Tír Na HiFi

back on String Trio duty...

R. Strauss - Don Juan (Herbert Blomstedt, San Francisco Symphony, Decca)

A member in the other Forum posted this yesterday:

<The most recent issue of Gramophone had a gushing review of a new Beethoven symphony cycle on Glossa with Frans Brüggen conducting the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. You have to read between the lines to figure out what is really wrong with this set. When Gramophone states:
Quote:
Brüggen strips it [the Ninth Symphony] of the overbearing bombast encrusted across generations and, in a recreation of beauty, both chaste and potent, phases curve according to melodic or harmonic progressions, paragraphs unfold in long-breathed lines, changes in metre are seamlessly accommodated.


This quotation should be translated as follows: "Here is another wimpy, underpowered, excessively tame Beethoven Ninth Symphony on period instruments."

What is the British passion for such underpowered, unemotional performances? I have heard Brüggen in late Haydn symphonies, and, believe me, the results are hideous. In any event, why is an orchestra entitled "Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century" playing works the earliest of which were written at the beginning of the nineteenth century? Moreover, as I have said previously, listeners who have listened to Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, et al. do not have period ears and cannot possibly have the same impression as the original listeners had even if, somehow, a perfect digital recording had been made of the premiere of, for example, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and we were able to listen to that recording. Finally, I really doubt if many listeners would want to listen to a recording of any Beethoven symphony played as badly as it was undoubtedly played at its premiere.>


I think everybody is entitled to his opinion, everyone has the right to like or dislike period instruments as much as he wants, but what is very strange is that our friend here has NOT heard the recording, and yet, damns the Gramophone for a very positive review.
Strange to say the least, don´t you think....

I was getting ready to jump on that for a moment, Jose, as I thought I was reading YOUR opinion. I'm glad I wasn't!

I haven't heard the recording either, but I fundamentally disagree with this part:
"listeners who have listened to Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, et al. do not have period ears and cannot possibly have the same impression as the original listeners had even if, somehow, a perfect digital recording had been made of the premiere of, for example, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and we were able to listen to that recording".

If such a recording were available, I'd want it! The "period ears" comment is a complete smokescreen, as the "same impression as the original listeners". My impressions of works change over time anyway, and I'm sure the listeners at that first performance had many and varied ears. None of this should preclude an approach which tries to take into account the best of what is known of historical performances practices, or indeed that doesn't do anything of the sort. There's room for all of us.

The commenter there has plenty of other recordings to choose from, so I'm not sure what his beef is exactly. Should every new recording be played in a style made famous during a short period of the 20th century?

The Bruggen set is a major achievement, one of the most profoundly affecting set of readings of these symphonic masterpieces I have ever heard.  I did not expect to buy another Beethoven cycle, but I am so very glad I did.  Bruggen loves this music deeply and passionately and,my God, it shows in the care and attention he devotes to each and every phrase.  Very, very special music making.

What many people still don´t seem to understand is that the aim of the period instrument movement is not to recreate an XVIII or XIX Century performance, because that ´s quite simply impossible. The one thing that our friend says that it´s true is that we don´t have XVIII Century ears.
The use of period instruments and performance practice is that it benefits OUR modern, contemporary listening since it cleans the work from sonorities that don´t belong to the work itself in first place.
Nikolaus Harnoncourt in his very great wisdom has said that: "We are not making the same mistakes that they made 50 years ago, but we are surely making new mistakes that eventually will be corrected too".

The dislike of period instruments is a pervasive problem in the USA. Of all rich countries they are the only one that still doesn´t have a truly first class period orchestra (even Canada with a far smaller population has Tafelmusik!). Maybe it´s the US obsession with the new? or so-called efficiency?
Or perhaps they drink too much Coke?

mcq wrote:The Bruggen set is a major achievement, one of the most profoundly affecting set of readings of these symphonic masterpieces I have ever heard.  I did not expect to buy another Beethoven cycle, but I am so very glad I did.  Bruggen loves this music deeply and passionately and,my God, it shows in the care and attention he devotes to each and every phrase.  Very, very special music making.

This is probably my preferred cycle now, taking first place over the truly excellent Harnoncourt.

R. Strauss - Metamorphosen (Herbert Blomstedt, San Francisco Symphony, Decca), Rosenkavalier Waltzes & Sextet from Capriccio (Herbert Blomstedt, Gewandhausorchester, Decca)

Jose Echenique wrote:

mcq wrote:The Bruggen set is a major achievement, one of the most profoundly affecting set of readings of these symphonic masterpieces I have ever heard.  I did not expect to buy another Beethoven cycle, but I am so very glad I did.  Bruggen loves this music deeply and passionately and,my God, it shows in the care and attention he devotes to each and every phrase.  Very, very special music making.

This is probably my preferred cycle now, taking first place over the truly excellent Harnoncourt.

I personally favour the Mackerras set on Hyperion. That said, I have yet to hear the second Bruggen cycle...

Jose Echenique wrote:I think everybody is entitled to his opinion, everyone has the right to like or dislike period instruments as much as he wants, but what is very strange is that our friend here has NOT heard the recording, and yet, damns the Gramophone for a very positive review.
Strange to say the least, don´t you think....

My dear Pepe, many people on this and the other forum make comments and statements on music, some I respect, agree with and am influenced by and then there are others whose ramblings don't cost me a thought, that contributor falls into the latter category in my book.

I love reading the musings of all the contributors on this board.