Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony No 7 in E major, WAB 107 (ed. Nowak)
Symphony No 8 in C minor, WAB 108 (Original version 1887 ed. Nowak )
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/Eliahu Inbal
rec. live 21-22 November 2013 (No 7) & 1-2 October 2015 (No 8), Liederhalle/Beethovensaal, Stuttgart, Germany
SWR Classic SWR19152CD [2 CDs: 137]
Mostly known in Bruckner circles for recording original versions of the symphonies during his long tenure at the head of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal here goes 200 kms south to direct another Radio Symphony orchestra in Stuttgart. Now 88 and very much of Grand Old Man status just behind Herbert Blomstedt, he is in my estimation still under-rated – and on the evidence of these two performances, should not be.
The Seventh opens with a grand, melodic sweep by the cellos over tremolo strings, and Inbal instantly establishes the right mood: majestic, mysterious yet comforting in its beauty. The woodwind and brass take over with the second pastoral theme, exhibiting smooth, voluptuous tone, then Inbal builds volume and increases the pace to introduce the third more vigorous, dancing theme. It is all subtly gauged – just as I like to hear Bruckner played, without undue hurry, with judicious application of rubato and allowing time to revel in those rich sonorities without dragging. To my ears, the playing here is indistinguishable from that of any of the great Bruckner orchestras. The great climax halfway through will remind listeners of how Bruckner’s music inspired Howard Shore’s “The Lighting of the Beacons” in The Return of the King; Inbal, while retaining the folksy charm of the dances, always recognises its corollary epic character and the coda is tremendous.
The slightly remote, live recorded sound is understandably more suggestive of the concert hall than a studio recording. This robs the Adagio of some detail, but the nobility of the Wagner tubas against the cushioned, resonant sonic backdrop of the strings and flickering flutes comes through clearly. What a wonderful paean the brass gives us in the chorale starting at 11:08 and of course the climax with cymbal clash is suitably arresting. Once again, Inbal judges phrasing and tempi perfectly – Markus Poschner would do well to take him as a model, having recently demonstrated how to murder this symphony with some grinding gear changes (review). I have little to say about the execution of the Scherzo here except that it is ideally carried out, establishing a pleasing contrast between the pounding outer sections and the dreamy Trio. The finale is suffused with verve and energy, melding the whole into a continuous lava-flow of music, one idea treading hard upon the heels of another – and again, the Stuttgart brass excel; what a splendid din they make beginning at 6:48 – I am not sure I have ever heard that passage played with such forcefulness. As ever, when the Seventh is delivered with this kind of energy and attack, I want to punch the air and yell after the final bars of the peroration. Most undignified for a pensioner, especially if I am attending a live performance…
We are now awash with great recordings of this symphony; last year I welcomed Lahav Shani’s similarly impressive account of this symphony (review) but this is as fine as any even if the sound is not quite so sharp.
As is his wont with this work, Inbal’s tempi throughout the mighty Eighth Symphony are quite swift, especially in the last two movements, but not egregiously so. Like Karajan, he has been remarkably consistent in his interpretation over the years, regardless of which orchestra he has been directing, in Frankfurt, Cologne, Tokyo or as per here, Stuttgart. Perhaps it is in this mostly richly orchestrated of Bruckner’s symphonies that we hear that the Stuttgart SWR is not as plush as Karajan’s BPO or VPO. Occasionally, some bite and depth are missing – but very little, and his elevated but affectionate affect most reminds me of Karajan’s. I mean this as the highest compliment, as I revere Karajan’s many and various recordings of this symphony from 1944 to 1989, with three orchestras. No one will ever sell me the original fortissimo ending of the first movement as superior to Bruckner’s later thoughts, but it is imposing. Inbal cunningly and imperceptibly applies long, arcing accelerando and crescendo to the first Deutscher Michel section of the Scherzo, culminating in an explosive conclusion which contrasts all the more with the relaxed, bucolic Trio that Bruckner later replaced. Inbal’s control of dynamics is very much in evidence; every phrase is moulded and finessed without sounding fussy and the overall impact is thrilling.
I think Bruckner was right to tighten the structure of the Adagio with cuts for the later version. Played like this, even in its earlier incarnation, its claims to being the greatest slow movement in the High Romantic repertoire are reinforced. And bearing in mind this is a live performance, one can only admire the technical acumen and accuracy of the players, especially the horns. The ineffable tenderness of the coda is all-consuming – one of the loveliest on record. The opening of the finale roars, its defiance underpinned by splendidly prominent timpani, then draws breath in a lyrical interlude before chattering flute, clarinet and bassoon imitate birdsong, then off we trudge to confront fate; Inbal is alive to all the kaleidoscopic moods and emotions Bruckner combines in this remarkably free yet still coherent assemblage of motifs – and the racket he engineers in the orchestral tutti at 5:50 is really quite astonishing. So voluminous is the orchestra heft that I forget I am not listening to an orchestra with a more renowned Bruckner pedigree. The ending is nowhere near as grandiloquent as the 1890 version but is nonetheless given full range of expression.
The audience must have been bound and gagged during the four performances – two of each symphony – from which these recordings have been assembled; there are absolutely no intrusive sounds apart from the conductor’s occasional little grunts which are nowhere near as discernible as those of some repeat offenders.
One could hardly ask for a more persuasive testimony to Inbal’s supremacy as a Bruckner conductor than this double CD set, offering the two finest of the symphonies.
Ralph Moore
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