Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphony No.7 in E major (1881-83, 1885)
Berliner Philharmoniker/Sergiu Celibidache
Also includes the documentary The Triumphant Return.
rec. Schauspielhaus, Berlin, 31 March-1 April 1992
Directed by Rodney Greenberg.
Documentary directed Wolfgang Becker.
Aspect ratio 16:9; NTSC Region code 0
EUROARTS 2011408 DVD [90:00 (concert); 54:00 (documentary)]
This is very special. Sergiu Celibidache returned to Berlin in 1992 after
an absence of some 38 years to conduct a concert performance of Bruckner’s
Symphony No.7 with the Berlin Philharmonic. This was an orchestra that he
had been principal conductor of from 1945 to 1952 when he was in his early
thirties. Celibidache shunned publicity and generally disliked the recording
studio but was happy enough to allow his concerts and rehearsals to be recorded
and archived for posterity. He was a great musician and also a perfectionist.
He went to great lengths to achieve what were, to his ears, perfect performances
- or at least, as perfect as humanly possible. His demands for extensive rehearsal
periods for every concert in order to meet these artistic demands are legendary.
This is the only video of him conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in concert
and as such it has real historical significance.
The documentary, The Triumphant Return includes interviews with former
BPO players from the Celibidache era. They all talk very touchingly about
his genius and the way he inspired the orchestra to produce exceptional results.
There is also sadness about the way he moved on under a cloud never to return
until 1992. These interviews clearly demonstrate the magnetic effect Celibidache
had on the orchestra and it’s also clear that he was “one of them”
- helping to unload instruments from coaches and staying close to his players
as a friend as well as a leader. It’s all very touching. There are some
short clips of the young conductor in action soon after the war including
an extract from the Brahms violin concerto with Menuhin as soloist. Interspersed
with this footage we are treated to extensive excerpts from the rehearsal
of Bruckner 7. I’m not sure whether or not this way of rehearsing every
single note at the microscopic level is very pleasurable for an orchestra
but Celibidache knows what he wants and he makes sure he gets it. The first
two bars of the symphony are repeated time after time for 15 minutes until
he is happy. Goodness knows how long the rehearsals took but that’s
not the issue here. The issue is that we are seeing a great craftsman at work
cajoling “his” orchestra to produce everything he is looking for.
I personally find the whole thing incredibly informative and involving. This
is a fine documentary, beautifully produced. There’s just one annoying
niggle - the sound engineer should have insisted that the maestro removed
his bracelet prior to filming. It jingles away with a mind of its own and
some will find it distracting.
The concert itself is almost a bonus to a documentary to which I will regularly
return. Before going any further I will admit straightaway that Bruckner’s
work isn’t something that I particularly admire or warm to in general.
Like many others I find it all somewhat thick sounding and longwinded. It
seems to rely on huge vertical blocks followed by punctuation marks. The absence
of horizontal development leaves me a bit cold. Even the fast passages sound
heavy-footed but this is all subjective. I’ve now probably upset all
the devout Brucknerians who hold the master in esteem so I better quickly
move on. As Bruckner 7s go I actually enjoyed this performance immensely.
The orchestra produces a fabulous sound especially in the lower register.
The string playing is just exceptional and Celibidache manages to coax some
stupendous cantabile phrasing out of them. Everything flows and the
balance allows every voice to come through. It’s all there - clarity
of articulation, beauty of sound and a real grasp of the architecture. The
orchestra is clearly inspired by the conductor’s vision and there is
a definite sense of occasion. The audience are blown away by it all and rightly
so. Technically the camera-work doesn’t get in the way. We are allowed
to sit back, watch and listen. There are good overall shots of the complete
orchestra and regular close-ups of the conductor but not too close. Thank
goodness we don’t have to suffer distracting fast-moving cuts and close-ups
of violin players’ fingers. It’s the sort of quality you see during
the Proms TV coverage. The sound is fine. This well worth buying.
John Whitmore
A great documentary and concert from a genius of the podium.