Anton BRUCKNER (1824 - 1896)
Symphony No. 9 in D minor (1896)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Bruno Walter
rec. 16 and 18 November 1959, American Legion Hall, Hollywood, California.
XR re-mastering, stereo
PRISTINE AUDIO PASC 384 [59:03]
Having just reviewed Walter’s recording of Mahler’s Resurrection
Symphony with the East coast incarnation of the “Columbia Symphony
Orchestra”, it was interesting to hear its West coast equivalent. It
was largely drawn from the Los Angeles Philharmonic but here remains incognito,
whereas in the Mahler issue Pristine calls the orchestra the “New York
Philharmonic”.
No matter; whatever their name, we are hearing a very fine ensemble indeed,
no mere pick-up band. The intonation of the violins in the upward soaring
first subject of the Adagio of the first movement is simply lovely, as is
their sweet, cantabile playing of the descant over the recapitulation of the
second theme. The concluding two minutes of shimmering strings punctuated
by murmurings from the flutes and horns before the singing downward octave
figure (B, G flat, A flat, B) brings the movement to a transcendent close.
This 1959 recording has been regarded as a classic since its first appearance
because of its warmth and sincerity. Walter was already 82 and in poor health
following his heart attacks, dying three years later, so there is inevitably
an autumnal and valedictory ambience about a recording to which he brought
a lifetime’s experience. The original stereo recording from Philips
was always very good but following Andrew Rose’s expert XR re-mastering,
it is now really honeyed and mellow, as befits Bruckner. Hiss is reduced and
there is now a wonderfully enhanced sonority about the brass; sample them
in the conclusion of the first subject of the first movement just before the
yearning second subject unfolds so beguilingly.
Of the dozen or so recordings of this symphony that I own and know, interestingly,
Walter’s is the version whose timings are the closest to a 2:1:2 ratio,
perhaps reflecting the conductor’s sense of proportion and symmetry
in the work as a whole. He has an over-arching concept of the symphony which
results in his first movement being played at a fairly average speed, the
Scherzo being the slowest apart from Bernstein’s and the Adagio actually
being fairly speedy - not that any of these observations are apparent at the
time of listening. I quote the original 1961 “Gramophone” review
by “L.S.” (presumably Lionel Salter) whose review is excerpted
in the Pristine booklet notes: “When … Bruno Walter takes charge,
the music can flow with an unruffled assurance, a sense of coherence and quiet
purpose, a direct eloquence which can transform the work.” Exactly;
these are the same qualities which make his Mahler so compelling. Walter always
finds the perfect compromise between contemplation and momentum in Bruckner,
which is why there are no longueurs; his subtle control over dynamics and
rubato is typical of his non-interventionist approach and there are no jarring
gear changes. As with his Mahler, Walter’s management of climaxes is
overwhelming because he holds back until the last possible moment; thus there
is no vulgar, premature bombast, yet neither is there any lack of urgency
or tension in the Scherzo, despite what seems superficially to be its slow
tempo.
No matter whether you buy this superb re-mastering by Pristine or stick with
one of the CBS issues, this is a Ninth which belongs in every Bruckner collection.
Ralph Moore
A Ninth belonging in every Bruckner collection and heard here in a superb
Pristine re-mastering.
Masterwork Index: Bruckner
symphony 9
Availability |
Movement Timings
1st mvt. Feierlich, Misterioso [24:03]
2nd mvt. Scherzo. Bewegt, lebhaft - Trio. Schnell [11:36]
3rd mvt. Adagio. Langsam, feierlich [23:24]