Christoph von Dohnányi has had a long and distinguished relationship with
the Philharmonia Orchestra. He became their Principal Guest Conductor in
1994. Subsequently he was Principal Conductor (1997-2008) and on stepping
down from that role he was accorded the title Honorary Conductor for Life.
That title was, I think, more than a gesture of politeness: it signified
both parties’ wish to retain a close relationship and I think I’m right in
saying that Dohnányi has returned to conduct the orchestra every season
since then. This performance of Bruckner’s Ninth was recorded at the 2014
Salzburg Festival at the start of a series of concerts marking Dohnányi’s
85
th birthday, which fell on 8 September 2014.
A couple of years ago I
reviewed a live recording by this partnership of
Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony. Whilst not dislodging leading recommendations it
was still a reading that I admired so I approached this account of the Ninth
with some expectations. I’ve had two other recordings of this symphony for
review in recent months, both very different from each other and both, like
this newcomer, live recordings. Simone Young’s Hamburg recording is
admirable in many ways though it also throws up quite a few question marks
(
review); Claudio Abbado’s magnificent Lucerne recording was
much more satisfying (
review). Putting my cards on the table at the outset I’ll
say that in my estimation Dohnányi does not scale the heights that the
Abbado performance attains but offers a more traditionally nuanced view of
the score than Simone Young.
Dohnányi opens the symphony impressively. There’s tension at the outset
and the great unison tutti (2:25) is thrust home powerfully. Furthermore,
the bars leading up to that tutti constitute a very good preparation. All
this augurs well. The movement unfolds with authority and a sense of
inevitability. Dohnányi conveys the lyricism of several stretches of music.
However, in his useful notes Eric Levi comments that despite the lyrical
episodes “a sense of unease is never far from the surface” and that comes
across in Dohnányi’s reading also. The Philharmonia play the big climaxes
with unforced power – the brass section had a fine day in Salzburg. The
massive climax (14:13) really hits home and I noted that unlike Simone
Young, who presses into the climax with urgency, Dohnányi keeps his tempo
rock-steady in the lead-up to the climax – as does Abbado – greatly to the
music’s benefit. Throughout the movement Dohnányi ensures that the
transitions and changes of pace make complete sense; he sees the movement as
a whole, which not all conductors manage. He’s spacious in his approach,
though not as marvellously as Abbado, and I find his performance
satisfying.
In the scherzo the dynamic contrasts are expertly calibrated. The
monolithic, pounding tutti material is suitably forceful but it’s not
over-emphatically rammed home as I felt was the case in the Young
performance. The trio is light on its feet. In this second movement Dohnányi
conveys the essential darkness in the music.
I felt that the violins’
cri de coeur at the start of the Adagio
was overdone in the Young performance; it sounded like Mahler’s Ninth. Like
Abbado, Dohnányi is more restrained here, though there’s still ample
feeling. There’s stoicism in his reading which is far closer to the
patrician Abbado. This reading of the Adagio is searching and it’s patiently
paced. I warmed to the way the long string melodies are allowed to unfold in
a dignified fashion. Dohnányi may not wear his heart on his sleeve – thank
goodness – but throughout this long movement you know that he and his
players are giving voice to an eloquent statement by Bruckner. The final
climax (20:24 – 21:07) is awe-inspiring and, as he does throughout the
symphony, Dohnányi prepares the way to this climax most effectively. The
coda (from 23:55) is quite simple and gently sad; it should never be
forgotten that Bruckner never intended this as his musical
Abschied.
As I said at the outset, this performance doesn’t match the very special
experience that is the Abbado performance but, then, that’s one of the great
Bruckner performances of recent years. However, Dohnányi’s is a considerable
performance in its own right. The Philharmonia plays very well for a
conductor who they clearly and rightly esteem. The recording is good. The
audience is commendably silent throughout and, happily, no applause is
allowed to intrude at the end; rather, we can be left with our own
thoughts.
John Quinn
