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Schubert Wording of Eduard Hanslick’s critical analysis after the first performance

"The concert began with an overture by Anselm Hüttenbrenner (cf. "Österreich-Lexikon"), followed by Schubert’s novelty, which roused extraordinary enthusiasm. It consists of the first two movements of a symphony, which had been in Mr. Hüttenbrenner’s possession for 40 years and had been thought lost. We must be content with two movements which, restored to life, also brought new life to our concert halls. When, after a few introductory bars, clarinet and oboe sound unavoce a sweet melody on top of the quiet murmuring of the strings, any child knows the composer and a half-suppressed exclamation "Schubert" runs hummingly through the hall. He has hardly entered, but it is as if you knew his steps, his very way of opening the door. And if after this mournful melody in minor the contrasting G major theme sounds in the violoncelli, a charming song-theme with the ease of a "Ländler"dance, then every heart rejoices as if he were alive among us after a long period of absence. The whole movement is a sweet stream of melodies, in spite of its vigour and geniality so crystal-clear that you can see every pebble on the bottom. And everywhere the same warmth, the same golden sunshine that makes buds grow! The Andante unfolds itself broad and more majestic. Sounds of lament or anger rarely enter this song full of intimate, quiet happiness, clouds of a musical thunderstorm reflecting musical effect rather than dangerous passion. As if he could not separate himself from his own sweet song, the composer delays the end of the Adagio for a long while, for too long, in fact. We know this peculiarity of Schubert’s, which weakens the general effect of some of his compositions.

Also at the end of the Andante his flight seems to lose itself in the universe, but we still hear the powerful rustling of his wings.
The sonorous beauty of both movements is enchanting. With a few horn passages, an occasional brief clarinet or oboe solo on the simplest, most natural basis of orchestration, Schubert achieves sound effects which no refinement of Wagner’s instrumentation ever attains. We count the newly found symphonic fragment among Schubert’s most beautiful instrumental works and say this all the more gladly as we have more than once warned against an exaggerated Schubert piety and glorification."

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