Robert Schumann’s works lie at the centre of German Romanticism, with an essentially lyrical style that reflects his quintessential place among the great German composers. From 1840 Schumann switched from writing, primarily, piano music and Lieder, to writing orchestral music, with the joyful First Symphony written in just four days, and the uplifting tone of the Second Symphony a remarkable triumph over depression and illness. But the effectiveness of Schumann’s orchestration in his symphonies has been the cause of much debate. Gustav Mahler’s re-orchestrations from the early 1900s provide models of tasteful modification that are suited to the larger orchestras of today.

Robert Schumann’s symphonies are deservedly popular, the undeniable quality of their music transcending any doubts about their original orchestration. Today’s historically informed performances have brought us closer to Schumann’s original conception, but Mahler’s subtle re-orchestrations were made in the light of instrumental developments and the increase in size of the typical symphony orchestra towards the beginning of the 20th century, and as a result are still of great benefit today.

Conductor Marin Alsop is an inspiring and powerful voice in the international music scene whose many Naxos recordings include a complete cycle of symphonies by Brahms and Prokofiev. Her 8-disc set of the orchestral music of her mentor Leonard Bernstein (8508018), was considered by ClassicsToday.com to present ‘performances as fine as Bernstein’s own, and sometimes even better’.

Marin Alsop is chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, which she leads at Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, and on recordings, broadcasts and tours. Her discography includes acclaimed Naxos recordings of symphonies by Brahms with the London Philharmonic, Dvořák with the Baltimore Symphony, and Prokofiev with the São Paulo Symphony. The first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, Alsop received the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award and was the first woman to conduct the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms. She is director of graduate conducting at the Peabody Institute and holds honorary doctorates from Yale University and The Juilliard School.

An ensemble of international renown, the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Vienna RSO) is a paragon of Viennese orchestral tradition. Known for its exceptional programming, the orchestra combines 19th-century repertoire with contemporary works and rarely performed pieces from other periods.

The Vienna RSO has recorded widely for the OehmsClassics and Capriccio labels, and its Naxos releases include an ‘inspiring and enjoyable’ (BBC Music Magazine) recording of Florence Price’s Third Symphony (8559897) and, also with Marin Alsop, Henze’s Nachtstücke und Arien (8574181) in performances that are ‘assured and lyrical’ (MusicWeb International).