Customer Reviews

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I learned to love Bruckner's underrated - or at least less often played and recorded - Sixth Symphony, composed between 1879 and 1881 and dedicated to his landlord, in Sergiu Celibidache's broad-as-can-be recording on EMI. That recording is a little difficult to get but worth every penny for the warmth it conveys and the details that emerge from it. His rendition achieved something that Jochum (DG), Karajan (DG), Wand (RCA) and Klemperer (EMI) have not quite managed. And ever since I've been looking for a recording that can match Celibidache while perhaps offering a tighter first and fourth movement. Kent Nagano's recording was rather good (HMU 901901), but still no match.

That match has now crossed my desk in form of Bernhard Haitink's live recording with the Staatskapelle Dresden on the Profil label's "Edition Staatskapelle Vol.14' disc. Profil is Günter Hänssler's new label and issues live recordings that range between the obscure and definitive collectors' items. (A German (!) Katja Kabanova from 1949 , actually a fine performance in surprisingly good sound represents the former, Günter Wand's performances with the Munich Philharmonic the latter).

With this 2003 Bruckner Sixth, Profil has issued a recording that should enter the mainstream. Taut rhythms in broadly played music, excellent playing, and loving execution make this as engaging a Bruckner Symphony as you could possibly hope to hear.

At 57 minutes Haitink is, if anything, on the brisker side, though he never sounds it. The A-major Majestoso rises in its full might without being ponderous. The Adagio, one of Bruckner's finest next to that of the Seventh, flows gloriously. The Finale is full of the zest that had given rise to Bruckner punning that the Sixth was his coyest (or 'sauciest') symphony ("Die Sechste ist die Keckste"). Excellent sound does its part to make this release a winner.

Bernard Haitink is with no doubt the great Bruckner conductor of our

time. His readings on Bruckner symphonies become more deep, powerful and

intellectual as time passes. This recent 6th during his tenure with the

great Staatskapelle Dresden is a perfect example: perfectly judged with

intellectual approach in tempi, harmonies and rhythms that make an ideal

performance easily matching reference recordings such as Klemperer and

Wand. This is the best 6th taken on record since the famous Wand live

recording with the NDR orchestra. An absolute recommendation.

Among the many recordings made by Bernard Haitink, the very few he has made with the venerable Staatskapelle Dresden deserve special mention. His critically acclaimed Beethoven piano concerto cycle with Andras Schiff as soloist still deserves ample recognition as one of the very best set of recordings of Beethoven's piano concertos. To that list we should add this spellbinding account of the Bruckner 6th Symphony in A Major, recorded at the Semperoper Dresden - the orchestra's concert hall - at the very start of the 2003/2004 concert season on November 2, 2003. While this would prove to be the stormy second - and final - season in Haitink's short-lived tenure as the orchestra's principal conductor, this concert still proved to be replete with orchestral magic. Here heoffers a spellbinding account of this work that is relatively lean and swift, in stark comparison to his earlier recordings for Philips, but one that truly takes into account this orchestra's special sound, which one reviewer has noted as "velvety, full string tone, the richly coloured, supple woodwinds, and the impressively powerful brass" and more than one has praised for its uncanny ability to play so exceptionally well, quite softly, as we will hear in this recording.

The 6th Symphony marks a unique departure for Bruckner, simply because he eschewed the choral-like attributes of orchestral architecture that's so typical in his other works, such as the popular 4th and 7th symphonies for a more chamber-like ambience, as though this very piece was really a glorified work for a small chamber ensemble that was re-scored for a full symphony orchestra. This comparison easily comes to mind in the long second movement (Adagio. Sehr feierlich) that starts - almost innocently enough - like some chamber piece composed just for a few strings and winds. The shorter third movement is seemingly in traditional form (Scherzo - Trio), but unlike most symphonies composed at this time, lacks the folk-like Landler dance rhythms, and is marked by extended passages of exquisite string pizzicato playing juxtaposed against horns. Throughout this engrossing account, Haitink and the Staatskapelle Dresden offer a most persuasive interpretation that doesn't sound rushed, but instead, as though it was some internally organic residue of the composer's soul. While fans of Bruckner and Haitink may prefer Haitink's more leisurely, earlier recordings, this is one which should be regarded as memorable not merely for his latest interpretation, but, equally important, for the Staatskapelle Dresden's exquisite playing.

I don't consider Bernard Haitink to be one of the best Bruckner conductors I've heard. I find his Royal Concertgebouw recordings on Philips to be rather uninspired and middle-of-the-road. While it's obvious the RCO are a world-class orchestra, Haitink very rarely rose to great heights.

Fast forward to this recording of Bruckner's 6th with the Staatskapelle Dresden. This recording in terms of interpretation, performance, and audio quality is an aural delight. Never before has Haitink sounded so natural. While this recording doesn't wipe away the memories of Otto Klemperer, it should, hopefully, ignite some interest in this seldom recorded symphony. Bruckner's 6th, along with his 4th, are musically lighter than say his 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th symphonies, but it is such an underrated symphony in my opinion.

This is a good solid reading that doesn't offer any new insights, but with the great performance and audio quality it's hard to miss this one.

I was impressed by the playing here, particularly of the softer passages. Whether it's the "best" account is unimportant. A worthwhile issue (unlike many others on Profil by other conductors).

I have to admit to being a fish out of the water, especially in regards to Bruckner's even numbered symphonies (I have much more feel for the less mysterious sounding, odd numbered ones). But I've always have had a certain curiosity about Bruckner's undervalued 6th symphony. I'm also planning on making a slow traversal through these Staatskapelle Dresden performances that are being made available on Profil (I'll soon write a review of the excellent Sinopoli/Dresden Mahler 9). What excites me here - aside from the wonderful playing from the Dresdeners - is Haitink's cogent account of the somewhat mysterious and troublesome finale. Eugen Jochum, for example, permitted himself a cut or two in the finale of his B6 recordings. In addition, Chailly made a massive ritard at the end of his finale, while Klemperer simply took the whole thing slower than usual. Haitink seems to find the right combinations of slow and fast (and I'm not a big lover of Haitink, in general, by any means). For the first three movements, I actually prefer the three existing recordings in my collection: Klemperer, Horst Stein/Vienna Phil. (Australian Eloquence), and Chailly/Concertgebouw.

Haitink strikes me as a tiny tad too fast in the first and third (scherzo) movements, while being just a tad draggy with the slow movement. In Bruckner, Klemperer always took the faster parts slower, and the Adagios relatively faster. Haitink goes for strong contrasts in this music instead. But it's in the finale that Haitink finally scores big points with me. And, if it weren't for the outstanding playing of the Staatskapelle Dresden - perhaps the best orchestra for the standard Austro/German rep. anywhere - I'm not sure that I'd be so excited about this. Fortunately, I don't don't have to ponder that thought too much at all.

Few Bruckner recordings have remained a top choice as long and consistently as Klemperer's Bruckner Sixth on EMI, which has stood the test of time since the mid-60s. Yet for many conductors this work remains a problem symphony, and usually only the slow movement is cited as being undoubtedly great. For whatever reason, even a renowned Brucknerian like Karajan couldn't quite get the measure of the Sixth, and other prominent conductors like Giulini and Tennstedt never added a recording of the Sixth to their illustrious Bruckner performances.

Which is prelude to saying that this live Haitink reading from Dresden in 2003 is really first-rate. I was impressed at how much Haitink has grown compared to his well-proportioned but rather dutiful Bruckner with the Concertgebouw early in his career. He retains a talent for fluidly shaping the melodic line, finding the right pace in disjointed movements, and balancing the grand choirs of strings and brass so essential to Bruckner. But in this reading there is added fire and inenr lfie. By comparison with Harnoncourt, Haitink remains middle of the road, but Harnoncourt is another great Brucknerian who hasn't gotten around to the Sixth yet.

The recording is good enough to mistake for a studio version, and the Staatskapelle Dresden, who have a cordial relationship with Haitink, play gloriously, outstriping even the New Philharmonia under Klmeperer. Haitink doesn't ask them to stretch to their expressive limits the way Karajan did in Bruckner, but even so, this is the best version of the Sixth to come around in years. It puts versions that I've heard from Jochum, Barenboim and Colin Davis in the shade. Some may even prefer it to the classic Klemperer for being more polished and less stalwart.

Because this score lacks the inherent drama of Anton Bruckner's other mature symphonies, it often takes a mighty, even great, recording to carry it off and keep it in memory. A lot has been written about Bernard Haitink in recent years that's led me to believe he has ascended to a leadership role with this composer. However, nothing about this recording confirms what people -- including the other reveiwers here -- have said, in my opinion.

I find this reading of Bruckner's Sixth Symphony even more predictably superficial than Haitink's Concertgebouw recording from his box of the numbered symphonies. Why do I say this? Becuase Haitink either knows or demonstrates nothing of the rubato inherent in Bruckner's scores. He reads this music per se, exactly as written, and transmits it in his typically understated manner, devoid of anything Germanic, propulsive, or emotionally haphazard. He transfers these tendencies to this recording, made during a concert in Dresden during 2003, in literal steps that leave out much of the unwritten messages other conductors have been able to extract through the music.

To say, as some reviewers around here have said, that this is an improvement on Klemperer's EMI stereo recording is a subjective comment. While Klemperer too is a literalist in Bruckner, his recording voices the music differently. Compare the way he builds the inexorable step by step ladder-like ascent of the slow movement against the medicority of this recording. Compare how he voices the triplets in the Scherzo-Trio against Haitink's literal and ineffective manner. This is only two tastes of difference in the respective conductors approach to the music. One knows Bruckner and represents him. The other knows himself and seems satisfied with that.

Another recording more in tune with the spirit of the score is the surprising and unpredicatble account Eugen Jochum recorded for his DG box of Brucker symphonies. Here is a Bruckner 6 of stature with rubato, accelerando and diminuendo consistently and effectively lending aiding the voice of the composer. Also, Jochum's orchestra (as well as Klemperer's) plays better than Haitink's; the low brass, so important in the major sections of the opening and closing movements, are hardly apparent under Haitink's baton.

Other good 6ths, in my view, come from Lopez-Cobos/Cincinnati, Furtwangler's mono Berlin recording that is only availble in three movements, and Norrington's recent recording on Hanssler Classics. Any of these provide a more interesting and rewarding experience than the run-through by Haitink, in my view, and the stereo recordings are both in much better sound. Norrington's period traversal, using a smaller orchestra, may not be to everyone's taste. I'm sure you know if this applies to you.

How anyone could characterize this a five star recoring with its inept two by two concert sound is beyond me, as well. There is almost no definition in the sections of the orchestra, just a mass of sound as if homogenity is a prescribed value, and concert hall depth is missing entirely. The playing of the erstwhile Staatskapelle Dresden is equally bland. Even though an occasional woodwind solo stands out, the brass do little to characterize themselves at any point in tutti.

I suggest the approach Haitink adopts here is steam of consciousness, akin to a dream you may have that is pleasant but uneventful. It all goes along very nicely with no concomitant feelings of joy, despair or terror, just walking along like a stroll on a spring morning. That's nice, I agree, but it hardly captures the multiplex emotions of Bruckner's Symphony 6. While Haitink leads a nice reading, I can't go along with people that give this five stars. If you listen to the audience at the end of this concert performance, I think they agree with me. It took them a while to wake up, then they responded respectfully, fully in keeping with the risk-free, tame and flameless nature of Haitink's performance.

While not the most exciting romantic symphony nor Bruckner's ultimate; this is a workman like solid performance of a not quite symphonic standard. There are moments of finely drawn contrasts and rich sonorities.