Franz Schubert’s Symphony in C major very much deserves its popular designation: it is indeed “The Great.” Aft er all, its playing length of an hour means that it transcends the dimensions of everything that came before it. Moreover, with this mighty feat Schubert was very much inviting direct comparison with the works of a certain composer who was almost thirty years his senior: Beethoven.

Peter Gülke and his Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra discover hidden and more obvious allusions while situating this gigantic work, complete and unabridged, in a previously hardly noticed, surprising comparative context and present the results in vibrant SACD sound.

On this recording Peter Gülke once again shows why he has been showered with the highest honors in the field of music and the study of literature. Just in time for the two hundredth anniversary of the Brandenburg Theatre, he and his orchestra are in top form. In keeping with the festive occasion - and the outstanding importance of the work - Schubert’s symphony is heard in luxurious three dimensional sound. Genuinely great music conveyed in magnificent audio form!