Gustav MAHLER
Symphony No.1 in D
major
Dresdner Philharmonie/Herbert
Kegel
(Recorded in 1979)
BERLIN CLASSICS 0090382BC
[55.43]
Herbert Kegel's distinguished career took place almost entirely behind the
Iron Curtain in his native East Germany. He was never as well known in the
West as his Leipzig colleague, Kurt Masur, for example. He shared with Masur
an independence of mind from the prevailing régime by often performing
contemporary works that were under threat of ban by the authorities. Posts
in Leipzig and then Dresden gave him the opportunity to make recordings for
the East German labels but most of these were only fitfully available in
the West. His death in 1990, the year after the Berlin Wall came down, must
have robbed him of a more international career in the years that followed,
which was a great pity. However the list of recordings by him that Berlin
Classics have now released and which are listed in the liner booklet with
this recording remind us of his range with its leaning towards
20th century works. Berg's "Wozzek", Britten's War Requiem,
Schoenberg's "Moses and Aron", and works by Dessau and Penderecki are all
now available. But there are also works by Berlioz and Gounod as counterbalance.
Then there is this fine recording of Mahler's First Symphony where the first
movement receives a very lively and lyrical account with a good amount of
expressive rubato that is always appropriate, never cloying or mannered.
Kegel has a very persuasive way with the main "Wayfarer" theme especially
and puts a real spring into the steps of the rhythms. I also liked the unashamed
way he gets the strings to swoop in the portamenti asked for or expected.
It is surprising how many conductors shy away from this. In fact the string
playing throughout this recording is of a very high quality and note that
this is the Dresden Philharmonic not the more famous Staatskapelle, but they
need not fear any comparison. I also admired the way Kegel gradually increases
speed as the end of the movement approaches, winding up a good momentum to
carry us to the end. The second movement has a surprise at the very start
in that Kegel introduces an empathic and unmarked accent into the dance rhythm
I have never heard done before. It could even become annoying on repeated
hearings but there's no doubt it's distinctive and the orchestra appears
behind Kegel all the way with those string slides again apparent later on.
The overall tempo for the scherzo is steady and ungainly and I find this
more persuasive than some of the more impatient interpreters we sometimes
hear. The vibrato on the horn opening the trio tells us we are east of the
Iron Curtain but it's not too troublesome. East German orchestras never quite
went to the extremes of their Soviet colleagues. The trio itself is very
suave and knowing and I found myself smiling all the way through as it seems
as if Kegel might even be sending the music up. What an engaging guide to
this work Kegel is proving. When the main scherzo returns that added accent
I noted the first time round has gone, which is interesting to say the least.
Reedy and oily is the best description for the double bass solo in the third
movement and Kegel certainly does little to smooth out the contours of the
opening as some can. You can hear the harp tolling too, which is not always
the case. I was also surprised and delighted to hear one of the best evocations
of the Klezmer band passages from an East German orchestra, but that
is what we have here - the sharp cymbals and the way Kegel suddenly accelerates
the tempo every time the band intervenes helps immeasurably. When the funeral
march resumes after the soft "Wayfarer" quotation at the heart Kegel surpasses
himself with the band interjections and a feeling of winding down to the
end. The final solo from that bassoon is very effective before the storms
that follow in the last movement. After these have subsided, I'm always impressed
to hear a conductor keep the bridge passage that leads into the big tune
in tempo, as Mahler requests. The big tune itself finds a deeply passionate
treatment that stays within the bounds of good taste with again the distinguished
string playing already noticed. In terms of execution and virtuosity this
orchestra does lack the whipcrack style of some of their more famous rivals.
This movement also exposes a lack of real tone in the brass section that
bray a little when playing full out and it is here the recording balance,
though natural and open in a quite large church acoustic, shows its analogue
origin. But the playing from all departments is committed, idiomatic and
most full of Mahlerian colour. Not least in the emotional core of the whole
work where Mahler brings back the birdcalls and the morning mood of the opening
prior to the great peroration at the close. No one could fail to be moved
by Kegel's response here. The coda itself is quite fast and some will find
that a minus. I suppose I do too, but in the context of such a lively and
interesting recording I can forgive Kegel for driving to the end with such
gusto. In concert this would have raised the roof which is what Mahler was
trying to do after all.
A fine performance with much to enjoy. Not quite top-flight for reasons of
orchestral execution, recording and that quirky treatment of the scherzo
opening, but worth investigating.
Tony Duggan
Visit Tony Duggan's Mahler Website
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