Schubert, the 'unfinished' symphonist

Franz Schubert was a prolific composer of songs, symphonies and piano music. / Korea Times file

By Do Je-hae

• Published Oct 22, 2014 4:34 PM KST
• Updated Oct 22, 2014 4:34 PM KST

This is the fourth in a column series about pathfinders in classical music. — ED.

By Do Je-hae

One of the biggest perks about writing for the culture desk is that I get the chance to hear some of the best orchestras in the world.

But at some point, I stopped getting excited about the orchestral performances because of the repetitive programs. I got tired of the Beethoven 7th or the 9th and Tchaikovsky’s final symphony “The Pathetique,” among some of the most popular works that that orchestras performing in Korea keep repeating.

I like to learn about new works and explore different composers when I attend a concert. This is the main reason I make the time to hear a live performance. So I was happy to learn that the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing Schubert — a composer that rarely appears on orchestral programs here. On Friday, the nation’s top orchestra will play Schubert’s ninth symphony “The Great” at Seoul Arts Center. For symphonic music lovers, this is a rare opportunity to hear this ravishing masterpiece live.

I find that Schubert is among the most underappreciated symphonists in Korea. I doubt any Korean orchestra will program Schubert in their concerts in the near future. In the last few years that I have covered classical music for my paper, I have never seen an orchestra, Korean or foreign, perform one of Schubert’s nine symphonies.

I believe that the lack of interest in Schubert among the classical music community here stems from the education they get in schools. Korean music textbooks only provide shallow knowledge about classical music composer.

I still remember the high school textbook that I studied with and it only had a few paragraphs about Schubert. It labeled him “King of Song,” for the 600 lied that he wrote and that he died young. The textbook had no mentioning of his stunning array of chamber music — like my favorite the Piano Trio No.1 — or that he had written nine symphonies that had left an indelible mark in symphonic music history. And what about his exceptional legacy in piano, particularly the impromtus, the hauntingly beautiful “Wanderer’s Fantasy” and the 21 sonatas?

While Schubert may be underappreciated in Korea’s concert halls, it is one of the most frequently performed composers of the early 19th century.

Posthumous fame

The Austrian composer did not get the fame that he deserved in his lifetime but in the decades after his death in 1828 at age 31, he gained more respect as composers like Mendelssohn, Schumann, Listz and Brahms championed his works.

One of the works that contributed greatly to Schubert’s posthumous success and fame is his final symphony “The Great” in C major. He wrote 9 symphonies, the most famous being the 8th, or “unfinished” symphony. But it is the 9th that I have a deep attachment to, because of a very special Claudo Abbado recording of the piece that I stumbled across at a record store during a difficult time in my life a few years ago. This recording provided much consolation and increased my appreciation for Schubert as a symphonist.

I had loved Schubert for a long time, particularly his piano works, but it was when I discovered this recording that I developed an entirely new relationship and understanding of his music.

It is unfortunate that he died so young. Given his prolific output in his short 31 years, I think he would have made more history as a symphonist had he lived to be an old man like Beethoven or Mahler.

That’s why I like to think of him as an “unfinished symphonist” rather than a “king of songs.”