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Mozart and Bruckner: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchetra, Mariss Jansons, Royal Festival Hall, London, 29.11.2008 (GD)

Mozart: Symphony No 36 in C, K425 ‘Linz’

Bruckner: Symphony No 4 in E flat ‘Romantic’

Although the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is a relatively ‘young’ orchestra, it was found in 1949 by Eugen Jochum, its sound, manner and style of playing is steeped in the best of the great Austro/Germanic tradition of orchestral playing. In fact tonight I came to realise that their overall tone is far more ‘German’ than an orchestra like the Berlin Philharmonic which, although still a world class orchestra, has become somewhat standardised and streamlined both in sound and execution. It is also remarkable how the Bavarian orchestra has maintained its very warm and spacious sound quality: incredibly powerful and virtuosic when required, but also having a resonantly lyrical quality. Tonight, one felt that the orchestra was more in dialogue with the conductor; the woodwinds and brass in particular having a spontaneous, almost improvisatory, quality without ever becoming wilful. To use an old-fashioned phrase one felt that they were never simply being directed but ‘making music’ together and with the conductor. All these qualities are abundant in their earliest recordings with Jochum. Like the Czech Philharmonic who I recently heard in Prague’s wonderful (acoustically and historically) Rudolfinum, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra has not succumbed to the standardisation processes associated with commercial globalisation.  
 
The inclusion of Mozart’s ‘Linz’ Symphony in tonights programme reminded me that it was with the Bavarian Radio orchestra that both Eugen Jochum and Ferdinand Leitner recorded two of the most distinctive performances of the symphony in the mid fifties for DG. So how did the Latvian, Riga born Jansons manage tonight with this locus classicus of symphonies? Well the performance was something of an oddity. In short a rather perfunctory (always superbly played) first movement, and some really distinctive conducting in the remaining three movements. After a direct, even bland, delivery of the ‘Adagio’ introduction, the main ‘Allegro spiritoso’ just moved along in a swift but rather four-square manner. And Jansons introduced an irritating (unmarked) crescendo each time (with exposition repeat) in the concluding ceremonial march-like cadence of the main exposition statement. Also, here I would have welcomed more bravura clarity in the trumpets. But after this everything was a joy. The second movement ‘Andante’ had just the right graceful flow with those trumpet and timpani interjections (the only symphony of Mozart’s mature years where these instruments are employed in the second movement) were perfectly balanced and timed: Beethoven must have heard this symphony before he composed his first symphony for the influence of Mozart’s trumpets and drums in the second movement can be heard. The ‘Menuetto’ had a wonderful spring and lilt and the concluding ‘Presto’ was just that with a grace and energy maintained up until the joyous C major final cadence. A fitting addition to the orchestra’s proud “Linz’ symphony legacy, apart from a less than superb first movement.   
 
The same comments as above can be applied to the orchestra’s legacy in Bruckner. Apart from the Vienna Philharmonic and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw (of which Jansons is also principal conductor – what energy the man must have)! I can’t think of a more totally Brucknerian orchestra. I hate the phrase but Bruckner is simply ‘in their blood’. And what a recorded legacy it has in Bruckner; in this symphony alone there is, for me, an unsurpassed ‘live’ performance from Klemperer in 1966, and a glowing, more ‘romantic’, performance from the orchestras founder Eugen Jochum from the mid-fifties on DG. 
 
Jansons is relatively new to Bruckner and although this was quite an impressive Bruckner 4, how could it not be with this orchestra? However, it seems that Jansons still has a lot to learn. There were some wonderful, and breath-taking, moments such as the marvelously sustained build up to the C major brass chorale in the recapitulation of the first movement; a raw energy to the bucolic sounding horn calls in the scherzo; the slow sustained lead-up to the massive minor key tonic unison tutti statement at the beginning of the last movement; and, indeed, the ‘awe-inspiring’ (as tonights programme writer put it) peroration coda. 
 
But ultimately what the performance lacked was a sense of overall structure. It was primarily to do with tempo relationships and how these are paced in each movement. Tonight, Jansons chose mostly quite broad tempi, but did not always manage to sustain an underlying pulse, or metre. By the time we reached the end of the first movement recapitulation, and the long lead in to the coda, Jansons had allowed the tempo to seriously sag. This resulted in the movement loosing all sense of structural unity. And this is not just a case of choosing a slow tempo: conductors like Bohm and Jochum have chosen even slower tempi but have still managed to sustain them in relation to the movement (and ultimately the symphony as a whole).   
 
Similarly, in the second movement, with its funeral march tread, Jansons gave us what sounded more like an adagio. Although Bruckner’s score is quite unambiguous, ‘Andante, quasi allegretto’ implies a steady, but forwardly moving pace, something Klemperer understood so well. Indeed this broad forward moving pace is emphasised by Bruckner throughout the symphony. His underlining of ‘Bewegt’ (movement) punctuates this point quite clearly. 
 
For the most part the ‘Scherzo’ and monumental finale went very well. Although Jansons doesn’t quite understand the ländler lilt, in the scherzo and parts of the finale, as well as was demonstrated by Czech conductor Jiri Belohlavek a couple of weeks ago in London in Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony. The huge finale just managed to hang together, helped by some incredible playing: those horns and double-basses! How they sounded! Resonating around and filling the whole hall! If only Jansons could have maintained the ‘Bewegt’, clearly marked, in this movement and the whole symphony, thus achieving the impressive structural unity of Bruckners revised 1878/80 Viennese version, we would have had a truly great Bruckner 4.  But despite these interpretive shortcomings it was an absolute joy to hear this world class great German orchestra in such consistent and resplendent form.

Jansons correctly placed the violins to left and right throughout the concert to marvellously revealing effect.

Geoff Diggines


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