What I notice from the start, is Karajan's adherence to the tempo instruction 'nicht zu schnell'. Here in cut time, Karajan takes a median speed of 68-72 beats per minute to the minim, at least generally speaking among many tempo changes. In essence, the German conductor is patient with this music, yet do not mistake such a comment equating to uninvolved, for Berlin always gave Karajan the fullest amount of inner vitality the music could sustain, regardless of tempo.
To my ears, the Berlin brass on DGG, at their loudest moments (and there are oodles of such opportunities), sound harsh to my ears, not a common quality of Karajan and Berlin. This was true of the Blu-ray as well as the CD, although I will admit I have recently had to dismantle and reassemble my speaker setup without much time to equalize for a new listening area. Since my experience on headphones was slightly better, I assume the issue may be my own. I will follow up when I next get a chance. To the point though, Berlin excels in the pastoral moments sonically, where Karajan's rough-and-ready portions are almost too much for me.
I like Karajan's Andante second movement choice for a few reasons. At around 76 beats per minute to the crotchet, he retains a similar pulse from the opening movement, melding a thoughtful tempo relationship across the work. It is also fast enough to hear the unusual march quality of this 'slow movement' while not sprinting to the Allegretto option offered up by Bruckner.
I mentioned patience on the part of Karajan earlier, and it really works wonders in the second movement. There are long buildups to a more militaristic attitude, and the preparations to those moments are extremely well done here, ones not oft as effectively captured nowadays. Of course, Bruckner's continuation of dotted rhythms from the first movement into the second movement (even more astounding in the fourth movement), hidden by a beautifully melancholy song, is equally important, and the measured pace here allows listeners to hear that rhythmic quality with precision and ease.
The third-movement Scherzo is great when brass fanfares are going off, but the start-and-stop second section does nothing for me, something Berlin does not cure me of. I do like how Karajan really pulls back in the Trio, Berlin providing aching beauty with a just a hint of rusticity amidst fine wind solos.
For me, the fourth and final movement goes on a skosh too long. I feel like Bruckner repeats his ideas one too many times before concluding, and I was never one for full ensemble unisons which this movement has a whole lot of, especially amidst the brass section. The composer also is not afraid to repeat musical material across four or eight bars verbatim, an unusual quirk seen earlier in Bruckner's symphonies, but at least there is a fair amount of contrast across the whole 20-minute movement.
If you are looking for majesty and pastoral qualities in equal measure, Karajan's take on Symphony no. 4 is a beaut with no lack of tension and attack. I won't be doing a comparison to their earlier EMI job, but just know many feel it to be preferable to DGG.
Work
Symphony 4 in E-flat Major, WAB 104
I. Bewegt (18.14)
II. Andante (14.27)
III. Scherzo (10.43)
IV. Finale (20.28)
Performers
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, conductor
Label: DGG
Year: 1976
Total Timing: 64.11
Find more Bruckner recordings HERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment