Bernard Haitink has
justly been praised for his excellence
in the music of Ravel and Debussy. Here
he reminds us once again what a fine
exponent of French music he is. Bizet’s
youthful Symphony is a delightful and
engaging piece, which comes off very
well in his hands. The first movement
is crisp and alert, the music beautifully
articulated by the Concertgebouw players.
There’s a gentle gravity to the slow
movement; the sinuous oboe solo is lovely
and in fact all the wind principals
distinguish themselves with some poised
and polished playing. Though Haitink
imparts a suitably rustic vigour to
the scherzo the playing remains cultivated.
The finale fizzes and evidences Bizet’s
good humour. This is, in sum, a performance
that wears a smile ... but not an inapposite
cheeky grin! I enjoyed it very much.
The Jeux d’enfants
suite is no less successful. In
particular the second movement, ‘Berceuse’
features hushed, silken strings and
some gently radiant wind playing. It’s
just a gorgeous miniature. The concluding
‘Galop; Le Bal’ is an infectious delight.
All in all these winning Bizet performances
show Haitink at his best, displaying
sensitivity, attention to detail and
a willingness to let the music speak
for itself.
Saint-Saëns’ most
popular symphony may not be a towering
masterpiece but it’s a most enjoyable
work, perhaps in part coming under the
heading of "Naughty but Nice."
This recording was, I believe, Edo de
Waart’s second traversal of the piece.
As I recall, he had previously recorded
it with the Rotterdam Philharmonic,
a version that I have not heard. This
performance starts in a rather subdued
vein and I found that for optimum results
I had to set the volume at a higher
level than was necessary for the Bizet
items. However, I soon realised that
it was not just a question of playback
levels when the strings "chugging"
figure launches the main allegro (at
1’03" here). Crossing to the other
American seaboard, as it were, and listening
to Charles Munch’s RCA performance with
the Boston Symphony one experiences
a different intensity of music-making.
There’s so much more vitality in the
Bostonian account. Things improve as
de Waart unfolds the first movement
but I still had a nagging feeling of
something being held back
The San Francisco strings
start the slow movement very nicely
indeed (though it must be said the Boston
strings sound even richer). On the plus
side, de Waart’s restraint prevents
the kind of wallowing which can easily
occur in this music and that’s something
I applaud. In de Waart’s hands the scherzo
is agile and well sprung and the presto
sections glisten and have a proper sense
of dash.
When organist Jean
Guillou launches the finale we realise
what a mighty beast is the Ruffatti
Organ in Davies Hall. Previously the
instrument has made a very quiet, but
telling, contribution to the slow movement
but now, rightly, it is unleashed in
all its splendour; after all, this is
a movement in which there can and should
be no half measures; one just has to
go for it! The organ enriches the textures
mightily and there is a particularly
impressive pedal sound - a 32-foot stop,
I fancy. As I indicated, de Waart and
his forces play the movement for all
it’s worth and the results are impressive,
though here the listener is aware more
than elsewhere of the resonance of the
hall. It has to be said, however, that
Munch’s finale is pretty spectacular
in sonic terms too and remarkably so
for a recording made in April 1959 -
goodness knows what it sounds like on
SACD! - I also feel that Munch displays
a greater degree of panache here as
elsewhere in the work, while at the
same time keeping a tight rein on proceedings.
If one is just shopping
for a version of the Saint-Saëns
symphony then the palm must still go
to Munch. However, this de Waart account
will give much pleasure and the Bizet
couplings are a delight.
An enjoyable and recommendable
coupling.
John Quinn
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam/Bernard
Haitink 
