Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Symphony No 4 in C minor, D. 417 “Tragic” [31:19]
Symphony No 5 in B-flat, D. 485 [27:50]
B’Rock Orchestra/René Jacobs
rec. De Spil, Roeselare, Belgium, July 2019 (Symphony No 4); Haus der Musik
Innsbruck, Austria, February 2020 (Symphony No 5)
Reviewed as downloaded in 24/96 stereo from press preview
PENTATONE PTC5186856
[59:24]
“A new symphonic pair”, the booklet declares of these two well-loved
symphonies by Schubert. Composed in the same year, the fourth and fifth
appear, at first glance, to be an antagonistic duo; the former one of the
few symphonies at the time written in a minor key and granted its
appropriate title, whilst the latter more modest and seemingly more fitting
with the times. René Jacobs’s approach attempts to unite the two under a
vision of Romantic turmoil, with varying degrees of success.
The hallmarks of period performance in which Jacobs holds ample experience
are certainly present in the fourth symphony; historical instruments are
used throughout; tempi are almost unfailingly brisk and vibrato is kept to
a minimum. The greatest difficulty in historical performance is inserting
colour into the music with fewer techniques at the player’s disposal,
losing many which we modern players take for granted, and not sacrificing
musicality for the cause of authenticity. The overall form of the
introduction is shaped well by means of dynamics, but more use of tonal
colouring would go a long way in bringing out the shorter phrasing. The
allegro vivace possesses all the thrust and drive one would expect from a
fast-paced performance such as this, helped by the highlighting of the
wind, brass and percussion in the balance. The resulting effect is more
dramatic, Sturm und Drang-esque than most modern performances, of which
Claudio Abbado with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe stands out with
operatic poise and drama in equal abundance.
Phrases in the second movement are shaped sympathetically, albeit with a
light touch, but even here Jacobs keeps driving the music forwards. This
feels like an effective approach in the forte sections, though more lyrical
moments do have the tendency to feel rushed and wooden. Abbado takes over a
minute longer in this movement, which pays dividends towards a more
balanced movement.
The third movement may come as a shock to anybody familiar with other
recordings of the piece. Jacobs takes the minuet at a brisk pace more
reminiscent of a danse macabre; an unorthodox approach but one which,
coupled with the dissonance beginning to creep into Schubert’s music,
brings out a darker, Death and the Maiden angle on the movement. The
relentless drive, however, begins to lag a little in the finale; one issue
with setting the bar at such a level of momentum is that more often than
not one has little room to build up further. As such, the movement lacks a
sense of overarching structure and loses the subtlety and contrast between
phrases which such a busy movement desperately needs.
Jacobs attempts to push a similar vision to the fourth symphony onto the
fifth, despite the fifth being of a different disposition altogether; the
first movement is brisk with an oddly prominent rhythm section in the
balance of the exposition. For all its seemingly classical jollity, this
can be a difficult movement to pull off; a conductor must balance poise and
humour on top of perfect orchestral control. Jacobs appears to suffer from
pushing a little too hard and comes off with an overabundance of
seriousness.
In the second movement, Jacobs finds and reveals the inner darkness lurking
behind a seemingly lyrical façade, the fateful minor sections manipulated
to extend their darkness even into the lyrical sections in between. Despite
this, the movement can feel rushed at times, particularly in the lyrical
sections; one does feel that a slightly slower tempo would make the
contrast between light and dark even more effective.
I would be inclined to call the fourth movement a success; Jacobs is able
to inject some much-needed humour and lightness into the finale. However,
frequent tempo changes do detract from the listener’s appreciation,
oscillating between a pleasantly fast tempo, sudden slowdowns and the whole
approach falling over itself. Similar tampering plagues the minuet and
trio, though to a lesser extent. Perhaps, then, this sums up the rest of
the recording rather well – moments where Jacobs’s unique approach suits
the music perfectly; indeed, each listener to their own as to how many of
these moments there might be; but as a complete performance, somewhat too
hit and miss to recommend overall.
Colin C.F. Chow
