Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Symphony No.9 in C major, D. 944 (1825-6) [57:33]
Ernst KŘENEK (1900-1991)
Static and Ecstatic, Op 214 (1971-2) [19:30]
Cleveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Möst
rec. live, March 2020, Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA TCO0002 SACD [77:03]
This is the second own-label release by the Cleveland Orchestra. I missed the first, a three-disc set entitled A New Century, which my colleague Mark Jordan treated to a comprehensive review. Mark has also appraised this follow-up release and I think his reviews are worthy of particular attention because he is very familiar with the sound of the Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall; he has covered many of their concerts for Seen and Heard International.
Franz Welser-Möst is the Cleveland Orchestra’s seventh Music Director. He’s been at the helm now for 19 years and his current contract runs to 2027; that would make him the longest-serving of all the orchestra’s MDs, surpassing the tenure of George Szell (1946-70). I remember Welser-Möst’s period as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (1990-96) when he endured a torrid time from some of the London press. In all probability, and with the benefit of hindsight, he took the job far too early in his career – he was only 30 when he started with the LPO – but now it appears he has carved out a significant niche for himself with one of the USA’s top orchestras. If this present disc is typical of his work with the orchestra – and I’ve no reason to believe otherwise – they have forged a formidable partnership.
The Schubert symphony was recorded under circumstances that were far from auspicious. As we learn from the booklet essays by Welser-Möst and by the orchestra’s President and CEO, André Gremillet, it had been planned to programme the work in a series of concerts pairing symphonies by Schubert and Prokofiev. However, the Covid-19 storm clouds were gathering even as the performances, which were to include an overseas tour, were being prepared. In mid-March gatherings of over 100 people were prohibited in the state of Ohio and the scheduled concert performance of Schubert’s ‘Great’ C major fell victim to that ban. The orchestra managed to play it twice, on 12 and 13 March, 2020: on the first evening before an invited audience of about 60, mainly staff members, and the following morning in front of about 20 members of the orchestra’s staff. This recording is taken from those two performances.
Faced with the imminent shutdown of performances and uncertainty over at least their short-term futures, these concerts must have been very strange and stressful occasions for the musicians but you would never know. This is perhaps the most cultivated performance of Schubert’s most substantial symphony that I can remember hearing.
The Andante introduction to the first movement flows beautifully. Welser-Möst strikes a tempo that allows the music to move forward in a most engaging manner; the performance has a nice, easy gait. The Allegro ma non troppo begins at 3:08 and the conductor achieves a really skilful transition from the original speed to the new one. Indeed, this is a good place to say that throughout the symphony I was struck by the effortless, natural way in which Franz Welser-Möst consistently manages tempo changes; that’s a major factor, I think, in the way he binds the work’s structure together so well. The Allegro ma non troppo is smoothly done. I also admired the control of dynamics which ensures that the loud tuttis make their mark without ever sounding forced. This is eminently civilised music-making. Perhaps on another day I might have welcomed a slightly more robust approach here and there but as I listened, I found this traversal of the movement completely convincing. Nothing about the performance is heavyweight and when the coda is reached it is briskly taken and energetic; I like very much the way that the final brass statement of the Introduction’s principal theme does not seem at all portentous.
The performance of the Andante con moto is extremely well judged and features some wonderful work by the woodwind principals. There’s another example of Welser-Möst’s skill with transitions as he moves into the second group (3:21). Though much of this movement is genial, the crisis (from about 8:00) is dramatically projected, the climax thrust home in a telling fashion. I confess that I can often find the Scherzo to be rather too much of a good thing, especially if the conductor is generous with repeats. Though Welser-Möst doesn’t stint on the repeats I was never bored by this performance. Instead, the music has a genuine smile on its face and I was put in mind of a swirling country dance. The Trio (6:38-11:15) gave me especial pleasure. The melody is a winner anyway, but the way this section of the symphony is played is sheer delight from start to finish. All the orchestral textures are balanced with the utmost musicality and care so that not only can we relish the woodwinds’ delivery of the tune but we can also enjoy such details as the trombone chords, perfectly balanced, underneath the tune. All this is clearly the product of scrupulous rehearsal but that can get you only so far; it’s the musicianship of all involved that ensures the performance sounds anything but drilled. I’d go so far as to say that the Trio is the highlight of the entire performance.
The finale is full of energy and good spirits. The music never sounds forced and one is not conscious at any point of those long repetitious passages that can make string players quail when they see this symphony on the roster. Once again, the internal balance of the orchestra is marvellously achieved. I enjoyed this refined performance of Schubert’s Ninth from start to finish.
Křenek’s Static and Ecstatic (its German title is Statisch und Ekstatisch) was commissioned by Paul Sacher. It’s a work of ten short movements, the length of which in this performance range between 1:02 and 3:01. None of the movements bear either titles or tempo indications. The work is scored for a chamber orchestra of single wind and brass (omitting bassoon and horn), piano, strings and a substantial percussion battery. This recording stems from concerts given in early March 2020 when, provocatively, the work was paired with Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang. This was the first time the orchestra had played this work by Křenek.
Cards on the table: it would be unfair of me to judge either work or performance. I’m afraid that, though I’ve tried in the past, serial music such as this is a closed book to me – and leaves me cold. That said, it appeared to me that the present performance is exceptionally well executed; the playing is often incisive. There were passages I admired, such as the expertly rendered soft textures in the fourth movement – though even then I wondered what is the music about? I liked the soft, fragile beauty of the slow seventh movement, but not the spiky music of the preceding movement or the ninth. The concluding, tenth movement is very interesting but I wish I had some comprehension of what Křenek was seeking to express through this music. I listened dutifully to Static and Ecstatic but I can’t see myself returning to it.
I’m sure, though, that I will be returning to the Schubert performance. It’s an excellent one and it shows the partnership between Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra in a very impressive light indeed. We must hope that it will not be too long before they can resume their work together in the concert hall in front of large audiences.
The production values of this set are very high indeed. I listened to the stereo layer of this Hybrid SACD both through loudspeakers and headphones and I was very impressed with the results. The recorded sound is truthful, it has presence and it reveals an abundance of detail. Purchasers also receive a code which allows them to access a high-resolution download of this album. I do have a couple of quibbles. The disc is housed in a sleeve inside the front cover. It’s a tight fit and the disc is held in place by a soft plastic spindle. You have to be very careful indeed when you extract the disc or replace it that you don’t rub the playing surface up against the spindle; it’s very impractical. The other quibble is less serious: the package containing disc and booklet measures 19.5 cm by 19.5 cm; that makes it a very awkward size for filing away. By compensation, though, the size means that the booklet is very handsome indeed. Not only does it contain, as I’ve mentioned, two very eloquent articles by the orchestra’s leadership figures but also excellent notes by Hugh Macdonald. In addition the booklet is copiously illustrated and, praise be, all the written material is presented in a nice, clear font – other labels, please copy.
The handsome booklet matches the quality of the performances. This is a very impressive release and while normal concert activity is largely suspended, I hope the Cleveland Orchestra will go back into their recent archive and issue from it more own-label releases to remind us what a distinguished ensemble this is.
John Quinn
Previous review: Mark Sebastian Jordan
