Three days before the
first performance of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth
Symphony in October of 1893, the composer
had written a letter to the music director
of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw orchestra
to accept an invitation to conduct his
new work with the famous ensemble. Six
weeks later, Tchaikovsky was dead, and
it was left to a young rising star named
Willem Mengelberg to conduct the Netherlands
premiere of the symphony.
Recently, I and several
of my colleagues reviewed
another Naxos historical recording of
this work, conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler,
and each of us agreed in principle that
his was a noteworthy, majestic rendition.
How interesting it was for me then,
to receive, in as many months, a second
historical recording performed by one
of Furtwängler’s colleagues and
contemporaries, and an equally legendary
podium master. The differences between
the two recordings, only three years
apart in the making are striking, right
down to the tone and sound of the respective
orchestras.
Mengelberg was not
particularly known for majestic choices
of tempo, unless it was in the works
of say, Bach, whose St. Matthew Passion
he managed to drag out to Wagnerian
proportions, even with considerable
cuts. Coming in at nearly five full
minutes faster than his German counterpart,
Mengelberg eschews the grandiose and
rather sentimental approach favored
by the Berliner. Instead, we get a splendidly
paced, dramatically taut performance
with an attention to detail and orchestral
color. So vivid are the shadings that
Mengelberg achieves that it becomes
a shame that this great tone painter
did not have the advantage of modern
recording technology.
There are some strange
hints of intonation trouble in the brass
at times, but one has to speculate that
this is a defect in the original master
discs and not in the playing. The intensity
is simply too palpable and the sharpness
of rhythmic gestures too dead-on to
allow me to suspect that this great
orchestra played out of tune.
With the exception
of the sound quality, which Mark Obert-Thorn
has restored to as near perfection as
is humanly possible, this is a disc
that should be amongst the absolute
must-haves for anyone who loves romantic
music. Everything that one could desire
in the performance is there. Drama:
as is evidenced in the burst of the
brass after the opening movement’s slow
introduction, and the unrelenting energy
that carries us to the end. Elegance:
which comes in buckets in the lovely
"waltz." Drive: as the third
movement marches home, and resignation
in the final quiet bars of the work.
An ageless performance, and one that
deserves continued presence in the catalogue.
As a splendid bonus,
we are treated to a warm and energetic
rendition of the gorgeous Serenade for
Strings. Again, Mr. Obert-Thorn proves
his genius by giving us every hint possible
as to the glorious sound the Concertgebouw
string section must have made. What
a pity that such a great hand as Mengelberg’s
had to be preserved in such antiquated
sound.
Buy this! It is a winner
on all fronts.
Kevin Sutton
Concertgebouw Orchestra/Willem Mengelberg
