From the archives
Andrew Mcgregor enjoys a new, multi-faceted set of Bruckner’s Symphonies from the Berlin Philharmonic
This luxurious-looking set of Bruckner Symphonies (Berlin Phil BPHR 190281 9CD, 3 Blu-ray) raises intriguing questions about how we appraise a complete cycle. The latest chapter of the Berlin Philharmonic’s Bruckner tradition (begun in the 1880s), they’re recordings made over the last decade, but with eight different conductors. The focus, then, is on the orchestra’s soundworld and the degree to which any visiting maestro is able to reshape it. Seiji Ozawa’s Bruckner 1, despite a recorded balance less good than the rest of the set, has a palpable sense of excitement as he connects us to Bruckner’s roots in Viennese tradition, rather than the monumental structures of his later symphonies. Paavo Järvi, using a new edition of the Second Symphony, also favours momentum, yet reaches heavenwards in the Andante, one of Bruckner’s first transcendental movements, before it’s swept aside by the Scherzo’s propulsive energy. Superb solo horn playing, and the blaze of the Berliner’s sound in the finale is typical of the power and precision in all these performances. Herbert Blomstedt brings a nonagenarian’s wisdom to the Third Symphony, making sense of its awkward originality with perfectly controlled crescendos and climaxes. Bernard Haitink shows his mastery of Brucknerian scale in both the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, yet is also aware of Bruckner’s humanity, even the earthiness of some of the writing; the beautiful sound the Berliners make for him is breathtaking. Mariss Jansons finds the beating heart of Bruckner 6 in the soulful Adagio, although the finale isn’t quite as convincing. Christian Thielemann’s Seventh, burnished, luxurious and smooth, is reminiscent of the Karajan era. Zubin Mehta’s Eighth Symphony, superbly paced with a majestic account of the Adagio, is one of the set’s revelations. Simon Rattle’s Bruckner 9 includes the speculative completion of the fourth movement he’s already recorded, but this time around everything is a shade swifter, Rattle emphasising Bruckner’s humility in the face of the heavenly.