RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
F. Charles Adler Conducts
Bruckner - The SPA and Unicorn recordings
(1952-1956)
(including a broadcast performance of Symphony No. 6)
Patricia Brinton (soprano); Sonja Dracksler (alto); William Balankenship
(tenor); Frederick Gutrie (bass)
Vienna Chorus; Vienna Symphony Orchestra/F. Charles Adler
rec. 1952-1956, live, 17 February 1952, venue details not given (Symphony
No. 6)
Contents listed below
MUSIC AND ARTS CD-1283 [5 CDs: 292:56]
My enthusiasm for the recordings of the London-born conductor F. Charles
Adler (1889-1959) was sparked some years ago by two Tahra releases and a
3-CD Conifer set. They feature the music of Bruckner and Mahler, the two
composers his name became most closely associated with.
Growing up, the young Charles was pulled in two directions. His father was
a banker and wanted his son to join the business, whilst his mother, once
having studied with Liszt, awakened in him an interest and passion for
music. There are no prizes for guessing the winner in this tug of war. In
1906, Adler graduated from the Munich Royal Academy and found himself
gravitating towards the inspirational Gustav Mahler. In 1910 he helped
prepare the chorus for the Munich premiere of the composer’s Eighth
Symphony. A conducting career beckoned, briefly interrupted by World War I.
When it resumed, he began touring Europe and the USA, where he emigrated in
1933 following the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. Already, by this time, he
was a noted interpreter of Bruckner, having conducted several complete
symphony cycles.
In the States, Adler struggled to make a living due to the flood of other
expatriate conductors. So, in 1951, together with the businessman Norman
Fox, he founded the SPA label: Society of Participating Artists. With a
leaning towards modern composers, the label’s aim was to issue music not
already on record. It had Adler as artistic director. In 1952, he
established a base in Vienna with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, where he
could record orchestral music at a much lower cost than in America. Vox,
Vanguard, The Bach Guild and The Haydn Society were similarly drawn there
for financial reasons. The recording venues used were the Konzerthaus and
the Musikverein.
By 1954, SPA had hit hard times, due to lack of organization and funds and
its New York distributor, Tempo, went bankrupt. The label's final
recording was the Bruckner Mass featured here. In 1955, Adler began
recording for the Boston-based company Unicorn and Composers Recordings
Incorporated (CRI). The Bruckner First Symphony we have here emanates from
the Unicorn stable. Not long after, the conductor developed cancer, and died
in Vienna in 1959.
The live broadcast of the Sixth Symphony dates from 17 February 1952 and
has been released previously on a 2-disc Tahra set (TAH 239/40). Adler uses
the 1899 Doblinger Edition, edited by Cyril Hynais. We are told that this
performance is only one of two available on CD to use this version. This is
the only historical one but apparently there's modern digital version
conducted by Ira Levin. Other conductors have tended to opt for the Haas or
Nowak editions. The Adler performance is impressive and powerful, with the
outer movements having great nobility and grandeur. However, for me, it is
the heartfelt Adagio which marks this reading with distinction. This must be
one of the most lyrical slow movements ever penned, with Adler inspiring his
forces truly to reveal the music’s poetry. Comparing what we have here with
the Tahra release of 1998, I found Music and Arts offer a slight
improvement, with the sound a little brighter and having more spatial
depth.
For the Symphony No. 9 the conductor uses the 1903 Doblinger Edition,
edited by Ferdinand Löwe. Despite the aging sound, I find Adler’s is a
probing approach that favours broad tempi in the outer movements. The
granite-like opening of the first movement contrasts strikingly with the
more lyrical music that follows. The Scherzo is comfortably paced. In the
Finale, Adler paints a breathtaking vista, building to a grandiose climax
and ending in peace and serenity.
A live performance of the Third Symphony has been released by Music and
Arts (CD-1265) dated 8 April 1953, predating this
studio recording by a few days. I haven’t had the opportunity to hear it. In
the studio performance, Adler adopts broader tempi, adding an extra two
minutes onto the timing of the live performance. I find this studio
recording strongly argued and there can be no doubting its dramatic
intensity and expressive lyricism. The conductor seems to be fully inside
the music. The eloquent Adagio is beautifully realized, and the Scherzo is
punchy and rhythmically buoyant. Sound quality is more than acceptable. The
1890 version, first published by Theodor Rättig is used.
The First Symphony was recorded for Unicorn in 1955, using the Vienna
version, 1890, published 1893 by Doblinger. This is the only recording where
the master tape has survived and has been used. It is in fine sound, with
orchestral detail more readily discernible. It is a deeply committed
performance, with ‘fire and conviction’, as Mark W. Kluge aptly comments in
his liner-notes. The Symphony is coupled with a penetrating account of the
Overture in G minor, a work not published until 1921.
Unlike the two later Masses, the first in D minor hasn’t had as many
advocates in the studio. Adler’s was the first recording, which he made for
his SPA label in 1954 and issued the following year. He uses the Gross first
edition in which the "Miserere nobis" from the Gloria is sung by
the bass soloist instead of by the choir. It’s a well-rehearsed performance
in satisfactory sound. I’ve no qualms about the soloists who, whilst not
exceptional, are serviceable.
Mark W. Kluge’s excellent, scholarly accompanying notes (in English only)
provide a biographical portrait of the conductor. They also chart the
short-lived history of SPA records and the circumstances surrounding the
making of these recordings. Kluge also discusses each work in detail, and
the choice of editions used. Credit and thanks must also be given to A. Z.
Snyder for his admirable audio restorations, and the inclusion of some
technical notes outlining the problems encountered in the re-mastering
process. It has been a 15-year labour of love.
This is one of the most exciting releases I have reviewed this year, and
surely qualifies as one of my monthly choices. Not only is it a valuable
addition to the composer’s discography, but an essential acquisition for any
comprehensive Bruckner collection.
Stephen Greenbank
Contents list
CD 1
Mass No. 1 in D minor (Pub. 1892 by Johann Gross) [50:48]
CD 2
Overture in G minor (Orel/Wöss edition, pub. 1921) [13:18]
Symphony No. 1 in C
minor (Vienna version, 1890; pub. 1893 by Doblinger) [50:00]
CD 3
Symphony No. 3 in D
minor (1889 version; pub. 1890 by Rättig) [54:11]
CD 4
Symphony No. 6 in A
major (Hynais edition, 1899) [58:45]
CD 5
Symphony No. 9 in D
minor (Löwe edition, 1903) [65:54]
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