“Horses for courses” is the ideal
way to collect Bruckner symphonies but many will wish to have
a single set, minimizing the cost. When John Quinn and I recently
reviewed all the Bruckner symphony recordings we had heard (see
link below), Daniel Barenboim hardly made it on to our radar.
Now here comes the complete set (his second cycle, the first
was made in Chicago for DG), attractively presented and at a
very low price. All the individual discs are also available
separately on the Elatus label (see links below to more detailed
reviews of Nos. 3, 7 and 8).
If one is going
to make such a set the mainstay of a Bruckner collection, what
might ideally be required? My criteria would be an experienced
and unidiosyncratic Brucknerian at the helm, top orchestra with
a strong performing tradition, decent modern sound and “normal”
choices regarding versions/editions (more of which below). This
offering meets all those criteria although it falls short of
greatness.
To deal with the
question of versions first, I should make it clear that the
information given above is the totality of what is offered in
the booklet (apart from the dates of publication of the editions
which have been omitted to avoid confusion). This is probably
sufficient for most people but too patchy for those who take
these things seriously. The important questions of edition relate
only to symphonies Nos. 1-4 and 8. “Normal” is fairly clearly
the first (i.e. Linz) version of No. 1 and the final versions
of Nos. 2, 4 and 8. Much debate is possible about No. 3 but
the second version (of three) played here would be my preference.
Between symphonies Barenboim mixes Haas and Nowak editions and
it hardly matters which was played in No. 6 although here the
designation of both is curious. It probably would have been
appropriate for No. 7 for which no information is provided but
Barenboim seems to play Nowak whilst adding the cymbal clash
and other percussion at the climax of the adagio; these come
from the Haas edition.
The sound is not
consistently out of the top-drawer but it is generally pretty
good and at least acceptable throughout. The Fifth and Seventh
symphonies were the only ones not to be recorded in the Philharmonie
and the sound in these works has a bit more air around it but
is not greatly preferable. All except the Fourth and Seventh
symphonies are supposed to have been recorded live but the audience
is rarely noticeable - and slightly intrusive only in No. 2
- and there is no applause; good decision, I think. I am quoting
the booklet in these respects but the lack of complete consonance
between live and “studio” in terms of venue is surprising. I
am fairly sure there is evidence of an audience in the slow
movement of the Fourth (the distant coughs at 1:22 and 2:13
presumably don’t come from the orchestra) but it is hard to
be certain whether or not an audience is present in the Fifth.
There are a few instances of imperfect balance but overall,
despite some reservations, there are likely to be few, if any,
complete Bruckner cycles with better recorded sound.
There is no need
to say much about the orchestra which is one of the top three
in the world for this composer and plays like it; to my mind
the others reside in Vienna and Amsterdam. The brass contribution
is almost invariably superb and there is heavenly playing from
the strings in the gesangsperiodes. Barenboim’s reputation
is probably greater in Wagner but he is an experienced Brucknerian
and generally he does not impose himself on the music. Timings
suggest that he is rarely extreme in matters of tempo although
the Second, Fourth and Seventh contain some speeds which are
on the sluggish side. Apart from the finale of the Second (see
below), this is most notable in the slow movement and trio of
the Seventh. More importantly, Barenboim’s variations in tempo
within movements generally coincide with markings in the scores.
The first disc in
the set contains a reading of the First Symphony which is highly
coherent but perhaps a bit clinical. There follows an unusual
secular choral fill-up: Helgoland – the last work Bruckner
completed. This has been recorded quite rarely and was new to
me. It is a brief and dramatic setting of a poem by August Silberstein
which relates the tale of Saxon islanders threatened by a Roman
fleet. After some divine intervention the invasion is repelled.
The influence of Wagner seems stronger here than in any of Bruckner’s
other works; there are times when one expects Hagen or Klingsor
to appear at any moment. This is not to disparage the work -
I found it compelling and a useful bonus. The choruses are excellent
and the piece is dispatched with considerable vigour.
Timings can sometimes
be misleading. The introduction to the first movement of the
Fifth is pretty slow but Barenboim drives the Allegro along
at quite a lick and the overall timing for this movement is
about average. The slow movement of the Fifth is also quite
fast but, for me, this symphony is the highlight of the cycle.
Whether or not it was recorded “live”, it certainly has the
tension of a live performance. Barenboim holds the massive structures
of the finale together most effectively, culminating in a thrilling
combination of fugue and chorale at the climax. Other clear
successes are the Third, Sixth and Ninth. The adagio of the
Ninth is of interest in that Barenboim finds as much hope as
anguish in the impassioned opening bars – in marked contrast
to the approach of Wand with the same orchestra. There is not
much else to say about Barenboim’s straightforward but convincing
interpretations of these three works. All blaze with great conviction
and are renditions to which I will wish to return. Along with
First and its coupling, the symphonies mentioned in this paragraph
(i.e. Nos. 3, 5, 6 and 9) would be worth considering on single
discs although none of them would be a top choice.
Much the most problematic
performance here is the Second which was the last to be recorded
– an “off day” I fear. Here even the orchestral playing is not
quite at the usual exceptional standard and the outer movements
are too slow. The finale is particularly unconvincing. In this
performance one is almost immediately reminded of the original
nickname Pausensinfonie since there is a massive pause
just before the letter B in the first movement, around two minutes
into the work. The four bars in question consist only of one
timpani stroke on the first beat of three bars followed by an
effective pause of seven beats. The first two timpani strokes
are barely audible, the third is inaudible and then somebody
– and my inclination would be to suspect the producer rather
than Barenboim – adds an extra bar of nothing. The pause is
therefore almost twice as long as it should be and, if you weren’t
listening very hard and missed the first two timpani strokes,
you might be left wondering if there had been a power cut. The
middle movements of this work are much more satisfactory but,
overall, this Second is the one significant disappointment.
The Fourth and Seventh
symphonies would certainly not stand out against the massed
ranks of competition and the Eighth is ultimately a bit disappointing
after a promising opening movement and scherzo. The first movement
is taken quite quickly relative to many other conductors but
this is more consistent with Bruckner’s tempo marking (Allegro
moderato). Unfortunately the climaxes of both the adagio and
the finale both seem to miss something; for one thing the harp
is insufficiently prominent in the adagio. Great moments pass
by without quite registering as they can. At the very end Barenboim
goes for broke but the result lacks grandeur. This Eighth is
therefore not in the same league as the last readings by Wand
or Karajan. All the above criticisms are relative to the very
best. Apart from possibly the Second Symphony, none of these
performances is sufficiently flawed that it should deter the
collector who wants a single set.
Superficially the
documentation looks good considering the bargain price but it
could easily have been much better. This mainly takes the form
of an essay on each work by a variety of authors, presumably
a conglomeration of what is provided for the individual discs.
The main shortcomings are a lack of consideration of the general
issues surrounding Bruckner’s symphonies and little biographical
information. My lack of trust in the asterisks which define
the live recordings and the paucity of information on editions
are noted above, and I also spotted some errors in the timings;
the overall timings for the first two discs and the first movement
of the Ninth are wrong.
At the basement
price level there is competition from two other sets with which
I am familiar - Eugen Jochum’s Dresden readings for EMI and
Georg Tintner on Naxos. Barenboim’s set seems preferable to
Jochum’s in virtually all respects. One advantage of Tintner’s
set is that it is includes Symphonies Nos. 0 and 00 but this
cycle is unusual in terms of versions; in particular giving
us the first versions of the Second, Third and Eighth. Whilst
these are all treasurable discs for the serious Bruckner collector,
they are not for people who just want one recording of each
symphony. Tintner’s recorded sound is fine and his various orchestras
are good but not as good as the Berlin Philharmonic. Taking
all these factors into consideration, Barenboim’s set is the
best value “complete” Bruckner around at the moment. I would
not choose his cycle in preference to Bernard Haitink’s Amsterdam
recordings from the 1960s and 1970s but that seems to have been
recently deleted. Unless and until that re-emerges at bargain
price, Barenboim is in pole position.
Patrick C Waller
Link to general review of all Bruckner’s symphonies:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Feb05/Bruckner_symphonies_PWJQ.htm
Link to review of Symphony No 3:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Nov03/Bruckner3_Barenboim.htm
Link to review of Symphony No 7:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Sept03/ANTON_BRUCKNER_barenboim.htm
Link to review of Symphony No 8:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/July04/Bruckner8_Barenboim.htm
*Male voices of the Rundfunkchor,
Berlin und Ernst Senff-Chor
