The New York Philharmonic Rendition of Schuberts Unfinished Symphony - Review by Andrew Davis

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony was unbelievable. I have heard the work before, but never live and in person. The Enormity of the venue at Lincoln Center is almost overlooked by those who have the good fortune to be seated near the front to the stage. When I entered I was struck with the need to gaze not only at the golden stage in the distance, but up at the tremendous height of the ceiling, much like entering a large cathedral where although the sermon is taking place at the front of the room, it is important to realise that what is happening is much more important for it attempts to transcend and look towards the eternal. And although Schubert's piece wasn't intended to be religious, I was absolutely enraptured.  

The biggest difference between hearing a piece of music on a speaker or headphones vs a live performance is that their is something to look at. The recording only hints at the human element that produced the work, however the Live performance constantly reminds the listener that this piece of music is human. And perhaps the most important element in order to  humanise  an orchestra is the conductor. In this case, the conductor surely did an excellent job at humanising with his lively hand gestures that emulated everything from flowing water, to a fighter who was throwing some practice jabs at his opponent. This is not to discredit the humanity of the performers who were as lively as ever. But every once and a while the orchestra verges on reenacting a robot factory, especially the violins who's longbows synchronicity is reminiscent of some mechanical motion in a large factory.

As for the piece itself, it goes without saying that it is a stupendous work of art that surely falls under the timeless category. I am only disatisfied with the title. Perhaps it is too silly to think about renaming a work that is as iconic as this, but one still wonders if it is worth keeping the awkward title. It also brings up the question of the ability for a piece of work to be unfinished at all. Maybe a work of art is never unfinished, and that in each moment of time that it is being created it is finished in that moment. I would much rather have the title of the piece be Schubert's Symphony so that it may keep most of the title without distracting from the work.

After this religious experience, I am much more likely to become a devote follower of live classical music.