Madam, - Michael Dervan's otherwise excellent article on Sir Neville Marriner (Arts, November 5th) omits one of Marriner's most memorable achievements.
Marriner was the first conductor, in his 1981-84 Philips recordings, to attempt to see Schubert's symphonic oeuvre in its full perspective. To the normal concert repertoire of the early symphonies (Nos 1-6), the "Unfinished" (No 8) and the "Great C major" (No 9), he added not just realisations of Symphonies Nos 7 and 10, but a convincing completion of No 8, using a movement from Rosamunde, and the first recordings of partial symphonic movements from two symphonies lying in time between Nos 6 and 7.
All of the performances shine with Marriner's habitual perceptiveness, and that of Symphony No 5, is, in my view, the most effervescent committed to disc by anyone. - Yours, etc,
Dr MARTIN PULBROOK, Enniscoffey, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.