This SACD records a significant event in the history of the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra - a performance before a papal
audience no less. The Pope is himself Bavarian, so spending
state broadcaster's money on the jolly isn't quite as profligate
as it might first appear. And whatever the politics and logistics
behind the event, they treated him to a cracking performance
of the Choral Symphony. There are plenty of recordings of the
piece on disc, but this one easily holds its own in the face
of almost any competition.
Unlike some conductors today, Mariss Jansons goes for steady
speeds in most of the music. That can lead to a lack of propulsion,
but never to a lack of intensity or involvement. The sheer quality
of the playing the emotional engagement of every single player,
no doubt sharpened by the occasion, make this a very special
performance indeed. So often, the practice of recording concerts
live for orchestras' own labels can seem a mere financial convenience,
but this recording demonstrates how it can really work to benefit
the result. There is a sense of atmosphere in every single bar
that you could only get from a live performance, and a top notch
one at that. Mariss Jansons has been doing these live recordings
for a few years now, and not just with the BRSO, and he really
knows how much he can rely on that atmosphere. So those slower
tempos, especially in the first movement, they work because
he does not need to relentlessly drive the orchestra on to get
the energy he needs. And there is never any suggestion of laziness
or letting up of emotional intensity. He even resists racking
up the tempo and dynamics in the coda of the first movement,
and he gets away with that too. Instead of the usual rush for
the double bar, we hear the individual notes of the string scales
and the round, almost understated intensity of the woodwind
chords. He does go for it in the Coda of the finale, but his
restraint up to that point only makes those final bars all the
more intense.
The interpretation of the finale here is quite a complex business.
Jansons is clearly intent on expressing more with this music
than a mere 'Ode to Joy'. His reading of the finale is filled
with darker undertones, which like in the preceding movements
often result from the combination of steady tempos and crystal
clarity in the orchestral textures. Whatever Jansons adds interpretively
to the finale - and ultimately it is up to the listener to find
their own interpretations of his revisionist approach - there
is a continual sense of furrowed-brow conviction that prevents
the listener from taking anything at face value. The liner-note
quotes Bekker, Adorno and other 20th century musical
luminaries to demonstrate the necessity of this sort of approach
in the modern world. And it is hard to question that necessity
without resorting to an ontology of music based in pure escapism.
So it is a reading to make you think about, as much as enjoy,
the music. Don't get me wrong though, it is an enjoyable listen
too. The sound quality is very good, another reason recommend
this over most Beethoven 9s. Bavarian Radio took their own team
to the Vatican, and the result is almost the equal of their
recent BR Klassik recordings from Munich. But unlike Munich's
Philharmonie am Gasteig, the Paul VI Audience Hall is not a
dedicated concert hall, so the acoustics are inevitably inferior.
In fact, given the gargantuan size of the hall (only part of
which is actually in the Vatican City) the engineers have done
an impressive job. The clarity of the string sound is particularly
good, as is the intensity of the choral sound. The woodwind
and brass sections perform as well as any I've heard on a Beethoven
9 recording, and the audio does them full justice. Incidentally,
that solemn tone that Jansons maintains throughout the finale
is not compromised by the contrabassoon passage towards the
end, and while it usually sounds quite flatulent, the player
here manages a focused and dark tone.
So, you don't have to be a Catholic to enjoy this recording,
nor do you need to know anything about the circumstances of
its performance, which is just as well because the liner-notes
don't go into very much detail. It is a thoroughly modern Beethoven
9 though, and one that takes nothing for granted. Jansons yet
again demonstrates the deep intellect behind his conducting
approach, and like many of his BR Klassik recordings to date,
the result is a distinctive and deeply felt reading that presents
one of the most well-known works in the repertoire in a surprising
new light.
Gavin Dixon
Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano); Lioba Braun (alto); Michael Schade
(tenor); Michael Volle (bass) 
900108 [66:19] 
