Braithwaite takes a Brucknerian view of Shostakovich’s
great war symphony. A view which imparts great length and seriousness
but which seems to me to conceal traps. If one compares the timings
of this performance with the three recordings I took from my shelves
(Haitink (Decca), Mravinsky (Moscow 1982, live, Philips nla) and Litton
(Delos)) one thing becomes obvious. At 67:24 Braithwaite takes far longer
than any of them. This is longer even than Haitink [61:55], whose rightly
praised recording was already on the slow side compared to the (young
and not-so-young) whizz-kids, Litton [59:17] and Mravinsky [59:35].
Timings are not the whole story of course, but the
impression that emerges from comparisons is consistent; the slow performance
gains in grandeur but loses the savagery which is an essential part
of this epic masterpiece. By making so much of the two slow movements,
Shostakovich invites solemnity. Equally he must have expected the violent
scherzos at the centre of the work to be a contrast both on the symphonic
scale as well as providing contrast of emotional impact. If one takes
the outer movements even more slowly, then those central movements must
be played, to my mind, with an even greater ferocity, so as to convey
the anger and despair that the composer seems to have felt about the
"Great Patriotic War". That is where Braithwaite fails to
match aim with achievement. I started by calling this performance Brucknerian;
I did so with care. Bruckner wrote from a deep and firm faith. Shostakovich
wrote from a grim and often angry desperation. This is what I cannot
hear.
The Adelaide Orchestra is very good. There are no serious
grounds to dismiss this recording on performance quality (or recording
quality, which is clear and has a suitably huge dynamic range). The
notes by Anthony Fogg are clear and useful. My doubts are almost entirely
interpretative. I say almost because the Adelaide is not the Concertgebouw,
but nor is Litton’s Dallas orchestra. Perhaps the big snag is the presence
in the catalogue (or at least on my shelves) of Mravinsky. This is the
man who gave many first performances of Shostakovich’s works - including
this one - and the fierce concentration of his performance, more than
adequately recorded, is so overwhelming that in the end I have to retain
the very first word I wrote down about this worthy Australian CD, superfluous.
Dave Billinge
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Nicholas Braithwaite