Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 4 in B Flat major, Op. 60 (1806) [33:00]
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1807) [31:25]
Raminta ŠERKŠNYTĖ (b. 1975)
Fires for orchestra (2010) [10:34]
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Mariss Jansons
rec., 27 November 2012, Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Japan (Beethoven), and 17-18 May 2012, Herkulessaal, Munich, Germany (Šerkšnytė)
BR KLASSIK 900135 [75:14]
This release is part of a single-disc edition that has already
appeared as a box set (see review).
This reverse order to the more commonly found single-disc followed by more-budget
box is an intriguing move, but with such high quality recordings the BR Klassik
label must consider these releases commercially viable.
The live energy in the Fourth Symphony is certainly palpable from
the outset, the refined and dynamic sound of this orchestra making the most
of the much-admired Suntory Hall acoustic. The admirable drive in that Allegro
vivace steps down to an Adagio second movement that also refuses
to linger, the forward momentum maintaining a sense of inner drama to go along
with the expressive beauty of the musical lines, often led by very fine wind
solos. The third movement’s urgency in this performance takes a little
away from its pastoral nature while adding a layer of operatic fantasy to
its character. In keeping with the rest of the work, the finale is a fine
tumult of virtuoso playing, superbly shaped by Jansons but laying on showmanship
as well as the inherent musicianship of the whole.
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is massively famous but with justification.
If you can somehow imagine hearing it springing from a time not so very long
after the premature death of Mozart then you can begin to appreciate why,
for instance, it gave the young Berlioz the vapours when he heard it for the
first time. Mariss Jansons’ “Fate” by no means labours this
aspect of doom imposed on the first movement, keeping as much wit and playfulness
in his performance as the score will carry, to go along with the intense and
dramatic musical journey on which the seven minutes of the first movement
take us. This is a gripping performance, and means we are carried in confidence
through the elegantly expressive Andante con moto and heroic Allegro
that follow. Brief praise hardly does justice to a performance rich with excellent
moments, but you can rest assured that each crucial corner is more than equal
to the sculpted success of the whole. This of course leads up to the triumphant
entry of the final Allegro, the focus and climax of the entire symphony.
Jansons keeps up his swift tempo but steers his ship on a course most exciting
and awesome. With this kind of performance your faith in the transformative
powers of music will be restored, and for that reason alone this has to be
counted among the top recordings of this ubiquitous masterpiece.
Raminta Šerkšnytė’s Fires relates both to other orchestral
works of hers based on themes around the elements, but the connection with
Beethoven is closest to the Fifth Symphony. This is not immediately
apparent, as the first of the two movements is a hauntingly atmospheric Misterioso,
described by the composer as having a “character of intense expectation.”
The Con brio second section is explosive, using the intervals of
Beethoven’s most famous motief and transforming them into a score that
is both elementally violent and at times cinematically cheesy – the
kind of music you might expect to accompany Indiana Jones into his most repellent
insect-crawly moment of wall-crushing extremis. Alas, the overt quotation
of the theme as a final gesture comes across as supremely corny, like a plush
veil swept aside to reveal the previously sawn-in-half magician’s assistant
in spot-lit glory, the lights then turned off just quickly enough to make
you wonder if it was a real person or a plastic mannequin. This is a fine
piece, but is not without its flaws.
Mariss Janson’s Beethoven symphonic cycle is very good indeed but this
CD is a particular highlight, and I would recommend it for the Fifth
alone. As things stand I would still push the box set gently in your direction
as, if you acquire this single disc the chances are you are going to want
the whole set.
Dominy Clements
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