Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, ‘Lobgesang’ Op. 52 (1839/40)
Jone Martínez, Eri Sawae (sopranos), Benjamin Bruns (tenor)
Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki
rec. 2024, Tokorozawa Muse Hall, Saitama, Japan
Reviewed as lossless download
BIS BIS2761 SACD [62]

The Bach cantata recordings of Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan are one of the great recording achievements of the last few decades, and I loved them from the first. Since completing that massive task (more than 50 releases), they have ventured further afield, recording Mozart’s Requiem (review) and Mass in C minor (review), Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (review) and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (review) for BIS, all well received on this site, the latter garnering a Recording of the Month from us in 2025. This will, however, be the first time I’ve heard them outside the Baroque. This has been a conscious decision, because I was unsure whether their small ensemble, so perfect in Bach, would work in much larger works. When my colleague John Quinn described their Brahms as “one of the finest I’ve heard in a long time”, I decided it was time to hear them take on the 19^th century in this new release of Mendelssohn’s choral symphony.

Mendelssohn’s Second Symphony was written to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, and is, I believe, the first symphony after Beethoven to include a choir. Mendelssohn upturns the Beethoven model, with the opening orchestral section being the smaller component of the work. Even the composer was unsure what it really was – the description “Symphony-Cantata” was applied at one point – and it is probably the composer’s least performed (the forces involved would contribute to that) and recorded of his mature symphonies. While there is much stirring and grand music, this isn’t Mendelssohn at his best.

The two recordings in my collection before adding this new one were Karajan/BPO and Abbado/LSO. I knew that neither would be a useful reference point for Suzuki and the BCJ, given the difference in the size of the orchestras and choirs, but even more so in the approaches taken by the conductors. Therefore, I sought out two others, from the last decade, which used smaller forces and more modern ideas on performing this type of work: Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the LSO (review) and Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the COE (DG).

The opening of the symphony is marked Maestoso con moto and unfortunately I feel Suzuki starts off on the wrong foot. The trombone fanfare is rushed through at almost allegro pace, and has little sense of majesty. It is the fastest I’ve heard, and is not the opening that I expected, or indeed, wanted. It is not a matter of the smaller orchestra, it is purely a matter of pacing, and, for me, it is wrong. Once the Allegro is reached, things improve significantly, with the lighter textures suiting Mendelssohn perfectly. The second part of the orchestral section is marked Allegretto un poco agitato, but I don’t hear much agitation at all; it is very smooth and a little bland. Gardiner and especially Nézet-Séguin are far better in the orchestral movements.

There is nothing bland at all about Suzuki’s opening movement of the choral section, with the orchestra and choir generating power and excitement. Nézet-Séguin loses momentum here, where in trying to build up the maestoso element, he manages to sound only sluggish.

In the middle movements with the soloists, the three versions are fairly equivalent, though in the soprano duet Ich harrete des Herrn, Suzuki again feels a little rushed. Suzuki and Nézet-Séguin manage the big final movement better than Gardiner, where the choir sounds almost aggressive. Suzuki paces the returning trombone fanfare better than at the opening.

The choir numbers no more than twenty-three, but makes a much bigger sound. Indeed, it is the star of the recording, especially when allowed aural space, and is the best of the three. Of Suzuki’s three soloists, I was impressed by tenor Benjamin Bruns, but felt soprano Jone Martínez, using a heavier vibrato than her two colleagues, tended to dominate in her duets; the soloists for Nézet-Séguin are better matched. The BCJ orchestra does its best, but is undermanned at times, especially in the strings. At times, most obviously in the big climaxes, I had the sense of all concerned “shouting” to make themselves heard. This is particularly so when the organ comes in – it is much more prominent in this recording than my comparisons.

Getting the balance right must have been a nightmare for the recording engineers. The sound on BIS recordings is generally as good as there is, but once the volume levels rise in the climaxes, it becomes a wall of sound (but not in a good way); mind you, none of the other versions manage it any better.

I always preferred Suzuki to Gardiner in their Bach cantatas, but here Gardiner, with a somewhat larger orchestra and choir, is at least as good. He adopts a better choice of tempos, and a more consistent vision. Apart from the opening choral movement, Nézet-Séguin is consistently good, and may be the pick of the three, though none of them really manage to properly crack this very difficult nut.

I’ve agonised over this review for more than a week, finding it very difficult to reconcile various conflicting thoughts. Perhaps the main conclusion I’ve come to is that there is no perfect recording of this difficult work; indeed, it may not even be possible, a fault to lay at Mendelssohn’s door. As regards this recording, my reservations about the ensemble’s suitability to the bigger 19^th century works have been justified to some extent, though they are plenty of times where Suzuki and the BCJ are the best of the lot. However, there are as many other instances where tempos or delivery just don’t seem right; the best word that I can find is “forced”. It is possible, perhaps preferable, to do a “small” version of this symphony, as shown by the three recordings I have considered, but perhaps the BCJ is just a little too small.

David Barker

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