Bruckner Symphony No. 7 London Symphony Orchestra/Simon Rattle LSO Live LSO0887 63:33 mins
This is an exceptional performance which, despite the unyielding acoustics of the Barbican, held me spellbound from the mysterious violin tremolo of the first bar to the glorious affirmation of life in the big orchestral peroration at the end of the Finale. Supported by superb playing from the LSO, Rattle’s interpretation is subtle and insightful. Eschewing the wildly fluctuating tempo modifications adopted by some Bruckner conductors, the overall conception is nonetheless sufficiently fluid to prevent things ever sounding stodgy. Indeed, Rattle imbues the opening movement with a deeply felt sense of line which allows the lyrical melodies sufficient time to breathe and revels in Bruckner’s almost Schubertian tendency to wander into distant keys. The Adagio moves inexorably towards a powerful climax, punctuated here by cymbals, timpani roll and triangle in the authoritative new Urtext edition by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs. But it’s the highly effective slowing down of tempo in the closing passage which sounds particularly moving.
In the Scherzo, Rattle creates a transparency of texture with wonderfully light articulation in the quieter passages, and the Finale, which can often sound a little rushed and breathless, is sufficiently measured in character to balance the seriousness and substance of the first two movements.
Erik Levi
