Bruckner: Symphony no 6, Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder

Bruckner: Symphony no 6
Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder

contralto: Christa Ludwig
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Philharmonia Orchestra

Conductor: Otto Klemperer



Next target for ideal Bruckner Sixth: Wiener Philharmoniker/Horst Stein and Muncher Philharmoniker/Sergiu Celibidache


Bruckner's Sixth Symphony has been called the black sheep of the family. To quote an interesting article from en.wikipedia.org, "Whereas the Bruckner rhythm (triplet plus two quarters, also in inverted from: two plus three) is completely absent from the previous Symphony, in this one it permeates everything, appearing in the first movement in multiple simultaneous instances overlaid in divergent patterns resulting in rhythmic complexity. Perhaps the rhythmic difficulties of this work, especially in the first movement, are part of the reason why this work is so seldom played." The last movement poses another great difficulty as thematically it seemed irrelevant compared with previous three movements. Achieving unity and cohorent equilibrium to this work as whole will be a miracle itself. Klemperer was exceptional, but came close.

Critics have fired astounding superlatives for this recording. Gramophone claimed this recording is the only one that does justice to Anton Bruckner's most difficult symphony (read the claim at the back of CD). David Hurwitz from Amazon.com and classicstoday.com said; "Bruckner's Sixth by Otto Klemperer is one of these--a recording on which everything just went right." Oh, really?

One word of warning. With Klemperer as an interpreter, you have "grumpy", unromantic and unsentimental approach to Bruckner contrary for those spoiled by Karajan and Jochum. The first movement gets off on what seems to be a limping start on string triplets. This kind of trademark is probably typical of Klemperer but then the big march launches off with great majesty, without bombast, pomposity of any sort. Rest of the movement flows fine, even for the second subject. But when it comes near to coda where Bruckner employed cross rhythms and solo brasses here exchanged calls with each other, it isn't what is written in the score. Even a friend of mine, Mr Mark B Astendig who is a big Klemperer fan pointed out the flaws at that part. Shame since it's one of the most glorious, most Nature moments in symphonic writing.

The second part gets better fortunately. Here, this movement is always associated with Mahler in terms of melancholy and the tonal writing especially at the opening bars. Klemperer, an authority in Mahler excels in this movement. I adore his treatment of the second subject where there's great lieder-esque quality in string playing. The oboe playing sounds a little too individualistic however, just a minor gripe.

The taut and gritty Scherzo is also perfectly managed by a conductor of Klemperer's fashion. Tempo is slower than what I am accustomed, but the rhythmic underpinning is consistent and unrelenting so when it comes to the Trio transition, it is natural. Kudos to the maestro when it comes to the Finale, where the abrupt gear changes and tempo transitions are non-existent. It's a pity the Majestoso of the first movement could've used the same consistency.

I think the recording will probably unveil itself by time and repeated listenings. Not up to the hype, but I could understand the acclaim. Any doubts on buying this CD should be dispelled, because Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder here is a triumph that is unlikely of Klemperer. Why? There's playing of great passion and great romanticism (vulgar word for dear ol' Klemp). What more of a greater joy with the old Philharmonia and great German contralto Christa Ludwig. The highlight is a Straussian Schmerzen, where the lush strings are a feast to the senses. I still do not understand Walter Legge's disbandment of the old Philharmonia conducted by various greats such as Furtwangler, de Sabata, Toscanini, Cantelli and Karajan. If you ask me, I thought it was a tragedy that it happened. Nevertheless, with great CD cover design i think this CD is a steal even if it was not entirely perfect.

Technical: 9
Interpretation: 8
Recording: 9

Beethoven: Symphonies no 5 & 7

Wiener Philharmoniker
Conductor: Carlos Kleiber
Label: Deutche Grammophone

Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor: Benjamin Zander
Label: Telarc Digital

Beethoven's Fifth symphony is of no question THE warhorse of classical music. The market is bombarded with many of these recordings, I find it amazing if any conductor would've dare to record it again. That is because you'll have to be formidable to penetrate the elite interpreters of this work: historical interpreters such as Weingartner, Furtwanger, Klemperer, then masters such as Toscanini, Szell, Karajan and HIP (Historical Performance) interpreters Gardiner and Norrington. Even the latter had started to get congested in lists of recommendations, etc. No wonder for the 21st century, conductors have chosen Mahler symphonies as their next warhorses. You have something more to say about Beethoven's Fifth?! Better invest your time elsewhere, because I don't give a flying hoot about the Fifth when it's performed at my own backyard even if you give me free tickets.

Carlos Kleiber's recording tops the recommendation for this warhorse. Even if there are still subjective debates on whether it is the best or not, I am sure you wouldn't object his record to be introduced to anyone who is interested in owning his first record of Beethoven's Fifth. Son of another conducting legend, Erich Kleiber he was remembered for his elusiveness and pickiness when it comes to conducting. You can count yourself among the very elite if you witnessed him live. His appearance was so sparse, managers would've given him the world for him to lift up the baton (he requested a customed Audi for one of his last performances). But he was no sham and almost all of his recordings attained legendary status in a way he is compared with Victor De Sabata and short-lived disciple of Toscanini, Guido Catelli.

Carlos Kleiber's choice of tempos vary only slightly from the composer's controversial metronome markings. The Allegro con Brio for example, as Benjamin Zander noted, is merely eight points slower. There is a sense of momentum without being too hard-pressed or aggressive and the music speaks of nobility and epic drama almost without excess (the only excess is Carlos failing to ignore the dubious "Fate knocking the door" trend by lingering the last note of the famous da-da-da-duuuuummm). The highlight of this performance is surely the Finale, listen to the transition from Scherzo and notice how the maestro controls the crescendo - very few could make it right because either the orchestra climaxed too early, too sudden or the electricity snizzles off by the time the brass fanfare is played. Here the sensation is almost orgasmic, you should hear the Vienna brasses roar here.

Benjamin Zander's Philharmonia recording had been acclaimed for breaking the trend of the symphonies' treatment since Furtwangler's time (not really). In a way, the opening motifs of Allegro Con Brio is played refreshingly without the lingering knock of Fate. Here, you will hear "da-da-da-duuum, da-da-da-duuum" instead of "da-da-da-duuuuuuuuuuumm" etc to infinity. Coupled with Zander's observation towards Beethoven's metronome marking (crochet - 108), the movement is unrelenting in it's menacing drive. Unfortunately, the recording quality is opaque and the Finale is so devoid of depth and strength it will put you to sleep. What a waste, since the string interlude at Scherzo was more menacing than the VPO directed by Carlos and the piccolo arpeggio before the coda was brilliant in a way every note was articulated instead of slurred away.

How about the Seventh? The Zander here is more consistent than Kleiber in his approach to the score, but obviously maestro Carlos/VPO beat Zander/Philharmonia by miles. You can forgive him for rushing the persistent dotted figure for the first movement because his is packed with much vibrant bouyancy and fire. Listen to his Finale, where there is as much wicked playing as the finale of Fifth.

In the end, I think these two recordings are a must grab? Why? The Carlos/VPO recording is a legendary one at a budget price and the Zander comes with a free bonus discussion. The Zander talk about the Beethoven is illuminating, but Gardiner's HIP practice have predated before Zander. Still I can assure you the lecture disc is beneficial to eager classical listeners out there. You might want to discover David Zinman's latest hyped Beethoven cycle on Arte Nova for find what the fuss is it all about (thw writer will grab it in some time). Just ignore all the comments about Karajan, Toscanini, Szell, Abbado etc Fifth for some time and grab Kleiber's(Carlos) recording FIRST.

C.Kleiber/VPO

Technical: 10
Interpretation: 9
Recording: 8

Zander/Philharmonia

Technical: 7
Interpretation: 9
Recording: 6

Oh for the love of gawd.

The government recently increased the petrol price by 10% and diesel 20%. This is the second raise in a year. Along with it, goes the classical CDs as well. I've lost my words to described when normal CDs from RM 34.90 have increased by RM 10.00 margin. Even worse are some single CDs selling at RM 64.90 when I think you can sell it at RM 49.00 or more or less.

Tower Records had been the only company to sell classical CDs in wide variety here in Malaysia. At other shops like Salem, MVM, Popular, etc they sell only typical "Mozart for babies" or mainstream crap designed for newbies who got weaned into pop music. Therefore I always shop at Suria KLCC branch at Tower Records.

It's a shame the idiots who authorised Brilliant Classics CDs here inflate their prices to madness. I've seen a Sviatoslav Richter single CD sold at 100 ringgit plus. The acclaimed Barshai-Mahler 2-CD set is sold at RM 119.90. compared with U$ 11 dollars plus I spotted at Amazon.com. I know Tower is not to be blamed (well, still partially. They sell CDs a few ringgit more than their other counterparts)...well now you get it why middlemen are the greatest conmen of all time.

Oh btw, FUCK YOU Tower. You sold a Brahms single CD of symphonies no 3 & 4 with Karl Bohm conducting Vienna Philharmonic at RM 54.90. It's under Eloquence series, which is even more absurd since each CD costs around RM 24.90. Hey wait, since it's VIENNA PHILHARMONIC why don't we double the price? I pity teh sucker who bought those recordings.

Now EMI's greatest recordings of the century CDs are sold at RM 44.90. Bleh, now I have to blled 10 bucks more to acquire the Dennis Brain Mozart Concerto. The RCA Red Seal series used to have similar price range with EMI GRoTC CDs. Now I see a Gunther Wand conducting Bruckner 9th with Berliner Philharmoniker sold at RM 49.90. Wait there is SO many Gunther Wand Bruckner to an extent there are 3-4 recordings for each symphony, frankly I don't give a damn.

(Update: The DG "Originals" CDs are priced at RM 39.90 while 2CDs at RM 79.90. )

Mahler: Symphony no 5, BPO/Karajan

Mahler: Symphony no 5

Berliner Philharmoniker

Christa Ludwig, contralto
Herbert von Karajan, conductor.




Reference recordings: Mahler 5 - Barshai, Barbirolli, Bernstein (VPO)
Kindertotenlieder - Baker/Barbirolli, Walter/Ferrier

My first experience of Karajan's Mahler was his Das Lied von der Erde. If critics were right of their criticism of Karajan's take on Mahler, this recording was the pinnacle of it. Everything sugar-coated and fluffy, if it were a food you could instantly kill somebody on diabetes. But "herr Karajan"'s take on Mahler's Fifth was indeed a pleasant surprise.

I've grown to appreciate fine recordings by (teh underrated) Barenboim, Bernstein and Walter. I used to think Barbirolli's was overhyped until I gave it another few good tries on a vintage hi-fi and a score, thus it's acclaim justified. If I was not mistaken, Karajan's Mahler 5th and 6th were on top of Gramophone's top 100 greatest recordings of all time?

Here, you will find Karajan and the BPO at one of their rarest - rough, unbuttoned and unadulturated. The way the Berliners attack the opening chords after greeting the solo trumpet gives off a very military feel that I haven't heard in other recordings. Listen to a point at the movement marked "Suddenly faster. Passionate. Wild". Karajan unleashed his Berliners here like a pack of hungry dogs and when they approach the climax and dies down, you can really hear the strings writhe when they play the descending notes.

At the second movement the BPO digs deeper than most orchestras here at other recordings. Karajan balances the contrasts of funereal gloom and violent outbursts with considerable care. The typical Karajan's "gestalt" sound is nowhere to be found in the movement. There are excesses, especially the way he treated the quiet cello passage (dubbed by Furtwangler as "west's first nihilistic music) which lingered too long.

The scherzo begins with a sparkling lit, guided by bright sound of the glockenspiel here. Bernstein and his Viennese counterpart surpasses here and one cannot be helped here, especially at quiet moments where Karajan is a little too grim. At the adagietto, Karajan's timing here is 11 minutes plus but he doesn't follow the "Death in Venice" or Bernstein approach. Here, the meastro treats it rather as a rhapsody than a "Ruckertlieder without words"* favored by Walter or Barbirolli. There is no short of lingering tenderness and here the BPO shows off their lushness in string playing.

* paraphrased quote from Donald Mitchell

Finally, Karajan does no wrong at the Rondo-Finale (as almost every single Mahler 5th I've heard). There's joyous gait, but one could even doubt whether Karajan was sincere here. I could certainly do with that than Klemperer *shudder*. By the coda Karajan turned Bernstein here, accelerating the movement until out of control. It is one of rare reckless moment of Karajan and the Berliners and it reminded me of the last moments in the Finale of Brahms' Second of theirs.

You certainly won't find a Kindertotenlieder sung by Christa Ludwig coupled up with the Fifth these days (you can find it instead coupled with Karajan's studio Mahler Ninth), a lame attempt to milk money from 2 CDs. If Ludwig has advantage to her other counterparts Janet Baker and Kathleen Ferrier in this work, it is her natural pronunciation of German. The words "In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus!" at the last movement uttered by her was chilling, even if driven by Karajan's fast tempo (which is akin to the beginning of first act in Die Walkure). Barbirolli's direction is more melancholic here and Karajan certainly can't match Walter's direction but it is fascinating to hear the maestro's approach on one of Mahler's most gloomy work. The Fifth is a classic "edge-in-your-seat" Mahler, but you may also consider Barshai's acclaimed recording with his high school German youths and Bernstein, also Barbirolli for finer approach.

Technical: 9
Interpretation: 8
Recording: 8