Hans Knappertsbusch and the Vienna Philharmonic - Vol.2
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 (1841, revised 1851) [29:48]
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Tod und Verklärung, Op 24 (1889) [22:48]
Wiener Philharmoniker/Hans Knappertsbusch
rec. live, 16 December 1962, Vienna. mono
IDIS 6655 [52:38]
The IDIS label is oddly erratic; some of its recent issues, such as the
all-Dvořák
programme “Karajan Spectacular” have been excellent. Far too
many
others suffer from poor source material, carelessly re-mastered. For
example,
their Barbirolli Elgar disc inexplicably gives us the first track of the
Enigma
Variations in mono before reverting to stereo. Then there’s the
Karajan
Die Walküre which contains so many jumps and drop-outs.
This issue is less problematic although there are a few negligible
drop-outs
such as at the beginning of the second movement of the Schumann symphony.
The
sound overall is very hard and wiry with little depth. Some of that is due
less
to the recording quality of the original tape than to the fact that the
VPO
is on this occasion suffering from Knappertsbusch’s notorious
reluctance
to rehearse. It really needed a warm-up; the strings are often
unpardonably
screechy and approximate in intonation. There isn’t too much
distortion
but the opening track begins abruptly, missing any ambient lead-in. This
suggests
that the recording began marginally later than the playing, so one wonders
whether
this is a flaw in the original tape or yet another example of careless
production
by the Milanesi engineering team. Similarly, the conclusion of the Strauss
tone
poem is cut short before the final C major chord finishes resonating.
There
is some pretty sloppy ensemble here, too, with timpani and strings out of
synch
on the opening downbeat of phrases and a general sloppiness in tutti
passages.
The lack of precision would no doubt have made Karajan tut-tut; there is a
near
train-wreck around 16:00 into the Strauss towards the end.
No; as much as I am a great Knappertsbusch fan this 1962 concert was not
his
finest hour for all that the audience applause is quite enthusiastic.
There
is compensating conviction and some powerful moments but for much of the
time
in the Schumann Kna sounds ponderous and even lumbering; this despite his
characteristically
swift tempi. For much of the time it sounds to me as though the conductor
is
on autopilot. The first movement lacks lightness and flexibility of
phrasing.
This serves to accentuate bare patches in the composer’s writing
which
in less enlightened times exposed him to the accusation of being a poor
orchestrator.
Having said that, the conclusion to the Strauss, despite the mess alluded
to
earlier, is arresting and the music still makes its impact.
There are far finer testaments than this to Knappertsbusch’s best
work
with the VPO from the 1950s and early 1960s, especially in their Bruckner
and
Wagner.
Ralph Moore
There are far finer testaments than this to Knappertsbusch’s best work with the VPO from the 1950s and early 1960s.
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