Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphony No 7 in E major (1883)
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Klaus Tennstedt
rec. live, 5 November 1977, Symphony Hall, Boston
Region Code: 0; Picture Format: NTSC 4:3; Sound: Enhanced Mono
ICA CLASSICS ICAD 5066 [66:00]
The welcome expansion of Klaus Tennstedt’s recorded legacy through the issue
of live performances continues with this reading of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony
from Boston. This was a work that Tennstedt did not take into the recording
studios though there is another live account, this time on CD, on the LPO
Live label (LPO0030). That issue preserves a 1984 performance but I have not
heard it.
It was with the Boston Symphony Orchestra that Tennstedt made his US debut
in 1974, when one of the programmes he offered consisted of Bruckner’s Eighth
Symphony. By all accounts that performance had the critics in raptures. It
appears from the booklet note that when Tennstedt gave three performances
of the Seventh three years later the critics, who attended the first of the
performances, were a little less impressed, praising the conductor’s interpretation
but finding fault with some of the playing; it was suggested that perhaps
the performance was under-rehearsed. By the time the third performance came
round – the one preserved here – it would seem that these little difficulties
had been ironed out. There are one or two very minor slips but the overall
standard of playing is extremely high and one has the definite impression
that conductor and players are as one.
Oddly, the image on the cover of this CD is not taken from the performance
we see. For this Boston concert Tennstedt eschewed a score and therefore had
no need to wear spectacles. In fact the Tennstedt we see in this film is quite
youthful-looking. The recording is presented in “Enhanced Mono” – I’m unsure
what that means but the sound is perfectly satisfactory – so we don’t quite
get the benefit of Tennstedt’s layout of the string section: the violins are
massed on his left but the violas are to his right – where many conductors
place the cellos – and the Boston cello section is seated to the right hand
of the violas.
The reading is a very fine one. Tennstedt moulds the long, expansive cello
melody at the start of the first movement with great care and evident feeling.
As the movement unfolds he takes the second subject quite swiftly, though
he’s not too hasty. This performance is one of those that remind us that Bruckner
was a musical descendant of Schubert – and Tennstedt was a fine exponent of
Schubert’s Ninth. The listener is left in no doubt that Tennstedt has the
measure of the span and structure of this movement. That’s even more the case
with his account of the solemn Adagio. This is a noble, burnished reading
and though Tennstedt maintains a good objective stance there’s no doubt that
he feels every phrase. He shapes the music splendidly and the Boston players
respond to him with playing of distinction. The strings are wonderfully rich
in tone, with just the right amount of weight, while the brass are sonorous.
This is one of those performances where everything just feels right – and
inevitable. The cymbal and triangle are included at the main climax.
Tennstedt ensures that the rhythms of the scherzo have real lift and spring
while the lyrical trio is affectionately phrased. The finale is completely
successful. Tennstedt mixes energy with expansive phrasing and the brass-dominated
episodes are delivered with due majesty.
Tennstedt’s rendition of this symphony is deeply satisfying and it’s marvellous
to have an example of him at work with one of the finest orchestras in the
USA. We’re told that he worked regularly with the BSO until 1987 so I hope
very much that ICA may be able to license more material, either audio or visual,
from the orchestra’s archives. I found it fascinating to look at the BSO of
thirty-five years ago and I noted with some surprise how few female musicians
there were on the stage – possibly eight at most, including the orchestra’s
celebrated principal flautist, Doriot Anthony Dwyer. Furthermore, at that
time there don’t seem to have been too many young players in the BSO’s ranks.
I bet things have changed quite a lot in the intervening period. The thing
that really matters is that the Boston Symphony of 1977 vintage was a fine,
seasoned ensemble and it’s a joy to hear them play under this great conductor.
The visual presentation is reliable and gives a good representation of the
concert. One minor irritant, I found, was the director’s occasional propensity
for split-screen shots, showing us, for example, the principal oboist in one
half of the screen and the principal clarinettist in the other. Happily, this
doesn’t occur too often and it may not bother other viewers. The key thing
is that if you invest in this DVD you’ll acquire a top-quality performance
of Bruckner’s Seventh under a great conductor.
John Quinn
A top-quality performance of Bruckner’s Seventh under a great conductor.
Masterwork Index: Bruckner 7