Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphony No. 7 in E major* (1883) [71:14]
Symphony No. 9 in D minor (1894) [62:18]
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/Kurt Sanderling*; Carlo Maria Giulini
rec. live 20 Sept 1996; 16 Dec 1998*, Liederhalle, Stuttgart
HÄNSSLER CLASSICS CD 94.604 [71:14 + 62:18]
This issue combines, in a bargain package, two major performances previously
issued separately. As such it represents a very attractive purchase for any
committed Bruckner fan. They are not necessarily the first recommendations
you would encounter in surveys but could easily be so, particularly with regard
to the Seventh. Apart from the muting of the reverberation of the last note
on the horn right at the end of the Ninth before the applause comes in - presumably
some eejit yelled out “Bravo” or something - there are no niggling
sound or production problems despite these being live. In fact the sonic quality
is tremendous, as is the quality of execution. There is barely a sound from
the audience and the Liederhalle acoustic proves to be ideal; full marks to
the engineers. The Stuttgart Radio Orchestra is immensely impressive but not
flawless: the horn fanfare seven minutes into the Allegro moderato of the
Seventh is tame. There are some slippages in ensemble and some passing moments
of rhythmic uncertainty, particularly in the Scherzo. Similarly, in the manic
Scherzo of the Ninth, the orchestra cannot emulate the precision and tonal
weight of the VPO. The hammer blows are not unanimous, the woodwind intonation
is slightly awry and the brass is sometimes wayward. For the most part, however,
they are astoundingly good, above all in the shimmer of their strings, even
if the latter cannot sustain the amplitude of the VPO’s brass in the
“Dresden Amen” in the Adagio.
I believe the Sanderling Seventh to be the more striking of the two symphonies
here, only because Giulini surpasses even this Ninth in his legendary live
account with the VPO from June 1988. Were it not for the existence of that
recording, this would be the Giulini Ninth to have, but it does not quite
achieve the singing ecstasy of the Vienna performance. However, there is much
to be savoured here. Those who, to borrow an apt phrase from a fellow reviewer,
“get bored sitting in cathedrals”, will prefer this faster version.
Giulini has curbed his predilection for etiolation and chopped two minutes
off the first movement and four off the third compared with his Vienna account.
This results in a more standard total running time, as most competitive recordings
come in between 58 and 62 minutes. I for one still miss the rapt majesty he
generates in Vienna but still endorse this Stuttgart performance as a great
achievement. Another attraction for fans is that this was the last of his
three Ninths and his valedictory Bruckner performance before retirement.
There is also the question of the desirability of buying a Ninth complete
with the newly reconstructed finale, especially as several good ones are now
available and conductors such as Rattle are recording and performing it. I
do not propose to embark on a discussion of that here but will confine myself
to discussing only the three movement version of this symphony that Giulini
performed. For more on the reconstruction, see my review of the recent three-symphony
Profil issue with Schaller conducting at the Ebrach Festival.
The Sanderling Seventh may be recommended without hesitation, even alongside
established classics by Karajan, especially as the latter’s recordings
still await a proper re-mastering and the sound here is so satisfying.
Sanderling brings a sense of occasion to Bruckner. His is a grand, stately,
direct, no-frills interpretation; the only quirk being an exceptionally slow
Adagio of over 25 minutes. This he pulls off by exhorting his violins to play
the downward figures with highly expressive portamento and a sense of the
sweep and arc of their phrase. You know that you are in the hands of a master
by the way he engineers the crescendo five minutes into the first movement
Allegro; his gradation of dynamics is telling. In the Scherzo, you feel that
Karajan is almost too refined in comparison with how Sanderling galvanises
the triple-time theme, despite the occasional rhythmic slip from the Stuttgart
orchestra. He takes a broad, Romantic approach to the lyrical sections more
akin to Karajan’s warm treatment whereas Schaller, having managed such
concentrated urgency in the fast sections, slightly falters here and is erratic
in pulse. In the Finale, Sanderling captures a kind of Brahmsian combination
of massive dignity and thrilling propulsion; the music is both broad and driven,
underpinned by some superb horn-playing. The balance between the refulgent
brass and the shimmering strings is perfectly judged. So, too, is the skilfully
managed, successive alternation between the sprightly opening subject and
the slow, weighty second theme. This is Bruckner playing of the highest order,
wholly in the spirit of the composer.
Hänssler do not provide recording dates beyond the year but I believe
those I give above to be correct.
Ralph Moore
Bruckner playing of the highest order, wholly in the spirit of the composer.
Masterwork Index: Symphony 7 ~~ Symphony 9