Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 9 in D minor Choral Op.125 (1817)
Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano); Lioba Braun (alto); Michael Schade (tenor);
Michael Volle (bass)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Mariss Jansons
rec. live, Paul VI Audience Hall, Vatican, 27 October 2007. DDD/DSD. Stereo/Surround
BR KLASSIK 900108 [66:19]
This SACD records a significant event in the history of the Bavarian Radio
Symphony Orchestra - a performance before a papal audience no less. The Pope
is himself Bavarian, so spending state broadcaster's money on the jolly isn't
quite as profligate as it might first appear. And whatever the politics and
logistics behind the event, they treated him to a cracking performance of
the Choral Symphony. There are plenty of recordings of the piece on disc,
but this one easily holds its own in the face of almost any competition.
Unlike some conductors today, Mariss Jansons goes for steady speeds in most
of the music. That can lead to a lack of propulsion, but never to a lack of
intensity or involvement. The sheer quality of the playing the emotional engagement
of every single player, no doubt sharpened by the occasion, make this a very
special performance indeed. So often, the practice of recording concerts live
for orchestras' own labels can seem a mere financial convenience, but this
recording demonstrates how it can really work to benefit the result. There
is a sense of atmosphere in every single bar that you could only get from
a live performance, and a top notch one at that. Mariss Jansons has been doing
these live recordings for a few years now, and not just with the BRSO, and
he really knows how much he can rely on that atmosphere. So those slower tempos,
especially in the first movement, they work because he does not need to relentlessly
drive the orchestra on to get the energy he needs. And there is never any
suggestion of laziness or letting up of emotional intensity. He even resists
racking up the tempo and dynamics in the coda of the first movement, and he
gets away with that too. Instead of the usual rush for the double bar, we
hear the individual notes of the string scales and the round, almost understated
intensity of the woodwind chords. He does go for it in the Coda of the finale,
but his restraint up to that point only makes those final bars all the more
intense.
The interpretation of the finale here is quite a complex business. Jansons
is clearly intent on expressing more with this music than a mere 'Ode to Joy'.
His reading of the finale is filled with darker undertones, which like in
the preceding movements often result from the combination of steady tempos
and crystal clarity in the orchestral textures. Whatever Jansons adds interpretively
to the finale - and ultimately it is up to the listener to find their own
interpretations of his revisionist approach - there is a continual sense of
furrowed-brow conviction that prevents the listener from taking anything at
face value. The liner-note quotes Bekker, Adorno and other 20th
century musical luminaries to demonstrate the necessity of this sort of approach
in the modern world. And it is hard to question that necessity without resorting
to an ontology of music based in pure escapism.
So it is a reading to make you think about, as much as enjoy, the music. Don't
get me wrong though, it is an enjoyable listen too. The sound quality is very
good, another reason recommend this over most Beethoven 9s. Bavarian Radio
took their own team to the Vatican, and the result is almost the equal of
their recent BR Klassik recordings from Munich. But unlike Munich's Philharmonie
am Gasteig, the Paul VI Audience Hall is not a dedicated concert hall, so
the acoustics are inevitably inferior. In fact, given the gargantuan size
of the hall (only part of which is actually in the Vatican City) the engineers
have done an impressive job. The clarity of the string sound is particularly
good, as is the intensity of the choral sound. The woodwind and brass sections
perform as well as any I've heard on a Beethoven 9 recording, and the audio
does them full justice. Incidentally, that solemn tone that Jansons maintains
throughout the finale is not compromised by the contrabassoon passage towards
the end, and while it usually sounds quite flatulent, the player here manages
a focused and dark tone.
So, you don't have to be a Catholic to enjoy this recording, nor do you need
to know anything about the circumstances of its performance, which is just
as well because the liner-notes don't go into very much detail. It is a thoroughly
modern Beethoven 9 though, and one that takes nothing for granted. Jansons
yet again demonstrates the deep intellect behind his conducting approach,
and like many of his BR Klassik recordings to date, the result is a distinctive
and deeply felt reading that presents one of the most well-known works in
the repertoire in a surprising new light.
Gavin Dixon
A distinctive and deeply felt reading that presents one of the most well-known
works in the repertoire in a surprising new light.