| Site review by Polly Nomial October 9, 2007
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
A belated welcome to the great Chicago Symphony Orchestra on SACD in a modern, symphonic recording.
And what a welcome it is, with their Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink at the helm in one of late Romanticism's most glowing works. Even in the relative infancy of SACD, this recording comes up against several competitors (listed in order of appearance at this site): Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Kobayashi, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Rogner, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Ozawa, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Herreweghe, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Kreizberg, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Jaap van Zweden, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Wand, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Nézet-Séguin, Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Blomstedt
Now I can't and won't pretend to have heard of all of these but I have heard enough of the van Zweden disc to know that the very measured tempi adopted are too controversial to make it a mainstream recommendation (good though the playing and recording are); Nézet-Séguin's disc is not good in either sound or performance and may be safely passed over; Kreizberg is given a gorgeous sound by Pentatone but I have concerns about the orchestral tuning (and some mannerisms from the podium that aren't entirely convincing); Wand's glorious account is inevitably blighted by the somewhat boxy sound (and those that like having the cymbal crash and triangle in the Adagio will have to look elsewhere) but is absolutely first rate from an artistic perspective. And this is to say nothing of the myriad of accounts from the likes of Böhm, Jochum, Karajan and countless others on RBCD. So how does this disc measure up?
Haitink of course has set down many accounts of this symphony on RBCD and the many years of wisdom that he has accumulated are obviously bearing fruit in this compilation of four concerts taped in May 2007. Tempi are almost identical to Wand's BPO account (there is a total of 1 minutes difference in the entire symphony), yet Haitink chooses to take a less profoundly spiritual approach to this work. Instead this is an account firmly rooting the work in a symphonic tradition, emphasising the structural cohesiveness rather than the Wagnerian elements.
The lines are long and gloriously sung by the Chicago players: rarely have they sounded as good as this since Barenboim was allowed to take the helm on disc or in the hall. [Having seen them together, time after time on tour, I could never understand why an exciting orchestra would choose such a musical bore but here is not the place to fully expand this argument.] The dynamic contrast and tonal variety are both greatly expanded and enriched under Haitink's watchful eye - indeed he is not content just to present the longer line, there are details aplenty bought by his baton and the thoughtful response of the Chicago band.
To those more accustomed to a European orchestral sound then the brass sound will be bright, very bright. From my experiences in the concert hall, this is most definitely the orchestra's sound not the engineers doing and after a couple of listens the ear quickly settles to this timbre. The strings are rich but without the last depths of tone that the great Philharmonics of Berlin and Vienna can conjure - it never spoils the enjoyment nor the musical argument (the difference is small indeed). Instead, their sound is more akin to the Concertgebouw's (surely no coincidence here) and is well suited to Bruckner's great essay; I have rarely heard the coda to the Adagio sound so glorious than in their hands and I have returned with great relish on many an occasion.
The sound is very fine indeed - beautifully balanced and a lovely well rounded tonal picture. The one issue I have with this disc is that about 7'30 into the first movement, there is a noticeable edit in the pause; no click but the tonality of the orchestra shifts ever-so-slightly but certainly audibly. The brain adjusts to this on repetition but on first hearing was very jarring indeed - surely there was a way of sorting this out or perhaps no-one noticed? That aside, the only other aspect that listeners may find troubling is the audience: it is occasionally audible during the music (not frequently) and they have also clearly been excised at the end. Perhaps the audience needs a little more reminding at concerts that are to be taped that their contributions become tiresome with repeated listening because I would hate for the orchestral timbres to be diminished by closer miking.
Apart from the minor editing fault, this is a wonderful addition to the SACD library and one which I wholeheartedly recommend to those both new and experienced in works of the Bruckner canon.
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Copyright © 2007 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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| Review by fafnir February 13, 2008 (3 of 9 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
I agree with PN's review wrt the performance. It is indeed very fine with a great performance from the orchestra. However, I must disagree concerning the sound quality. It is quite lacking in low bass, thereby removing the depth and richness that are required in this work. After listening, I thought that my sub woofer might be turned off - no such luck; my other recordings that have good bass sounded just fine.
Further investigation revealed that at least one other on-line review has noted this defect. IMHO a potentially great recording has been ruined by the engineering. Those looking for a recording of the Bruckner 7 with good sonics must search elsewhere.
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| Review by hkpat April 4, 2010 (4 of 9 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
Not only is it a work of great proportions, but Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony is irrefutably a work of consummate art and form. What better way to experience the profundity of the mighty Seventh but to revisit a performance of unequivocal significance. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has an illustrious history in the performance of Bruckner’s music, particularly during the 22-year directorship of Sir Georg Solti from 1969-1991. To continue in this lineage, CSO has joined forces with Maestro Bernard Haitink, its music director at the time of this recording, to explore this work that oversaw the final chapters of the late Austro-German Romanticism.
Following an acclaimed release with Mahler’s Third Symphony, this second release on Bruckner’s Seventh from the CSO’s home label documents two attractive elements. First, the high-definition sound captured by engineers Christopher Willis and John Newton and the UK-based Classic Sound Limited on editing and mixing reinvigorates the four live performances that took place during May 2007. Second, an interesting symbiosis between layer and color prevails as an unifying theme in this album. The cover of this recording, for example, is an artwork entitled “Underpainting.” It depicts a visual canvas of multiple layers in colors to provoke a sensual perception in range, depth and structure. In essence, these elements share much in common with Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony.
Composed in 1881-1883, the Seventh was the Symphony that gained Bruckner international success when it was first performed by Arthur Nikisch in Leipzig. What could have impressed audience then in 1883, as it had now in 2003 as exemplified from the present recording? Wagner and Viennese classicism would have been attractive contributions.
First, the music of Wagner had a lifelong impression on Bruckner’s own writing. But, particularly, it was “Parsifal” that had directly inspired the rich palette of sounds in the Seventh. To probe into this association, Haitink and the CSO turned a score of instrumental proportions into a soundworld of multi-faceted colors, perhaps even operatic in scale (although, interestingly, Bruckner never wrote an opera). Furthermore, Bruckner’s use of the “Wagner tubas,” which he introduced in the coda of the Adagio, was a tribute to the greater operatic master. Here, the famous brass section of the CSO delivered this passage from 18:29 to 19:45, and again 21:13 to 22:18 with such profundity that it had an infliction of pain and grief if one understood the context in which this coda excerpt was written (premonition to Wagner’s death). From the dipoles of simplistic quietude, heard right in the opening theme of the Allegro moderato, to the spiritual climax compounded by courage and sublimity in the Adagio, these musical dipoles impacted listeners like focused beams. Haitink and the CSO transformed the dipoles of Bruckner’s music-writing like packets of musical force. The recorded sound recapitulated these radiant elements with natural definition, in part aided from the acoustics of Orchestral Hall in Chicago.
Second, Bruckner wrote the Scherzo of this Seventh Symphony first. He was perhaps looking backwards into the Classical traditions inspired by Schubert and his likes. If there was one piece that evolved into the birth of Bruckner’s Seventh, Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony would have been a relevant choice, the music of which molded Bruckner’s own affinity with Austrian rusticity through the use of music language. Approaching this concept with an unostentatious but commendable attitude, Haitink led the CSO to unfold with a granite-like orchestral sonority. This was inescapable in the final moments from 12:06 to 13:01 of the Finale. Certainly, the balance of structure and form is an unknown variable behind any successful performances, and this is particularly important in the complex world of Bruckner’s music when over-sentiment can pollute a musical experience. Here, Haitink resolves these challenges not only with honesty and sincerity, but together with the CSO musicians, they gives a tasteful reading to a symphony that was a homage to the colorful past.
By: Patrick P.L. Lam
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| Review by willemvoorneveld August 1, 2012 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
Haitink takes the cow by the horns from the very start of the opening Allegro. He reads more detail from the score than my preferred comparison readings of this symphony; Eugen Jochum (1978) with Dresden and Giulini with VPO (1987), both on RBCD. It also seems that for Haitink this opening movement is the central piece of this symphony. He explores all themes in depth and takes up to a minute more than Giulini and Jochum to convey his message without it ever sounding slow.
Although still “sehr Langsam” (very slow) he then takes almost two minutes less for the following Adagio and lets the “feierlich” of this movement have the upper hand where appropriate. The movement concludes (tonality has dropped to C major in the meantime) with a very moving tuba-horn supported coda which could well serve as a remembrance to Wagners death. It combines very well with the opening adagio and as such satisfies me more than the mentioned other two performances.
In the Scherzo and Finale Haitink agrees with Giulini and Jochum how to do these movements since they are all very close in timing and atmosphere and compared to Bruckner’s other symphonies, these two movements are relatively short and lightweight.
Of course, the big advantage of this Haitink reading is the greater clarity enabled by the SACD multi-channel presentation. It also clearly shows that the CSO in no way is less sophisticated in Bruckner than the players of the VPO under Giulini. Some remarkable playing is done by the string section. Woodwind and Brass do support Haitink with more nuance than the VPO players support Giulini.
The present performance seems to be a conglomerate of 4 live performances and in principle it sounds very good. Bruckner’s instrumentation in this symphony is light, with only timpani, cymbal and triangle in the percussion section of the orchestra but on this recording I had preferred to hear a little more of the (low) percussion. In addition there are two moments where the brass players hit the “sound barrier” of the Symphony Center, with its somewhat boxy acoustics. Still the overall impression is very good.
Haitink has done the 7th two times on RBCD before and till the announced RCO version comes available this is the only Haitink version available on SACD.
wv
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