This recording was
made under studio conditions, for Columbia,
I presume. It is a slightly puzzling
recording in that the finale was recorded
nearly four years after the rest of
the symphony was set down, and in a
completely different venue. I have no
idea why this happened. Mark W. Kluge
contributes some interesting notes about
Bruno Walter but says absolutely nothing
about the recording itself or the circumstances
under which it was made, which is a
pity. I can only presume either that
the studio in which the 1949 recording
was made wasn’t big enough to accommodate
choral forces also and/or that Carnegie
Hall was unavailable at the time. This
may seem a small point but in fact it’s
quite a significant issue in considering
this recording.
With the passage of
four years, recording technology had
obviously moved on a bit. Also, the
larger, more resonant acoustic of Carnegie
Hall contributes positively to the sound
picture in the finale. Thus the finale
is presented in generally much superior
sound. In the first three movements
I found that in loud tuttis the sound
became rather congested and the bass
line was often indistinct, apart from
somewhat booming timpani. When one gets
to the finale much more inner and bass
detail is reported. The change of venue
is not all gain, however, for the choir
is placed somewhat backwardly. As a
result their singing sounds more muffled
and less incisive than I suspect was
actually the case in the hall on the
day. In fairness, however, I ought to
qualify the foregoing remarks by saying
that any sonic shortcomings are by no
means so serious as to detract from
the merits of the recorded performance.
The merits are not
inconsiderable. Despite a few small
imprecisions of ensemble Walter leads
a driving and strongly projected account
of the first movement. The interpretation
is exciting and involving. The scherzo
is vigorous and energetic and the trio
is cleanly articulated. In the later
stages (around 8’10") there were
times when the tempo seemed a little
unstable. The relentless rhythm must
be a devil to maintain over long stretches.
The slow movement opens
at a quite deliberate - but definitely
not stodgy - pace. The phrasing is long-breathed
and the New York strings play eloquently.
I think we hear Walter at his very best
here. He leads a glowing and distinguished
reading which I found most satisfying.
As I indicated earlier, the finale benefits
from sound that is at once warmer and
more detailed. When the Big Tune appears
Walter lays it out smoothly and with
dignity. The degree of restraint he
shows here pays dividends when the theme
is given out by the full orchestra;
it’s an impressive moment.
Mack Harrell (father
of cellist, Lynn Harrell) is imposing
in his opening solo. In fact the solo
quartet is good, both individually and
collectively. They are quite forwardly
recorded. I’ve already commented that,
although they sing well, the choir is
too recessed. This means that when the
solo tenor and male choristers sing
their martial episode the soloist -
who sings well and with a nice ring
- makes a strong impression but the
sound of the choral voices is rather
muddy. However, overall, the account
of the finale is good and the excitement
and exaltation that are vital for a
successful performance are present and
well conveyed.
It is good to have
this performance available on CD as
it lets us hear Bruno Walter in a central
repertoire masterpiece when he was in
his prime. The recorded sound imposes
some limitations but these are not such
as to detract from what is an impressive
reading.
John Quinn
NOTE
Since writing the above review Ive
seen Jonathan Woolfs fine review
of a large box of Walter recordings
(www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Feb05/Walter_Original_Jacket.htm).
That performance uses exactly the same
forces as were employed for the finale
of Beethovens Ninth in this recording.
The coincidence seemed too great and
Jonathan has confirmed to me that the
recording of Bruckners Te Deum
included there took place on the same
day. Clearly that made excellent logistical
sense for Columbia, even if the choir
in particular must have found it a tough
assignment. As Jonathan put it to me,
"Tough session!"
Information received
The 1949 Bruno Walter
Beethoven 9th was issued by Columbia
on two LPs. The fourth movement apparently
had some serious sonic problems with
overload or IM distortion. Thus Columbia
rerecorded it in 1953. The result was
issued on a single disk in 1956. IIRC
this is based upon the 1956 or 1957
review in High Fidelity.
Alfred E. Krause