Nikolaus Harnoncourt
has developed a close relationship with
the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He
conducted the most recent New Year’s
Day concert of Viennese Music at the
Musikverein, and he has made various
keynote recordings, including discs
which mark him as a major Bruckner conductor.
There is no question
that Harnoncourt knows and loves this
music. He leads an interpretation which
has long-term vision as well as short
term attention to detail. There is room
for inwardness as there is also for
powerful intensity. Both these characteristics
are to be found in the remarkable slow
movement, whose tempo here is flowing
and spontaneous. The result is that
the performing time of just under 15
minutes contrasts strongly, for example,
with Karajan’s of more than 21 minutes.
It is a tribute to Bruckner’s mastery
that in performance either of these
approaches will give the impression
that the music could not possibly be
otherwise. Perhaps Harnoncourt does
miss something of Bruckner’s depth of
spirituality in this movement, but the
flowing line achieves compensations
of its own. It all goes to show that
a great symphony is always greater than
any one performance of it.
The recording is based
on a live performance and has all the
extra frisson that such an occasion
generates. No doubt a few extra touches
were added from the rehearsal sessions
that were also recorded. Extracts from
the latter are included on a second
CD, the proceedings conducted in German
of course. The booklet notes do include
careful referencing, but there is no
German translation for those who might
need one.
It goes without saying
that the playing of the Vienna Philharmonic
is superlative, but the most striking
aspects in this regard are the quieter
moments, particularly from the strings.
The recorded sound is always a crucial
factor in Bruckner, as is the acoustic
in a live performance. For the latter,
the Musikverein is splendid, while the
sound itself is capable of accommodating
the naturally wide range of dynamics
with consummate ease. However, the microphone
placings must have been different for
the rehearsals, at which the sound seems
altogether more boxy. Presumably this
had something to do with Harnoncourt’s
vocal contributions being appropriately
captured.
The outer movements
are handled with a rare understanding
of structure, so that the ebb and flow
of tempi, of the musical line’s moments
of tension and relaxation, are achieved
without any sense of imposed force.
Nowhere is this more important than
in the closing stages of the work, with
the inevitable return of the first movement’s
principal theme. This reinforces the
strength of the peroration and sets
the bond of unity upon the remarkable
vision of this great symphonic master.
Terry Barfoot
see also review
by Jonathan Woolf
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Nikolaus Harnoncourt
BMG-RCA
RED SEAL 82876 60749 2 [73.08 + 74.49] 
