Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 (1899) [41:46]
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op 43 (1902) [52:08]
Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, Op 82 (1919) [37:56]
Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 (1924) [25:03]
Wiener Philharmoniker/Leonard Bernstein
rec. live, 4-6 October 1986 (Symphony 2); 1-2 September 1987 (Symphony 5); 1-4 October 1988 (Symphony 7); 20-24 February 1990 (Symphony 1), Großer Musikvereinssaal, Vienna
Region code: A, B, C. Picture format: 1080i 16:9, except Symphony 2 (4:3); Sound format: PCM Stereo DTS-HD MA 5.1
C MAJOR Blu-ray 732404 [166:00]
These recordings were part of a project, left incomplete at
his death, for Bernstein to record a full Sibelius symphony cycle for DG.
The cycle was to have been recorded live in concert with the VPO and issued
in both audio and video formats. Sadly, three symphonies remained unrecorded
at the time of Bernstein’s death in in October 1990. The CD versions
of these performances were reviewed
by Rob Barnett a few years ago. Appropriately in the year that marks the 150th
anniversary of the birth of Sibelius these performances are now issued for
the first time on Blu-ray.
By coincidence I received this disc in the very week that the twenty-fifth
anniversary of Bernstein’s death was marked and it’s been salutary
to watch these potent reminders of a great musical personality at work.
Two things caught my eye during the First Symphony, one of
them trivial. The trivial thing is that Lennie conducts the first few minutes
of the first movement with his spectacles folded and clutched in his left
hand. Eventually we see him don them but given the often expansive gestures
he is prone to making I kept expecting him to forget about the spectacles
and accidentally hurl them into the midst of the orchestra. The more important
feature is that Bernstein doubles the woodwind, so that there are four each
of every instrument. In fact he does this in every symphony.
The First was the last of the symphonies to be recorded. The main Allegro
energico of this movement is full of drive and passion. Bernstein generates
a good deal of electricity and you can tell that he really feels
the music. True, there are several instances of points being underlined but
there’s no denying the conviction of the performance. Bernstein’s
conducting is really intense. The slow movement is marked Andante (ma
non troppo lento). Some may feel Bernstein doesn’t pay sufficient
heed to the qualification in the tempo marking for he unfolds the music unhurriedly
and with great expression; indeed he positively caresses the opening phrases.
This is a big, romantic reading of the movement, though the quick central
episode flashes past, and nowhere is the romantic nature better observed than
in the closing pages. Lennie takes these very broadly and it seems as if the
music is getting even slower as the end approaches though I’m not sure
this is actually the case. This interpretation may be on the slow side but
I found the expressive rewards far outweighed any questions of “mere”
pacing. The third movement is very dynamic though the trio is pulled around
quite a bit for expressive purposes. With only the briefest of pauses Lennie
launches into the finale. The strings’ reprise of the clarinet melody
with which the symphony began is big and rhetorical here. Later, when the
violins sing that gorgeous G-string melody the music isn’t taken as
expansively as I’d expected – but, boy, Bernstein gets his violins
to sing it! The second time we hear this melody, towards the end
of the movement with rippling harp and much more opulently scored, it’s
simply glorious; here the VPO give the music their all. If I were to sum up
Bernstein’s interpretation of the symphony I think I’d describe
it as individual but very memorable.
The Second Symphony was the first to be recorded and I fancy
this performance will be the most controversial. Lennie takes 52 minutes to
play it. By comparison, Lorin Maazel’s 1964 recording with the same
orchestra, which I’ll be reviewing soon, plays for 43:18, albeit that
performance is under studio conditions. Osmo Vänskä’s recording with
the Lahti Symphony Orchestra (review)
is fairly similarly timed at 44:44, as is Sir Simon Rattle’s recent
live account, which takes 43:12 (review).
The principal reason – though not the only one – why Bernstein
is so at variance with these other three versions is that his account of the
second movement lasts an astonishing 18:14. Among the other three the longest
version of this movement is Vänskä; he takes 14:25.
The basic pulse for the first movement is quite steady and Bernstein manipulates
the pulse quite frequently – sometimes a bit excessively – for
expressive effect. However, the reading as a whole exudes character and I
found it convincing. My loyalty is strained severely by the second movement,
however. I can’t recall that I’ve ever heard the pizzicati from
the double basses and then the cellos played quite like this. Not only are
the individual notes very pronounced but also within what is already a very
slow tempo Lennie indulges in quite a bit of rubato. As the movement unfolds
the pace is frequently deliberate and I think that Bernstein flirts with danger
several times. In his hands the music is very dramatic and rhetorical and
there are times when I think the cohesion of the movement is at risk because
the music is being pulled out of shape. And yet….you can’t escape
the realisation that Bernstein has thought very carefully about every phrase.
He’s clearly prepared to take risks in the heat of live performance.
The third movement goes like lightning, with Bernstein jigging rhythmically
on the podium. The trio is expansive, the phrases lovingly moulded yet I don’t
think it’s overdone. The finale can only be described as epic. Again,
the music is often pulled about in the conductor’s search for expressive
truth but he doesn’t do this thoughtlessly or out of showmanship. Throughout
the whole performance he lives and breathes every phrase and at the end he’s
visibly exhausted, his absorption in the music complete. This is a controversial
performance but I still found it absorbing.
The Fifth Symphony begins gently but it’s not long
before Bernstein’s trademark intensity is evident, the tension racked
up. I admire the way that the conductor gets the VPO to convey the craggy
grandeur of the music and among many details I relished the eloquent bassoon
solo against a glacial string background. What is, in effect, the scherzo
finds Bernstein impelling the music forward, obtaining rhythmically alert
playing. He energises the orchestra and as the movement hurtles towards its
conclusion the closing pages are terrifically exciting. The thematic material
on which the second movement is based is quite modest but Lennie shapes it
with great care. The variations that flow from that theme are done beautifully.
The finale follows with scarcely a pause and this movement shows Bernstein
at his best, I think. It’s noticeable that the orchestra has reinforcements
for this symphony, clearly with an eye to the finale and the “Thor’s
hammer” motif. There are six trumpets and no less than seven horns.
The pent-up energy at the start of the movement is palpable, even when the
dynamics are low. Bernstein’s control and vision of the movement are
deeply impressive and the build-up to the final peroration is handled with
consummate skill. The closing pages are wonderful as the grandeur in the music
mounts and is fully realised. This is a great example of Bernstein’s
eloquence with the baton. This is a distinguished account of the Fifth.
If anything the Seventh is finer still. There’s great
tension right at the start and a few minutes into the performance that wonderful
passage of polyphony involving the whole string choir is voiced with real
eloquence and concentration. The ascent to the first statement of the great
trombone theme is magisterial and the declamation of the theme itself is as
majestic as you could wish to hear it. The Vivacissimo and, later,
the Vivace-Presto episodes are despatched with great dexterity and
lightness. But it’s the moments of grandeur that impress above all.
The trombone theme has almost primal power; in these episodes the entire VPO
brass section, horns included, covers itself with glory. The last few minutes
have tremendous intensity, Bernstein seemingly willing every note to make
as effective and eloquent a contribution to the symphonic canvas as possible.
This is a stand-out performance of Sibelius’s most concentrated symphony.
Before I attempt to sum up I should just say a few words about presentation.
The films were directed by Humphrey Burton and the audio production was in
the hands of another long-time Bernstein collaborator, John McClure. The camera
work is pretty good, though techniques have moved on somewhat since these
films were made. It’s frustrating that the Second Symphony must be viewed
through a “narrow bore” 4:3 picture. The sound quality struck
me as decent though not outstanding. However, I need to put two caveats onto
that verdict. Firstly, we’re dealing with sound that is over 25 years
old. Secondly, I don’t have my Blu-ray video player linked into my hi-fi
system; those who do will probably get better results that I obtained through
the sound base unit that I have coupled to my TV.
Even if the sound and vision may not be up to the very latest standards it’s
the performances for which you’ll buy this disc. Len Mullenger described
these performances to me as “wilful but utterly compelling”. I
really can’t say better than that, though the word “wilful”
applies less to the Fifth and Seventh symphonies, I think. Leonard Bernstein,
as a conductor was an astonishing re-creative artist, albeit a controversial
one. In these Sibelius performances he holds nothing back; he is utterly committed
and absorbed and the results are, as Len said, utterly compelling. This is
a great conductor at work and getting splendid performances from an orchestra
which clearly held him in high regard.
John
Quinn
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