Wiener Philharmoniker, Carlos Kleiber - Franz Schubert - Symphonies Nos. 3 & 8 'Unfinished' (1997)

More distinguished Schubert arrives courtesy of the Vienna Philharmonic under Carlos Kleiber and a fine 1978 coupling of the Third and Eighth Symphonies. These are lean, intense readings, beautifully played (the Third's sprightly Allegretto breezes past at just 245) though a paltry playing time of 46'14" will not please bargain-hunters. I'd far rather Kleiber's quicksilver Schubert than Karajan's heavyweight, uninflected Mendelssohn (although I felt better disposed towards these lustrous 1971 BPO recordings when they first appeared on CD). -- Robert Cowan, Gramophone