RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphony No. 2 (1872 version)
Aachen Symphony Orchestra/Marcus Bosch
rec. live, St. Nikolaus Kirche, Aachen, 22, 24 May 2010. Stereo/Surround.
DDD/DSD
COVIELLO COV31015 [66:21]
Bruckner's Second Symphony is not usually counted among his finest works.
Listening to a performance of this quality it is difficult to tell why that
should be. Marcus Bosch and his Aachen forces don't make any concessions to
the score, they approach it as if it were the Eighth or Ninth, and in doing
so uncover levels of depth and sophistication wholly absent in most recordings.
There is a sense of life in every phrase, partly a result of sensitive tempo
fluctuations and partly the commitment of the players, that allows everything
to make perfect sense. This is an expansive reading, yet there is never any
suspicion of megalomania or redundancy - a rare achievement indeed.
The recording was made in the St. Nikolaus Kirche in Aachen, a grand, Gothic
edifice with a very high ceiling. Recording Bruckner in churches and cathedrals
is a risky business, you inevitably lose clarity of detail. But the essence
of Bruckner is not in the detail, it is in the bigger picture, and if the
conductor and orchestra can work with the acoustic, the results can be magisterial.
And that is exactly what happens here. The disc is the penultimate in a Bruckner
cycle - assuming they are leaving out No.0 and No.00 - and the seven recordings
they have previously made in this venue have given them an innate feeling
for which tempos work, and for the gaps required between phrases to accommodate
the decay. Resonant as the space is, it has a clean acoustic with an even
decay, ideal for a recording such as this.
The combination of a resonant acoustic and high quality SACD audio leads to
paradoxical virtues. Rather than show off the detail of the orchestral sound,
the audio instead intensifies the sense of atmosphere. The engineers have
clearly taken measures to include the spacious acoustic in the recording,
but the orchestra never feels distant. And the quality of the orchestral playing
helps to bring the effect off. The strings play with fantastic ensemble, the
brass sound is punchy but always round, and the woodwind solos are all distinctive
and lyrical, even the bassoon in the Adagio. A lesser orchestra could easily
be defeated by the emulsifying effect of the acoustic, but this orchestra
is more than a match for it.
The other potentially radical choice is the use of the 1872 'original' version
of the score. The main difference between this and the better known Nowak
edition is that the scherzo comes second and is considerably longer than in
the later edition. But it never outstays its welcome, and given that the whole
symphony still fits comfortably on a single disc, there seems little justification
for the edits (admittedly Bruckner's own) that are now considered the norm.
The highest musical honours should go to Marcus Bosch, who coordinates and
energises this extraordinary performance with insight, energy and passion.
Given the acoustic, you might expect generally slow tempos, but he knows that
his orchestra has the timbral focus to keep things together at faster speeds.
The first movement in particular is taken at a satisfyingly brisk pace, and
the scherzo also gets some healthy propulsion. On the other hand, the adagio
and the quieter passages in the finale make the most of the resonance by pulling
back and revelling in the moment. None of the tempos are extreme, but they
are always fluid, allowing each of the mighty phrases to breathe and to unfold
at its own pace.
A great recording then, and one that amply demonstrates that high quality
audio is not just about highlighting the details. It might be asking too much
to expect this disc to convert Bruckner sceptics, but if you have a taste
for the man's later work and have previously been unmoved by the Second Symphony,
then this could be the disc to change your mind. Marcus Bosch doesn't do anything
very much that hasn't been done before, but somehow it all comes together
in a way that few manage with this work.
Gavin Dixon
Masterwork Index: Bruckner
Symphony 2
It all comes together in a way that few manage with this work.