Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony No. 7 in E major, WAB 107 (1885 ed. Nowak)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Paul Kletzki
rec. live, 25 January 1973, Herkulessaal der Residenz München
Janus Classics JACL-5 [64]

I was expecting a typically sane, balanced, “middle-of-the-road-tempi” Bruckner Seventh from Paul Kletzki, who, despite always being appreciated by cognoscenti, has been somewhat neglected but  is now gradually being brought back into public awareness via several reissues from Janus Classics of some  important recordings conducted by him (Beethoven Symphonies 1 & 5; Beethoven Symphony 6 & Dvořák Symphonic Dances). Those expectations are mostly borne out in the first two movements but in the Scherzo and finale, that prevailing steadiness yields to a certain rhythmic waywardness – of that more below.

The broad, grand beauty of the orchestral playing and the generosity of phrasing, strong on legato, are immediately apparent. The booklet essay presents a comparison between the approaches of Kletzki and his mentor, Furtwängler; indeed, there are similarities, especially in their rhythmic and dynamic flexibility and their emphasis upon bringing out inner voices within harmonic structures, but Kletzki is more classically restrained, eschewing his teacher’s more Romantic excesses. There is a greater composure in Kletzki’s delivery of the symphony but that does not mean his interpretation lacks intensity; one has only to hear the ferocity of the tumultuous outburst at 10:29 in the first movement and subsequent maintenance of tension throughout Bruckner’s transformation of the serene first subject into a menacing maelstrom of doubt before calm returns, to appreciate that Kletzki has the full measure of this movments’s emotional gamut.

But then things start to go awry. The Adagio – ever the heart of a Bruckner symphony – is elegantly played but a couple of instances of poor intonation and coordination from the violins at the start of phrases mar the ensemble; they would have been re-taken in a studio recording. Again, one notices Kletzki’s penchant for bringing out distinct instrumental strains and the contrapuntal clarity is very pleasing, but I could do with more orchestral bite when heavy chords are sounded; it is all a little polite. I also find his stretching of the tempo for certain surging phrases a little obvious and mannered – odd, given his general predilection for measured restraint. I would cite the quite extreme slowing down at around fifteen minutes in before the climactic cymbal clash at 18:19 – which is less than overwhelming.

At nine minutes, the Scherzo is on the (over-)brisk side and exhibits some strange, agogic decelerations; I miss the steady sense of purpose required to confer unity on this movement. It’s lively – but erratic. The same is true of the finale which speeds up and slows down almost bar by bar in disconcerting fashion. Its erratic nature is unsettling and for me disrupts the massive, inexorable dignity of Bruckner’s progress towards triumphant apotheosis.

There is no audience noise and the analogue sound is fine without being especially vivid – a description which might equally be applied to this performance. This does not usurp more vivid and coherent accounts of the Seventh in digital sound by such as Honeck or Haitink, recently reviewed on this site.

Ralph Moore

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