This DVD is available
singly, or as part II of the Günter
Wand Edition, a 4 DVD box set which
also includes Bruckner’s Symphonies
Nos. 4 and 7 and Brahms’ Symphony No.
1.
The booklet notes have
detailed descriptions of each symphony,
and quite rightly describe Wand’s history
with Schubert, as the sixty-year old
conductor made his breakthrough with
"The Great" in 1972, conducting
the Cologne Gürzenich orchestra.
He had already long worked on the less-frequently
performed earlier symphonies, and initially
took a great deal of time preparing
the works which appear on this DVD,
receiving great acclaim for his 1977
recordings with the WDR Radio Symphony
Orchestra.
In the booklet notes
Wolfgang Siefert describes Wand’s Schubert
as ‘inspired perfection’, and with the
performances presented here we can see
why. Every phrase is meticulously prepared,
each detail in the score weighed and
given its proper significance. Why,
then, is there nothing sterile or static
in these performances? To be true, there
is a different kind of electricity here
to one you might expect to see from
any number of great conductors, but
electricity there is. Wand allows the
music to speak for itself, but you sense
that the musicians recognise and respond
to the magic of the grand old master:
just a few simple gestures, understandably
sparing but with absolute clarity of
intent, and we have a marvellous orchestra
creating music as if they were a Steinway
coming alive to the touch of a great
concert pianist. Wand builds the architecture
of the music, developing the themes
and melodies on the concert platform
in the same unhurried way as he created
his own interpretations. Gradations
of dynamic are all important, and each
shade of colour and nuance is carefully
balanced – the result of relentless
rehearsals, an aspect of professional
performance often denied orchestras
and conductors through considerations
of cost and scheduling. The emotion
grows out of the music as a plant grows
from a seed: an inherent, built-in aspect
of the performance rather than one imposed
externally. These are full-bodied and
rich sounding modern performances –
I counted eight double-basses for a
start – that’s as many celli as you
might find in some more ‘authentic’
performances.
The DVD film recording
is a fairly straightforward concert
registration, with some clever fading
of orchestral soloists and conductor
at work, with the raptly attentive audience
in the background. There are some nice
camera angles from the rear of the orchestra,
the usual close-ups, and a useful ¾
view of Wand, showing his facial expressions
as he guides the orchestra through his
vision of the music – how he enjoys
letting them rip in the tuttis, the
complete lack of extraneous histrionics
and the concentration throughout. Panning
and zooming is done at an appropriately
economic tempo, there is little or no
audience noise, and only one moment
I spotted a camera sliding surreptitiously
out of shot. In all the whole thing
is a stunning live recording. This was
the final concert of the Schleswig-Holstein
Musik Festival in 1995, a programme
that Wand had conducted and recorded
live with the Berlin Philharmonic in
March of that year after a break of
many years. These are extremely fine
and beautifully recorded performances
in their own right, and deserve pride
of place in anyone’s Schubert shelf.
Dominy Clements
NDR Sinfonieorchester/Günter Wand 
TDK
DVD DVWW-COWAND6 [85:00] 
