This review is in two
sections: (1) artistic considerations
(2) a consumer perspective. Their conclusions
are rather different.
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
is an under-recorded Polish conductor
who spent much of his early career in
the USA before moving back to Europe.
I am not sure how much Bruckner he programmed
in Minnesota but I can recall hearing
him with the Hallé in the Third
Symphony when he was principal conductor
of that orchestra during the 1980s.
These readings certainly seem to be
the product of much experience and thought.
Skrowaczewski has a
consistent approach to Bruckner which
is forthright but unforced and sounds
natural. Tempi are almost invariably
well-judged and kept constant unless
Bruckner explicitly marks a change.
Relative to others, fast movements tend
to be slightly quicker (e.g. the first
movement of the Ninth) and slow movements
slightly slower (e.g. the great adagios
of the last three symphonies). Skrowaczewski
perhaps underplays elements of mystery
and religious fervour but the architectural
strength of the readings is compelling.
Following Terry Barfoot’s
detailed review (see link below), there
seems to be no need to go through the
symphonies individually. The hallmark
of this cycle is consistency and there
is a not single work that I found disappointing.
Equally well, none would probably be
a top choice but there is a lot of competition
in these works. I listened to the symphonies
in numerical order and had a clear sense
of progression - Skrowaczewski convincingly
presents the composer's development
and leaves no doubt about the greatness
of the later works.
The playing of the
Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra
is very fine throughout. They are accorded
decent, presumably studio, sound except
in the Seventh which was the first to
be recorded and for which an audience
is occasionally audible, although not
seriously obtrusive and no applause
remains.
In terms of editions,
Skrowaczewski generally opts for Bruckner's
last thoughts, except in the First Symphony,
for which he chooses the first (Linz)
version. Detailed information relating
to the precise editions used is lacking
but will probably only matter to seasoned
Brucknerians. Overall, the textual choices
are reasonable and coherent in terms
of the whole cycle.
In addition to the
symphonies numbered 1-9 there are four
extra works to be mentioned, making
this the most complete Bruckner box
available. The early symphonies, now
usually known as 00 and 0, have been
recorded a few times and the latter
is part of some complete cycles (e.g.
Haitink's). Their inclusion here is
useful and Skrowaczewski almost convinces
one that the earlier work, in F minor,
is more than a mere student exercise
... which is what Bruckner considered
it to be - he was 39 when he wrote it!
Slightly later but in similar vein came
the G minor overture. No 0 is certainly
a fine work, parts of which date from
after the First Symphony. Finally there
is an arrangement for string orchestra
of the great adagio from the String
Quintet, Bruckner's only mature chamber
composition. Much as I love this movement
and, despite its almost symphonic vision,
I am a bit dubious about it in this
form because of a loss in intimacy and
the lack of context provided by the
other movements. Undoubtedly though,
given its rarity on record, this is
of interest.
To sum up the artistic
considerations - this is a thoroughly
recommendable cycle, well played and
in decent sound. Its particular strength
lies in Skrowaczewski's consistent and
unmannered approach.
From a consumer perspective,
the first consideration is how this
measures up in terms of performance
and sound to other currently available
complete cycles. The short answer is
pretty well. If allowed just one cycle
I would prefer it to the Barenboim I
reviewed a couple of months ago (see
link below). Only in the Fifth Symphony
would I clearly feel a preference for
Barenboim and that is more of a reflection
of his excellence there than any shortcoming
on the part of Skrowaczewski. This cycle
is also, in my view, preferable to Tintner's.
Although his readings of the first versions
of Nos. 2, 3 and 8 are essential individual
purchases, Tintner's is a more individual,
less consistent approach. Haitink's
Amsterdam cycle from the 1960s and 1970s
has just been reissued and I would find
it hard to choose between it and the
Skrowaczewski on performance considerations
- though I do prefer the modern Saarbrücken
sound.
The main sting in the
tail for this set is its current cost
for this is upper mid-price bracket
at over £90 and is probably the most
expensive Bruckner cycle on the market.
Originally, most of the discs were issued
singly on Arte Nova at super-bargain
price. A few years ago you could have
picked up one of these discs to sample
Skrowaczewski's approach or plug a gap
in the collection for £5. Lacking a
version of the 1889 version of the Third
on CD, I did just that and was impressed.
Effectively the price has been hiked
up 50% for this bulk re-issue. Relatively,
this now costs about four times as much
as Barenboim and over twice as much
as Haitink with Tintner in between.
I doubt that this set
would be worth the extra money for most
collectors even if it were handsomely
packaged. In that respect it also falls
down significantly. Barenboim's set
is not ideally presented but has something
of a luxury feel to it. This one has
a minimalistic tone. The booklet is
thin, essay on the works superficial
and there are no track-listing or timings.
The discs come in thin sealed envelopes
which are opened like letters - and
thereafter look like opened letters.
Like UK tax returns they have windows
and you have to put the disc in the
right way if you want it to be identifiable
before removing it. Compared to the
feel and utility of many boxed sets
- for example EMI’s bargain boxes -
this is poor.
The only positive thing
I can say about presentation is that
it is potentially remediable. So too,
of course, is the price. Although artistically
and sonically recommendable, this is
not currently competitive. My advice
to potential buyers is to wait and see.
Hopefully Oehms will see the light and
reissue the set - and perhaps even the
single discs - in a more attractive
way.
Patrick C Waller
Link to my
review of Barenboim’s set
Link to Terry
Barfoot’s review of this set
Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra/Stanislaw
Skrowaczewski 
