Franz Schmidt’s symphonies cover the years 1899 to 1933 and chart a development securely within the Austro-German tradition. The contrapuntal mastery of Symphony no.1, the command of variations in no.2, the harmonic sophistication of no.3, and the best-known of the quartet, the elegiacal and highly Romantic no.4, all evoke a distinctive sound world and contain powerful expressive features. The accompanying orchestral works, including the popular Intermezzo from the opera Notre Dame, are equally powerful examples of his art. The recordings in this set received high praise with BBC Music Magazine lauding Vassily Sinaisky’s ‘revelatory cycle’.

This is a set of previously released recordings all performed by Vassily Sinaisky and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Gramophone admired Vol.3 (8572119) for being ‘mightily impressive and, as with the symphony, the orchestral delivery is a delight. Recommended’. On Vol.4 (8572118), BBC Music Magazine praised ‘Vassily Sinaisky’s masterly structural command and choice of tempos…Altogether a radiant end to a revelatory cycle.’

Sinaisky has recorded Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no.1 and the Paganini Variations with Boris Giltburg on 8574528: ‘Throughout this superb disc, Giltburg is a joy to hear, lightly pedalled, consistently on the qui vive, weaving and darting, with a delicious leggiero touch and crystal-clear articulation… With Vassily Sinaisky rousing the Brussels Philharmonic to play at the top of their game… these are among the finest accounts of these works’ (Gramophone).

Russian conductor Vassily Sinaisky enjoys a highly distinguished career holding important positions with many of the world’s leading orchestras and opera houses. Most recently he held the position of chief conductor and music director of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, and in September 2023 commenced his fourth season as music director of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava. Sinaisky is also Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Philharmonic, Conductor Emeritus of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and honorary conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. He has previously held the positions of principal guest conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, music director and principal conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and music director of the Russian State Orchestra.