SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor, (Unfinished)
Sonata in C, D840, ‘Relique’
Symphony No 9 in C, D944, ‘Great’


I attended an all Schubert concert with Schiff and the Philharmonia earlier this year. Then,  he conducted two early Schubert symphonies and played a most idiomatic rendition of the very Viennese and beautiful A major Sonata D 664. Overall I was delighted with that concert and wrote  favourably of it.

With this in mind I was anticipating tonight's concert with a great deal of positive expectation. But after only a few minutes into the opening and exposition of the ‘Unfinished’ symphony, I was totally disappointed with Schiff’s slow lumbering tempo, which he maintained throughout the work.  Schubert’s unambiguous marking for this movement is ‘Allegro moderato’, a basic tempo structure which corresponds with the contrasts in flowing lyricism and dramatic charge which permeates the whole piece. The famous G major lyrical second subject initiated in the celli,  dragged here in a dreary four-square manner eliciting nothing of the gentle swaying lilt and  dance-like movement so well  understood by conductors steeped in the classical Viennese tradition; Kleiber (père et fils), Krips, Schuricht, and Bohm, to name just a few. Additionally, the various rhythmic shifts and minor key modulations which constitute the dramatic development section went for virtually nothing here. I couldn’t discern a clear 3/8 tempo in the opening E major of the ‘andante’ and the astonishing series of dynamic/tonal modulations in the movement's  development sounded peculiarly bland despite some well articulated woodwind and string work from the orchestra. Schiff’s correct antiphonal orchestral seating arrangement, although revealing much string detail, was no compensation for the overall shortcomings of the interpretation.

In terms of programming planning it was an excellent idea to include the Sonata in C major D840, known as the ‘Relique’ (Relic). Like the ‘Unfinished’ Symphony, it too is incomplete, but also like the more famous symphony, it has a peculiar feel of completeness about it, especially as the second movement 'Andante' is in the home key, C minor; an unusual in Schubert’s ‘completed’ works. The sonata certainly needs to be played more often than it is and taken  overall,  Schiff gave it a fine rendition. But I didn’t find quite the subtlety and understanding of lyrical/dramatic contrast heard in Schiff’s recording of this sonata. The first movement B minor development section, which echoes the rhythm and gentle syncopations of the sonata’s opening phrases, lacked a certain poetry. Again there was a four-square impression throughout Schiff’s playing tonight. In the ‘Andante’,  Schubert’s fascinating tonal shifts from minor to major, redolent of Pamina’s aria ‘Ach, ich Fuhls’ from the Magic Flute‘ lacked the quasi bi-tonal pianistic finesse found by pianists like Richter and Brendel - the latter present in the audience tonight.

In contrast to the ponderous tempo that Schiff chose for the  ‘Unfinished’ symphony he deployed relatively swift tempi for the ‘Great’ C major symphony. I say ‘relatively’ as the ‘Andante con moto’ second movement lacked much ‘con moto’ quality; the central C sharp minor dramatic climactic clash in trombones and horns, here, being undermined by Schiff’s insertion of a quite unnecessary allargando. The first movement's  transition from 'Andante' to 'Allegro ma non troppo' was quite well managed, although once again Schiff didn’t really project the movement's  rhythmic thrust and diversity sufficiently. It  was well played with much woodwind and brass detail revealed, but overall was a little too well mannered. The C minor/major dramatically up-beat lead back to the re-capitulation after the development section,  lacked the necessary dramatic jolt, or wrench which can elicit such frisson when a Toscanini or Erich Kleiber is conducting. Schiff also included virtually every repeat which made the symphony run for  over an hour!

The ‘Scherzo, allegro vivace’ lacked a certain lilt and rhythmic elan. The extended trio section which Tovey characterised as ‘a huge single melody’ certainly lacked thefull-throated ländler quality (in woodwind and brass) which Mackerras brought to it last year with the same orchestra; and as in the first movement.  Schiff allowed the subtending rhythmic inflections to sag.

The gigantic ‘Allegro vivace’ finale (again with exposition repeat) was taken at a fairly consistent tempo,  mostly allowing the music to emerge in its own terms; but with one exception.  Each time the second subject appeared from the horn's repeated figures in the home tonic,  Schiff inserted  a rather distracting luften-pause. This is the kind of old-fashioned effect one associates with more ‘romantically’ inclined conductors like Bruno Walter (although Walter’s early fifties recording with the New York Philharmonic has no such mannerisms and is notable for maintaining a consistent tempo throughout the movement).

This, and the allargando in the second movement’s climax, made Schiff’s interpretation a rather strange fusion of old and new : although Schiff deployed a fairly large orchestra with six double basses positioned at the the back, the orchestral textures had a general light, swift, ‘period’ feel about them. The great coda with its mesmeric and menacing repetitions of the movement's four-note rhythmic motive was simply delivered, played well, but all a little too polite; not really an awe-inspiring or thrilling symphonic event.

Tovey spoke of this movement in terms of ‘grotesque power’, of ‘massive cosmic drive’; of  ‘energetic spin’ ‘as terrible as anything in Beethoven and  Michelangelo”. I heard none of this tonight. Playing Schubert’s ‘Great’ C major symphony well in a musically competent manner is one thing; but realising in performance Schubert’s quite Panglossian and cosmic vision is quite another.


Geoff Diggines


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