Schubert - Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 ("The Great")

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 ("The Great") Composed in 1825-1828; premiered in 1839 in Leipzig Performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) Recorded June 1977 at the Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin 0:00 I. Andante – Allegro ma non troppo 12:59 II. Andante con moto 26:09 III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace 40:22 IV. Finale: Allegro vivace Schubert composed his Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, known as "The Great" to distinguish it from his shorter Sixth Symphony, between 1825 and 1828. Despite completing this work shortly before his death, it was initially deemed too long and difficult by contemporary orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, who set it aside as unplayable. The score languished in obscurity until 1839, when Robert Schumann (1810-1856) discovered the manuscript in Vienna and took it back to Leipzig, where Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) conducted its long-overdue premiere. Today, it is celebrated as a masterpiece of the early romantic era, bridging the classical scale of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) with Schubert's expansive, lyrical architecture.