Qobuz offered the first five tracks of this album
free when they launched their Spanish site in January 2015. The paid-for
‘Deluxe Extended Version’ – a touch of hyperbole there
– includes the
Prelude from
Tristan. Interestingly
this is not a Deutsche Grammophon release, as Gustavo Dudamel’s
other recordings have been, but is produced by him and Fidelio Arts.
At the time of writing – early January – Amazon had listed
the mp3 version for pre-order; there’s no sign of a CD at this
stage, but then the recent launch of the Naxos HD streaming/download
service suggests the recorded music industry could be in for a radical
realignment this year. Physical discs may not be part of that brave
new world, but I suspect this Wagner concert might appear on video at
some point.
Ever since I first heard the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra at the 2007
BBC Proms I've been one of their most loyal followers. That intoxicating
programme was subsequently reprised in
Fiesta!,
which was one of my
Recordings of the Year for 2008. Their
later
Stravinsky/Revueltas
disc was pretty impressive too. They’ve grown up since then, and
have jettisoned the Youth part of their title. As for Gustavo ‘The
Dude’ Dudamel he’s also grown in stature, and is my tip
to succeed Simon Rattle as principal conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker
in 2018.
Dudamel hasn't been terribly consistent of late, but I was still delighted
at the prospect of hearing him conduct the Bolívars in this all-Wagner
programme. One only has to see these Venezuelans in action to realise
what a remarkable team they make; indeed, their Mahler
Resurrection
at the 2011 Proms remains one of the most overwhelming performances
of the piece that I’ve ever experienced, and their Caracas
Mahler
8 – which includes the LA Philharmonic – is a splendid
achievement too. Dudamel’s audio-only Mahler has been far less
successful – his
Seventh must be one of the most perplexing,
ill-conceived accounts of the work on record – but in spite of
that I still believe the best is yet to come.
I’m a sucker for these Wagner excerpts, and have long cherished
the George Szell/Cleveland set from the 1960s (CBS/Sony) and Klaus Tennstedt’s
two compilations (EMI/Warner and the LPO label). I also have very fond
memories of an Antal Doráti cassette, which was probably my introduction
to this music. Szell and Tennstedt have first-rate orchestras at their
fingertips, yet there are times – with Szell especially –
when the performances are a little too streamlined for my tastes; that
said, the latter set sounds remarkably good for its age. Regrettably
the EMI/Warner recordings for Tennstedt and the Berliners are close
and tinder dry, so Wagner’s climactic moments don’t always
come across too well.
Dudamel and the SBO's Wagner, recorded live in Caracas in 2014, laid
the groundwork for their European tour, which kicked off with sell-out
concerts at London's Festival Hall in January. The download plays for
just over an hour; Qobuz are charging around Ł8 for these 24/48 files,
which strikes me as very good value. But what of the performances? Well,
this rendition of the
Ride of the Valkyries is a knockout;
indeed, the vital, vaunting Bolívars bring much-needed gallop and go
to those weary old war horses. I was particularly impressed by the full-bodied
yet airy sound, which handles detail and weight with authority and aplomb.
Drama is what Dudamel does best, as that live Mahler 2 and 8 so amply
demonstrate, and that augurs well for this collection. If anything
The
Entry of the Gods into Valhalla is even more thrilling;
sonorous brass, haloed percussion and a wonderful sense of nobility
makes this a truly memorable performance. Weight, scale, thrust –
not to mention a fine instrumental blend and very secure intonation
– it’s all there. As for the recording it’s one of
the most satisfying I’ve heard in a while; it sounds natural,
well balanced and civilised at the frequency extremes, which is not
a given with The Dude’s DG recordings. The closing pages will
take your breath away, such is the orchestra's formidable amplitude
and attack.
Still reeling from that – I listened to it several times in quick
succession – I was grateful for the arboreal calm of
Forest
Murmurs. This too is a gorgeous performance, full of nuance and
alluring detail; at times it speaks more of the lushness beneath the
jungle canopy than of the gentle susurrations of European woodland,
yet the generosity and sheer loveliness of the playing is what really
counts. The strings have just the right sense of wonder, and the woodwinds
are all-aquiver with joyful anticipation. In short, this is a full-throated
reading of a piece that can so easily seem a little bland.
Siegfried’s Rhine Journey and
Funeral Music
find the Bolívars at their majestic, dark-toned best. Dudamel paces
the music well and coaxes ravishing sounds from the brass and woodwinds
along the way. What always strikes me so forcibly when I hear these
players is the commingling of youthful vigour and high seriousness;
the Bolívars play as if it really
matters, and in an age awash
with ennui that’s a very precious talent. Dudamel builds climaxes
with an intuitive skill and a sense of style that I haven’t heard
from him in ages. And while the Bolívars can play very loud they’re
suitably subdued in the slow-wending
Funeral Music. The taut,
atmospheric timps deserve special mention here.
The deep, wide soundstage is a blessing, for it helps to conjure a powerful
image of the substantial forces ranged before us; the ear is easily
drawn to the harmonic epiphanies that rise up from the mix as if from
beneath Bayreuth’s hallowed stage. The SBO aren’t the Berlin
Phil or the LPO, but there’s no doubt these
Ring excerpts
have been very well prepared and executed. I can’t say the same
about the
Prelude from
Tristan; if the first five
tracks are polished and passionate the sixth is rough and wayward. The
pre-release booklet doesn’t even list this item, whose unexpected
crudities blight an otherwise enjoyable programme. There’s plenty
of body here, but very little soul or sense of what the music is actually
about. The audience is inaudible and there’s no applause.
I don’t want to end on an equivocal note, for the SBO's
Ring
excerpts are well worth hearing. I suggest you just download those,
then crank up the volume, sit back and be thrilled to bits. There’s
a rather scrappy, garish booklet, but then this is just the first of
Dudamel's own productions; perhaps future efforts will be more informative
and appealing.
The Bolívars are superb in the
Ring excerpts; their
Tristan
is still a work in progress.
Dan Morgan
twitter.com/mahlerei
