Hindemith: Nobilissima Visione Suite; Mathis der Maler Symphony; Symphonic Metamorphosis – review

Together with the symphony he extracted from his opera Die Harmonie der Welt, these are Hindemith's best-known works for full orchestra, though only one of the three, the Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber, originated as a work for the concert hall. The three-movement suite Nobilissima Visione comes from a ballet score, while the Mathis der Maler symphony is adapted from Hindemith's opera of the same name about the life of the painter Matthias Grünewald. All three get very finely judged and carefully detailed performances from John Neschling and the São Paulo Symphony, especially in the reflective sections of Mathis de Maler and Nobilissima Visione, which have a real radiance. Ideally, the Weber elaborations need a bit more brilliance than they get here, but otherwise these performances of music that is distinctly unfashionable at present can be thoroughly recommended.