Customer Reviews

Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.5 in B flat major - Georg Tintner

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the first of a planned cycle of Bruckner cycle under the late Georg Tinter, a venerable Bruckner conductor who never really received his due until Naxos started to recorded his performances (an earlier Bruckner 6 does not begin to compare with the Naxos remake).

The present performance is rather typical of this conductor in Bruckner. First, there is the obvious love and dedication which have gone into the preparation of the score. The orchestra plays with fire and conviction. Second, there is Tinter's keen ear for detail and his ability to "place" the climaxes of each movement almost to perfection (a gift he shared with Karajan, Furtwanger and, on his day, Knappertsbuch). Third there is the clean, almost clinical orchestral sound which allows you to hear almost every note, and finally, there is a natural sense of pacing which enables the orchestral details to be laid out logically and systematically, yet never in a hurried or laboured fashion.

These ingredients combine to create a unique style in performing Bruckner. This is because Tinter somehows manages to combine the elemental force of a Furtwangler performance with the clinical ear of a Szell - and he does it in a way which seems to be quite individual (and natural; his style is never as forced as Szell). Tinter is always "his own man" and his insights and sincerity shine through in each movement.

These are not easy, slick or smooth performances; but they are questing, searching, individualised (without being mannered) and thought provoking ones, which speak of a life of studying these superb manuscripts. As such they should surely be judged on their own very considerable merits.

This fifth is thus an important and thought provoking document. Ultimately, it is the control of dynamic light and shade which is the most impact (for example as heard in the first movement, especially in the build of up the coda). Don't listen to this performance to be lulled to sleep: listen to it to experience a quest for sincerity and truth. This is a most interesting and thought provoking performance which may be underrated by some reviewers initially.

Tintner's cycle is due to be completed in 2000. It is well worth collecting - perhaps not as an only set - but as one person's quest to find his own way to the heart and soul of a composer he loved all his life. There should always be performances like this in the catalogue: they enrich our understanding of a composer and make us listen with new ears.

From the beginning, I feel there are a number of things lacking in Tintner's Bruckner Fifth. This impression strengthens as the entire work unfolds. My biggest quip is that there is virtually no sense of commanding power and presence, which is a necessary commodity of Bruckner's symphonic style. I also find Tintner's approach both a little too extroverted and superficial for the way I prefer Bruckner. There isn't enough probing, of getting into the music; therefore, I don't feel drawn into it myself. Momentousness, grandeur, humility, joy---all are not in much evidence. A vanilla Bruckner ! To get satisfaction I have to go with Jochum and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw or Bavarian Radio Symphony, Knappertsbusch with the Vienna or Munich Philharmonic and Schuricht with the Vienna Philharmonic. Each of these conductors reveals an exuberant, involving quality replete with a sense of sweep and scale.

Next, a truly big brass sound is not captured on this recording. I can't say that I'm sure of the reason why. It might be the recording venue or hall or the sound engineers. Perhaps there is an absence of real weight in the Scottish National Orchestra's horn section. Incidentally, though the orchestra's fundamental execution is fine, there are peak moments when the horns sound as if they are blasting rather than blazing. It seems that too much of the leading edge of the brass is emphasized. Where is resonance or reverberation ? A majestic attribute is not one of the salient features of this interpretation.

Finally, my ears search occasionally for more of what some might call an Austrian peasant flavor. I don't know if this is a proper or appropriate expression. I believe I am listening for more of a rustic quality, which I feel eludes Tintner. It's the absence of this aspect combined with a less than imposing AND probing Brucknerian characterization that leaves me somewhat unfulfilled. There is considerably more to this composer than Tintner offers here.

The fifth is, I think, a weak link in the Tintner cycle of Bruckner symphonies (I haven't heard all, so I don't know if it is the weakest). The tempos are rather quick and the whole work comes across sounding rather too lightweight - and this for one of Bruckner's most profound and potentially most monumental-sounding works. I hasten to add that I don't consider Tintner's approach a failure - the music obtains a very find flow and there are many carefully shaped passages and beautiful things; and the whole performance is eminently coherent and purposeful, with a clear architecture and impressive development sections - it is just that the whole thing ends up sounding just a little bit inconsequential.

The playing by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is generally superb, well-prepared and with extraordinary attention to detail, although I have questions about the playing at certain occasions in the finale. The sound quality is also very good, if a little distant, but - again - in the end I wouldn't consider this one a top choice (Karajan still holds that honor in my view) - although it is a very decent alternative, and one that I, in the end, am glad to have heard.

Jochum- DG, Klemperer- EMI, Skrow- A.N., Jochum- Phillips, Schuricht-DG are all great and all so different. I will keep them all! But this recording is only a clean and clear starter 5th. I really wish the Jochum/ Tahra 5th would be released by Harmonia Mundi so we who haven't heard it can experience it. Pressure them to get it out! I used to view this disc as much more enjoyable but I've been listening to the 5th alot and there are superior perfomances.

PERFORMANCE: 9 out of 10.

RECORDING: 9 out of 10.

THE VERSIONS OF THE 5th SYMPHONY:

There are four versions of this symphony. The first of 1876 is lost as the 1878 version was written over it. Both Haas and Nowak published the 1878 version with almost identical results. Then there is the first published edition by Schalk which every scholar I've heard of dismisses as inauthentic. It is replete with wholesale cutting and reorchestration. Fortunately, it is rarely played. (Recently, another version from the 1880's, justifying a few - but by no means all - of the changes of the Schalk edition, has been found.) Tintner presents the Nowak edition.

SUMMARY:

This CD lives up to the high standards that Dr. Tintner and Naxos have set. I heartily recommend the entire series to all those who are unfamiliar with the composer and to comparative "Brucknerheads".

In the development section of the First Movement, Tintner noticed that the Allegro is twice interupted by Adagio quotations from the introduction. He pondered whether it should be played 'Adagio' as the quotes, or move on ahead and sustain the 'Allegro'. So he still conducts it 'Allegro' he claimed.

The tempos and fluctuations that Maestro Tintner employed puzzled me. The adagio is rather quite "poco" and then it presumed with "Moderato" all the way until the Coda (the only fast ones were the fanfare themes). Maybe with Maestro Celibidache, it might work, but the Royal Scottish Orchestra lacked depth in their basses, especially lower brasses and lower strings. The Adagio is like eating waffles without any toppings whatsoever because the strings really sounded shallow. The finale is the only redeeming feature of this recording, but alas, when it comes to the Coda, it's hundred miles more ponderous than Furtwangler's 1951 Salzburg recording. The national symphony orchestra of Ireland is a much better Bruckner orchestra and rivals the likes of Berliner Philharmoniker or Staatskapelle Dresden and I wished the late Maestro is still alive and well to consider recording this Fifth again.

I find here the approach almost too literal. The orchestra brass are no where near the quality of the Berlin version or the Bavarian Radio version under Jochum. I also find the recorded sound too thin and recessed ....important subjects and repeated motifs are lost in the mix and therefore I find this to be quite far behind the searingly intense approach from conductors like Kempe and Jochum.

I had high hopes for this recording which seems to have been well received by others. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by what I heard. Another posted has already expressed my thoughts. I quote:

"The entire performance left me bored. I could hardly keep my patience, and almost skipped ahead repatedly. Although I blamed Bruckner, I later found that it was merely a poor interpretation. "

In addition to problems with the interpretation, the orchestra sounded like they had not rehearsed adequately. The recorded sound was dull with poor balance and little hall ambience.

I strongly recommend the Horenstein/BBC version instead.

George

This effort at the Bruckner 5th was solid, but lacks passion and drama. Usually, the tension and suspense should build throughout a good Bruckner symphony until the finale. Here, the movements seem like separate pieces put together. It struck me as a collection of symphonic poems rather than a symphony. This was a disappointment to me.

Tintner gives a well paced, well balanced account of the great score. The sound quality is a little bright. Celebidache's recording is even slower than Tintner to the point that the 2nd movement's opening theme is almost unrecognizable and the scherzo borders on plodding, however, Celebidache brings off the amazing finale more convincingly than anyone else I have heard. I also recommend the Furtwangler recording for a very different (read really fast,) but incredibly exciting approach. Eugen Jochum and Daniel Barenboim supply less eccentric but overall excellent interpretations.