Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 7 in A major,
Op. 92 (1812) [40:00]
Symphony No. 8 in F major,
Op. 93 (1812) [26:00]
Jörg WIDMANN (b. 1973)
Con brio - concert overture for orchestra (2008) [11:50]
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Mariss Jansons
rec. Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 30 November 2012 (Symphony 7) and
1 December 2012 (Symphony 8); Philharmonie, Munich, Germany,
25-26 September 2008 (Widmann)
BR KLASSIK 900137 [78:06]
This release is one of a complete Beethoven symphonic cycle
that has already appeared in box set form (review).
A report on the equivalent concert that preceded the Japan tour can be found
here.
Mariss Jansons’ approach to these symphonies is conventional but with
a supremely high quality of performance from his orchestra we have here some
very fine Beethoven indeed. The first movement of the Seventh Symphony
bursts both with rhythmic energy as it does with refinement. Dynamics are
keenly observed and a characteristic depth and balance of sonority in the
orchestral sound invites you back for more. The Allegretto is on
the swifter side of funereal, making no compromise in its expressive power
along the way. The Presto of the third movement drives hard, but
again with each subtle nuance communicated and given its full value. This
is the kind of movement which, you will perhaps notice retrospectively, Jörg
Widmann taps in his Con brio, something which also sparks to life
in the Allegro con brio finale to the Seventh. This is a
performance that can stand its ground against the best company and delivers
on each hearing.
Jörg Widmann’s Con brio was commissioned by Mariss Jansons
to be based “in some way or another” on Beethoven’s Seventh
and Eighth symphonies. There are no actual quotes in this work, but Widmann
“assumes the gesture” of Beethoven’s music, deconstructing
ideas and ‘assembling blocks’ of sound that refer to Beethoven-esque
signatures and the forcefulness of his intent. The piece is a remarkably virtuoso
one for orchestra, zipping through extremes of contrast and mood and demanding
the utmost in terms of response from the musicians. There are clear moments
of Beethoven-like rhythm and orchestral colour, but these fleeting acknowledgements
are constantly in conflict with striking modernistic effects and equally fleeting
atonal skyrockets of one kind or another. This works remarkably well both
as a fragmented lens on which to gaze at Beethoven’s brilliance through
today’s eyes, as it does as a spectacular piece in its own right.
The Eighth Symphony emerges from Con brio like sunshine
breaking over the horizon on the first day of your best vacation. I sense
a very slight dislocation between strings and winds at 1:30 into the first
movement but this is a micro-lapse amid another strong performance. Jansons
doesn’t wait for the acoustic or shape his phrases to allow for any
gaps, and the sharp contrasts can create some moments of surprise. There is
real drama in the opening Allegro vivace e con brio with stormy scenes
that remind one of the ‘Pastoral’ symphony, for which the skipping
lightness of the following Allegretto scherzando is a perfect foil.
The sense of fun and wit in this movement is dispersed somewhat in the Tempo
de Menuetto, to which Jansons gives added weight of sonority and a sense
of undulating horizontal movement, a feeling of being grounded rather than
one of flight. The final Allegro vivace is done well, though might
have been able to use the slightest bit of extra forward momentum. The playing
is certainly vivace however, and what we might feel the need to urge
in speed is repaid in terms of colour and dynamism.
This Eighth Symphony is very good but hasn’t been my favourite
in this cycle so far. There’s certainly nothing missing, but it doesn’t
quite take flight as I’ve heard happen elsewhere. On the whole this
recording delivers a terrific programme superbly recorded and performed. I
would still point potential purchasers towards the more economical box set
when it comes to this cycle, but this remains an excellent disc in its own
right. The live recordings are very clean, though applause is retained after
each work.
Dominy Clements
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