BRAHMS:
Symphony No 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Variations on the St Anthony
Chorale
Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Leipzig/Hermann Abendroth
recorded 1949
BERLIN CLASSICS
0092432BC Mono [63.49]
Symphony No 3 in F minor Op. 90
Symphony No 4 in E minor
Op.98
Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Leipzig/Hermann Abendroth
recorded 1952 (Op.90), 1954
(Op.98)
BERLIN CLASSICS
0094332BC Mono [71.38]
The great regret about the first of these CDs is the poor recording quality.
Underneath a very muddy sound (the opening timpani strokes in the First Symphony
are almost completely inaudible through speakers, but not headphones) lies
a performance of considerable fire and abandon. Any listener interested in
acquiring a great performance of Brahms' C minor symphony should persevere
with this disc for immured within it is a Brahms interpretation it was once
the norm to hear. Here we have a performance that is unbuttoned in its passion
- and, most unexpectedly for this conductor in Brahms, profoundly lyrical.
Listen to the horn in the first movement, or the solo flute and clarinet
in the second and you will be astonished by the refinement of the playing.
It is as if each of these is a lone voice. As always with Abendroth the pacing
is brisk and matter-of-fact, his use of rubato less common than with his
contemporaries.
Among other things, Abendroth's Brahms is so successful because he constantly
alludes to the precision of the composer's notation and orchestration. The
performance of the First Symphony is far from the turgid, over-laden indulgence
we so often encounter in performance (see my
review of Thomas Sanderling's
Philharmonia cycle for a comparison of how not to play Brahms). Here we have
playing that takes account of rhythm and metre, and, more importantly, takes
account of intonation. True, there are problems with some of the playing
(though not the horns or woodwind which are constantly a delight to the ear)
but this is of little concern when the end result emerges so compellingly.
The nobility of the opening tutti is an example in point - with timpani strokes
(from what I can detect) being exactly as Brahms demanded, taken in tempo
and dynamically at f not ff as is so often the case. Elsewhere
Abendroth achieves a miraculous balance of orchestration with woodwind and
strings for once in harmony. If the final movement contains the most extreme
examples of Abendroth's subtle use of rubato - with strings often pushed
to the limit - it is balanced by the knowledge that the last 14 bars are
played with astonishing fidelity to the text. Here the rising bass line is
perfectly audible beside restrained timpani. This remains one of the finest
Brahms Firsts available.
The Third Symphony is one of the most difficult to bring off in performance
- its mood of introspection and romanticism a problem for many conductors.
Toscanini only succeeded once on disc in giving a great performance of this
symphony (his account with the Philharmonia on Testament) and Abendroth's
performance measures up to that recording well. Abendroth's objective approach
to Brahms' orchestration is probably the antithesis of what this symphony
needs yet in the first movement Abendroth seems to find the a range of
expressivity (listen from 8'10 to 8'26) which contrasts nicely with the
turbulence elsewhere in this movement. The mood of solemnity in the pastoral-like
second movement is most successfully done from the very opening dialogue
between clarinets and low strings to the descending cellos and basses which
close the movement in stillness and tranquillity. The allegretto's
melodious cadences, with superbly poetic cellos and deft touches elsewhere,
are as impressionistic as on any performance I can recall. When we come to
the finale, with its turbulent change of moods and direction, we really find
conductors encountering all sorts of problems (notably Furtwängler who
never quite got this movement right). Not so Abendroth. Everything here is
as it should be - the articulation of the proto fugato is astonishing in
its demonic power, the entry of C minor a veritable tempest of activity.
Woodwind are securely fleet, strings impassioned in the furious descending
scales - everything neatly in place but without the slightest hint of
over-preparation. The ending - sublime in its peacefulness and restiveness
- is here beautifully phrased by the violins floating towards the stillness
like falling snow. It closes a revelatory performance.
Brahms' last symphony has received many great performances and Hermann
Abendroth's joins them. Abendroth is the very antithesis of Wilhelm
Furtwängler in virtually everything that he conducted but in this symphony
the comparisons between the two are strikingly similar. Both brought considerable
drive to the first and last movement codas, and both achieve heights of poetry
and inspiration that elude most other interpreters of this great work. What
strikes me most about this performance is the extraordinary tenseness Abendroth
builds up almost from the very first bar. Indeed, the very opening phrases
are built up with the sole purpose of making this a tragic performance of
a tragic work. Any number of moments from this astonishingly wild and abandoned
performance would illustrate its greatness but I will concentrate on just
two. The first is the opening of the second movement. This whole movement
is a masterful combination of wondrous poetry and Brahmsian impressionism
with the very opening, until its transition to the main theme, being one
of the utmost lyricism and beauty. Here Abendroth is unsurpassed giving a
fugal, organ-like sonority to the instrumentation. The entry of the clarinets
and first bassoon (almost as a trio) are magically played as written -
pp - almost so that their inaudibility is achieved (this is, I imagine,
as it would sound in the concert hall). The rest of this opening development
requires enormous balance (as well as technical control from the players)
with horns in particular playing as written and not drowning out the underlying
melody. Largely, Abendroth achieves this.
The final movement of the Fourth Symphony is a unique movement being a set
of variations. Moving from variation 21 (a volcanic outburst of staggering
energy) to the final variation (No.30) Abendroth's performance has a drive
of Aeschylean breadth and majesty. Listen to his handling of the horn and
first violins variation (No.23), the marcato triplets (on flutes and
violins) in the next two variations or the rapid poco ritard of the
final variation's close and you will experience a subliminal power rarely
encountered in this symphony. Over and over again there is a fidelity to
the text most conductors miss. It concludes another great performance.
Both of these discs offer Brahms interpretation of the highest stature. Although
the sound requires some tolerance (considerable tolerance in the First Symphony)
they are unforgettable performances. The orchestral playing is largely first
class and always totally committed. They are quite fascinating historical
documents of one of the last century's greatest, yet most undervalued,
conductors.
Marc Bridle
See also Rob Barnett's review
of the second disc
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