This is a bumper commemorative
boxed set of performances by Wilhelm
Furtwängler issued by Orfeo to
mark the 50th Anniversary
of the conductor’s death. The recordings
are part of the Salzburg Archives and
many of them have been available in
pirated versions on various labels.
This is one of the main problems when
collecting recordings by Furtwängler:
some unscrupulous companies state fictitious
recording dates to entice the keen collector
to add yet another recording of the
great master to his/her collection.
With this current collection, a limited
edition, the dates - given above against
each item - are likely to be correct,
as is the recording location.
Unlike many other recordings
from the Salzburg Festival which were
done by Austrian Radio and for which
the original tapes exist, there were
no such tapes available for this boxed
set. The sources of much of the repertoire
has therefore had to be made available
from private recordings, and other such
sources. This means that considerable
restoration has been necessary. I was
unaware of this fact until reading the
excellent booklet, about half way through
listening to the set. Given their provenance,
the sound is remarkably good, with very
few glitches audible. Full marks therefore
to the restoration engineers.
The repertoire is well
known to Furtwängler enthusiasts
and there will be few surprises to the
keen collector who knows Furtwängler’s
approach to these works. For those who
are coming to this conductor for the
first time though, perhaps a few comments
will help.
The Bach performances
will probably send any listeners brought
up on period performances running screaming
to the hills. Today, interpretations
like this sound very, very ancient.
Tempi and phrasing is massive with heavy
accents and with the conductor playing
continuo on a piano!
His Beethoven however
is much more acceptable to modern ears,
with generally weighty playing; particularly
in the Eroica and Choral symphonies.
The choir and soloists in the Choral
are likewise first rate and the performance
of the Ninth has the well known uncertainty
in phrasing of the opening to the first
movement. There is also the runaway
speed of the coda to the last movement
which must have been dreaded by the
orchestra, knowing full well what was
coming.
The other two symphonies
are less controversial with the Vienna
Philharmonic showing why it has been
considered a superb ensemble through
the ages. The standards of playing are
uniformly good throughout all eight
discs.
Brahms was another
of the conductor’s favourite composers
and I would direct anyone who has an
interest in the conducting of Brahms
to look at the "Great Conductors"
DVD which shows Furtwängler rehearsing
the Berlin Philharmonic in London in
the last movement of the fourth. I defy
anyone to find a more exciting rendition
of this ending. The EMI recording of
Brahms No. 4 is less satisfactory than
the film mainly due to poor sound quality.
The present performance is better in
this respect, but still not perfect.
When we reach Bruckner’s
Fifth, the concentration is incredible.
I was unable to do anything else except
listen. We must remember that in the
era of these recordings, Bruckner was
far less well known than today, and
was still considered difficult for orchestras
to play. Given this the performance
is quite outstanding. The finale will
come as a revelation to many listeners.
Instead of being presented as an extended
allegro, Furtwängler turns it into
a huge accelerando, not relenting until
some seven minutes before the end, then
only for a short time, when it rushes
off to the finish line..
Hindemith was a favourite
composer of Furtwängler’s and he
worked extensively with the composer
to ensure that he performed Hindemith’s
works as well as he could. We don’t
often get the chance to hear him conducting
what was then extremely modern repertoire
so the present performance is well worth
having.
Much the same can be
said about the Pfitzner and Stravinsky
symphonies; well worth hearing in these
interpretations.
The effect of the sea
is conjured up very well in Mendelssohn’s
favourite overture and the Schubert
Symphony No. 9, whilst not eclipsing
the DG studio recording with the Berlin
Philharmonic, gains in spontaneity over
the DG version.
A very young sounding
Fischer-Dieskau gives a superlative
performance of the Mahler song cycle,
and the other composer, Richard Strauss,
gives Furtwängler the opportunity
to thrill his Festival audience with
a performance of great power.
I have nothing but
praise for this superb commemorative
issue. I hope it is not deleted too
soon.
John Phillips
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Wilhelm Furtwängler.
