They say that imitation
is the sincerest form of flattery and
it is well known that one of Barenboim’s
greatest examples in the conducting
world was Wilhelm Furtwängler.
Many critics have said on numerous occasions
that Barenboim’s performances are copied
from those of Furtwängler, and
whilst I can hear what they mean, the
criticism does Barenboim a great disservice.
After all, he is an excellent conductor,
and if he is influenced by the older
man, so be it. It remains a performance
conducted by Daniel Barenboim, not a
Furtwängler clone.
Barenboim has recorded
the complete symphonies twice, once
with the Chicago Symphony on DG and
the later set issued by Teldec, currently
being re-issued at higher mid-price
by Teldec on Elatus. This second cycle
is generally held to be the finer of
the two, and the Eighth Symphony, one
of the highlights of the cycle. This
is to do with the combination of orchestra
and conductor; in the earlier version,
the conductor’s extrovert style is aided
and abetted by the massive power of
the Chicago brass, whereas his style
is somewhat tamed by the warmer sound
of the Berlin Philharmonic. In addition,
recording techniques have improved over
the years and the Teldec offering sounds
superb.
This performance has
been recorded live but by taking passages
from alternative performances and rehearsals
the engineers have managed to give us
a relatively noise-free recording. This
is, of course, apart from Barenboim’s
well known habit of singing along with
the orchestra, which he does here, in
abundance. No amount of patching will
solve this problem, only a gag, and
even that might not ensure a quiet background.
Anyway, I don’t find his vocal contributions
too much of a distraction. If you can
live with Barbirolli’s singing at the
climax of the slow movement of Elgar’s
Second on EMI with the Hallé,
this disc is unlikely to be a problem.
A few years ago it
was rare to find a single disc Bruckner
8th. We are fortunate to
be able to buy it in this format at
mid-price ... and in such a good performance
and in admirable sound.
Barenboim gives us
the well-known Haas version of the score,
which will suit many. Gone is the loud
conclusion to the first movement. Similarly
absent is the different scherzo as first
brought to our attention by another
Teldec Bruckner cycle, that by Eliahu
Inbal. Included however, are the two
cymbal crashes at the climax of the
adagio, so all is not lost.
Throughout, I was mightily
impressed by the tonal splendour of
the Berlin Philharmonic, with superb
blending and great corporate virtuosity
well in evidence. The first movement
starts quietly, but soon is at fever
pitch, such is Barenboim’s insistence
that we hear every climax in close-up.
This can, in some other conductor’s
hands sound overbearing, but here, due
to Barenboim’s keen ear and long experience
in conducting this orchestra there is
no real problem. Speeds throughout the
symphony are on the brisk side. The
coda of the first movement is taken
at a thrilling pace and makes its impression
all the more forcefully, although it
fades away sooner than I might have
expected.
The scherzo is genuinely
a scherzo. The music progresses fleet
and exciting. This prepares us to settle
down for a slow, luxuriant reading of
the great adagio. This is enhanced or
otherwise by the conductor’s vocally
noticeably involvement with the music.
Once the adagio has expired (beautifully
played by the orchestra), we are into
the drama of the finale. This is as
fast as the adagio is slow again complete
with vocal contributions from the podium.
The coda is as thrilling as I have heard,
with a great accelerando into the final
bars and the final three chords sounding
like gunshots. There is no audience
applause which is great. However in
concert the reaction of the audience
cannot have been this sober – a patch,
I think.
Highly recommended
to all Bruckner, Berlin Philharmonic
and Barenboim fans.
John Phillips
.
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Daniel Barenboim
