Franz Schmidt’s finely crafted Symphony No. 1, grandiose in scale and optimistic in mood, recalls the masterpieces of other great Romantic composers, Brahms, Bruckner and Reger, and won the Beethoven Prize in 1900. His opera Notre Dame, based on Victor Hugo’s novel, was first staged in Vienna in 1914, and won him an international reputation. Under Vassily Sinaisky the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, whose other Naxos recordings have been highly praised, makes a strong case for the revival of Schmidt’s strangely neglected, yet sumptuous and deeply satisfying music. The Malmo Symphony Orchestra has been described as “world class” by ClassicsToday whilst Vassily Sinaisky was described in the following terms by International Record Review: “Vassily Sinaisky, as usual, offers rich performances that coax out the music’s colour and melodic appeal.” “The Malmö Symphony Orchestra is entering a new era with Vassily Sinaisky as its principal conductor…it now deserves a place on the European music scene as an orchestra of distinction.” Skånska Dagbladet