Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony has always been something
of a "Cinderella", the least frequently performed of his last
six symphonies. This has always surprised me because I find it approachable
and rewarding.
In the last few years of his life Günter Wand
recorded five of the last six symphonies ‘live’ with the Berlin Philharmonic,
all of them very distinguished performances. The Sixth was the one that
‘got away’, unless, that is, BMG have an unissued recording buried in
their vaults. I hope so because this present reading, taken from Wand’s
complete cycle made for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, is less than wholly
successful, I feel.
For me the trouble lies in the first movement. Unusually
for Bruckner this begins not with a string tremolando but with a taut,
rhythmical figure on the violins. This is a trap for conductors for
the rhythm itself invites a forward-moving tempo. However, if the speed
is set too fast the music does not unfold with the necessary majesty.
Strangely, Wand, master Brucknerian though he is, adopts a tempo which,
for this listener at least, is too urgent and not what I would understand
by maestoso, which is Bruckner’s marking. Wand’s tempo is approximately
minim = 62, compared with minim = 50 adopted by Klemperer in his 1964
recording with the New Philharmonia (EMI). Georg Tintner in his 1995
Naxos account is almost identical to Klemperer at minim = 49. Some may
find the slower speed drags but to me it gives the necessary breadth
to the main material of the movement.
When the music slows for the second subject (track
1, 1’ 40") Wand’s speed is much closer to Klemperer’s and I feel
more comfortable with his pacing. There is much to admire in Wand’s
handling of the first movement as a whole but the briskness, which,
of course, reasserts itself every time the first subject reappears,
seems to me to be a major flaw. It is for this reason that when the
coda to the movement begins (track 1, 13’14") there is, most unusually
for Wand, little sense of mystery or suspense, especially when set beside
Klemperer. One small point. The movement ends with a crotchet chord
but Wand holds the chord on for a minim. By contrast, Klemperer, who
has in any case handled the molto rall in the final bars much
better, observes the correct note value. This may seem a really pedantic
point but the curt final chord this surely conveys Bruckner’s intentions
accurately. All in all, this is a disappointingly prosaic account of
the first movement from a conductor whose interpretations of Bruckner
I usually find so satisfying and well judged.
Thereafter things improve. The Adagio is presented
with Wand’s usual acute sense of pacing (though I prefer the New Philharmonia’s
principal oboe more plangent tone in the vital solo at the start of
the movement.) Wand judges the speed and structure of this movement
very well. The scherzo, too, is well done. The tempo for the trio section
may strike some listeners as a trifle broad but I found it convincing.
In the finale Wand’s basic tempo is a touch fleeter
than Klemperer’s but the difference is not significant. Both conductors
are successful in this movement, I think. It is not as straightforward
a piece as it seems (again, the choice of tempo is critical) but both
Wand and Klemperer convey the drama of the movement very well, I think.
Wand’s performance has many good things in it and his
orchestra plays well for him. However, the tendency to hurry in the
first movement worries me. As it is, my allegiance to Klemperer’s gaunt
and majestic reading remains unshaken. However, for those who find Klemperer
too severe Wand may be a good alternative and BMG’s re-mastered sound
is richer and fuller than that on EMI’s recording. A qualified recommendation,
then. I’d recommend intending purchasers sample the first movement before
buying and if the brisk tempo is not a concern then I doubt you will
be disappointed by the remainder of the reading.
John Quinn
conducted by Günter
Wand