COMPOSERS: Bruckner
LABELS: RCA Red Seal
ALBUM TITLE: Bruckner Symphony No. 5
WORKS: Symphony No. 5
PERFORMER: Vienna Philharmonic OrchestraNikolaus Harnoncourt
CATALOGUE NO: 82876 60749 2
Bruckner’s Fifth is perhaps the most
multi-faceted of all his symphonies.
The rich brass writing especially
shows the influence of Wagner;
yet Bach stands behind the finale’s
mighty contrapuntal display, while
the intricate instrumental dialogue
and finely articulated rhythms
proclaim allegiance to Classical
models. Few performances come
close to realising all these aspects,
but Nikolaus Harnoncourt struggles
to do exactly that, at the same time
keeping control over tempo relations
(the first movement Allegro is almost
exactly twice as fast as the slow
introduction, with beneficial effects
on the way the music flows).
Harnoncourt bucks tradition in the
Adagio, opting for a relatively mobile
two-in-a-bar (rather than the familiar
slow four-in-a-bar) so that the complex
cross-rhythms spring to life in new
and often exciting ways. The result is
a lively, compelling account, which
also helps to explain how Bruckner
could have called this monumental
symphony ‘fantastic’, or even ‘cheeky’.
Only rarely do I feel Harnoncourt goes
too far – as in the extra weight he puts
on the harmonies in Adagio’s second
theme. For emotional conviction
and humane overall vision I still
prefer Günter Wand and the Berlin
Philharmonic – a performance that
also seems aware of the music’s Janusfaced
character. But Harnoncourt has made me think hard: how well
have even the greatest interpreters
understood this symphony?
Brucknerians should hear this
recording; Bruckner-agnostics may
well prefer it. And the rehearsal disc
offers illumination even to those who
won’t understand Harnoncourt’s
German. Stephen Johnson