had to move abroad to seek acceptance of their work. Whilst Berwald enjoyed some success in continental Europe, only a handful of his orchestral works were performed in Sweden during his lifetime. This caused him in later years to concentrate on chamber music, completing two piano quintets, two string quartets, three piano trios as well as duos for violin and piano and cello and piano. Berwald received much encouragement from his friend Liszt for his piano quintets, and dedicated his Quintet in A major to Liszt, a ‘true poetic master’. When Liszt received a score of the work he praised Berwald’s invention, skill and elegant style whilst adding, somewhat prophetically: ‘you truly possess originality but you will not enjoy success during your lifetime. Nevertheless you must persevere. naxos
FRANZ BERWALD (1796-1868)
1-3.    Piano Quintet No. 1 In C Minor    (25:31)
4-7.    Piano Quintet No. 2 In A Major    (31:48)
8-9.    Two Movements From A Piano Quintet In A Major (5:31)
Credits : 
Orchestra – Uppsala Chamber Soloists
Piano – Bengt-Åke Lundin
Cover [painting] – Walter Moras

FRANZ BERWALD : The Complete String Quartets (The Yggdrasil Quartet) (1996) FLAC (tracks), lossless

FRANZ BERWALD (1796-1868)
1-4.    String Quartet No. 1 In G Minor (1818)  (32:30)
5-8.    String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor (1849)  (21:37)
9-13.    String Quartet No. 3 In E Flat Major (1849)  (21:47)
Ensemble – The Yggdrasil Quartet
Cello – Per Nyström 
Viola – Robert Westlund
Violin [II] – Per Öman
Violin [I] – Fredrik Paulsson 

SCHOENBERG : The Piano Music = Das Klavierwerk = L'Œuvre Pianistique (Maurizio Pollini) (1975) RM | 20th Century Classics Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Without an understanding of Schoenberg's concentrated language and intensity of expression, performances of his piano music can suffer either from cerebral dryness or confused murkiness. On this CD, Maurizio Pollini strikes a fine balance between analytical and emotionally demonstrative approaches to produce a lucid yet passionate result. Pollini's interpretations change appopriately from piece to piece, revealing that these keyboard works are as varied as the stages of Schoenberg's career, from the Post-Romanticism of his early years to the liberating innovations of his maturity. The enigmatic, ambivalently chromatic Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, and the more adventurous, atonal Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19, signify the development of a new language, perhaps similar in mood to late Scriabin, but free of old mannerisms. The Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23, benefiting from Pollini's clarity and concentration, sound spare and aphoristic. In the 12-tone Suite, Op. 25, Pollini brings out the wit and fluid elegance that run throughout the work, which approaches Neo-Classicism in both form and wry detachment. The Two Piano Pieces, Op. 33a and 33b, are free-standing and integral expressions, despite their brevity. Deutsche Grammophon's high-quality sound is clean, with only minimal tape hiss. Blair Sanderson

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG (1819-1896)
1-3.  Drei Klavierstücke Op. 11  (13:36)
4-9.  Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke Op. 19  (5:10)
10-14.  Fünf Klavierstücke Op. 23 3 (10:12)
15-21.  Suite Für Klavier Op. 25  (14:16)
22.  Klavierstück Op. 33a. Mässig (2:06)
23.  Klavierstück Op. 33b. Mässig Langsam (3:31)
Credits :
Design [Cover] – Holger Matthies
Piano – Maurizio Pollini