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Site review by Geohominid September 25, 2009
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
Some performances of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony have such an ample measure of smiling benevolence in their first two movements that a listener is in danger of being lulled to sleep. Not so with Paavo Järvi and his youthfully enthusiastic Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Use of Bärenreiter's new Urtext edition corrects corrupt older versions and reveals Beethoven's careful gradations of staccato, articulation and phrasing. The DKB's modern instrument chamber orchestra (with a string configuration of 8,7,5,5,3) has phenomenally taut ensemble, near perfect tuning and a similar balance of winds and strings to the typical orchestra of Beethoven's day. Together with an immediate and transparent recording, the score is opened up as rarely before, with tempi following Beethoven's metronome marks of 1817.
The first movement's portrayal of a joyful walk in the countryside has filigree textures, ranging from murmurs of the utmost delicacy to robust surges of ebullience. A mostly vibrato-less playing style of the strings' opening melody (probably derived from an old Czech folk-song) emphasises its simplicity, yet the lines are imbued with subtle and heartfelt nuances. Rustic textures formed from string, horn and woodwind interplay reflect the listener's progress through an ever-changing rural scene and are completely absorbing.
Adding a piccolo, trombones and timpani to the Symphony's classical orchestra for the fourth movement only, Beethoven's recreation of a brief storm is as effective as Vänskä's with a full symphony orchestra, only with much more internal detail, supreme control over mounting tension and a positively terrifying fusillade of whiplash strokes on the drums. These sound much as Beethoven's military drums would have, with taut skins and hard wooden sticks. The stormy interlude's passage into returning sunlight and peasants celebration is managed superbly. A rich glow of warm, saturated tone emanates from the violas and cellos, joining a truly rustic resinous contribution from the basses, who are heard more clearly and cleanly than in full orchestral versions. The final paean of joy surges like an unstoppable river.
Without doubt this is a most memorable Pastoral, to be placed with the best, including Gardiner's terrific period version from his OAE cycle on RBCD. Vänskä's Pastoral (also using the new Urtext) is splendid too, and put beside Järvi he is several degrees more romantic and softer-edged (musically - the recording is superb, although somewhat more distant), as if Nature was visited in reminiscence more than reality. Listeners can make their choice.
The Second Symphony, placed second on the disc, is one of Beethoven's most challenging and forward-looking symphonies. This is all the more surprising because it was written in 1802 at a time of extreme personal crisis, when the composer finally had to admit to himself the harsh reality and permanence of his deafness. Järvi's players seize it and make it flare with Beethoven's eccentric energy. They relish the outrageous key changes inflicted upon us in the slow opening, then launch truly 'con brio' into the classically based Allegro, braving all its rhythmic wrong-footings and explosive dynamic contrasts with a rhythmic spring and life force which is breathtaking - as is the clarity of their articulation. The collision of all players into a joyfully shocking dissonance a few bars from the end, and its emphatic resolution into D major has rarely been done so convincingly.
Lightness of touch and flowing tempi mark the lovely slow movement, yet still Beethoven's rhythmic and dynamic eruptions betray his inner state of mind, so a form of escape is found in the knockabout Scherzo, comically off-beat but ultimately disruptive. The last movement is a tour-de-force of instrumental playing; its bizarrely fragmented motif hurled into the swiftly flowing mêlée of a mischievous romp; the timpanist superbly precise in marking off-beats and syncopations. Beethoven fools us with a series of set-up false endings which must have astonished and frustrated his audiences, and a stellar performance of this marvellous symphony finally comes to an end.
Add a wonderfully focussed wide-stage recording, grace it with discreet hall ambience, gather some stimulating booklet notes from Peter Schleuning and you have the recipe for another unmissable instalment of the Sony-RCA Beethoven cycle at Bremen.
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Copyright © 2009 John Miller and SA-CD.net
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Review by hiredfox August 18, 2009 (9 of 10 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
I suppose the question uppermost in people's minds will be "Do we need yet more Beethoven on disc or even on SACD?" With Vanska's 2 & 6 on BIS a candidate for Gramophone Orchestral Disc of the Year, the question becomes even more pertinent.
Let's deal with this straightway. The answer is a resounding "Yes" if you value recording quality at least as highly as performance. This is an outstanding recording and it came as no surprise that the people in the engine room who created this Sony RCA Red Seal disc are our very good friends from Polyhymnia (yet again!). They really are going from strength to strength, learning all the time the subtleties and nuances that allow progress in the recording and playback arts. The refinement of textures and details of this recording are simply breathtaking. Yes it is a DSD recording and in my view one of the very best sounding classical discs made so far.
Should you buy it for just that? The answer would be a resounding "of course not" if the performances were 'turkies'! ...but happily they are not. Conjecturious maybe but Jarvi doesn't let us down with his sensitive and literal interpretation of the 'Pastoral" that somehow fits in with our relaxed and laid back summer mood. OK, so maybe Beethoven was equivocal about his intentions and hoped it would not be considered programatic but for me Jarvi's relaxed pacing in more or less regulation time of 40 mins supports the notion of a lovely romp in the long rustling grass of hot summers past and releasing all those emotions that go with it. This is a match at least for Vanska and Haitink of recent SACD releases. It could be my favourite 6. I loved it.
The Second was more difficult for me, exciting and dramatic certainly as the Great Man intended with firm bass lines aided by brilliant recording, especially timpani's (caution needed at the Finale) but sometimes the drama, gravitas and abrupt mood swings seemed to come at the expense of the flow of the music overall even 'though the melodies are always enjoyably pleasant. A thoughtful and technically precise reading that requires the listener to concentrate a little more than usual does not make this a 'classic' interpretation; it left me somehow a little dissatisfied at the end even at second hearing. Norrington is still my preferred conductor for the Second.
Overall 'though a disc well worth hearing.
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Review by Adrian Cue June 26, 2011 (0 of 4 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
I received the last installment of Järvi’s Beethoven cycle last week. ‘Stock clearance’, the vendor (Amazon Market Place) said. We may, therefore, assume that all nine symphonies will shortly be reissued as boxed set. My notes do not address any symphony in this set in particular. It is merely a general apraisel of the set as such and to see wether or not a boxed set would be worth considering. I have owned many such sets, and parts of sets, starting with Toscanini and Furtwangler on vinyl. My first on CD was an East German Dresden/Kegel account. Massively symphonic. It received a ‘Choc’ of ‘Le Monde de la Musique’. Next came Concertgebouw/Haitink followed by COE/Harnoncourt and Tonhalle/Zinman (my long-time favourite). And, off course, the numerous separates. Over time the music became leaner, the playing faster, and the sound better. Since I started to collect SACD’s I bought the Haitink set and then the Vänska one and now I completed the Järvi set. I think I will stop here. Every set hast its stronger and weaker elements, but this one is by far the most exciting. Consistently well played, lots of detail I had not heard before. Perfect balance and sound stage helped by a recording technique that merits more than the allowed five stars. I will not go into detail, as these symphonies have already been so aptly and so expertly reviewed by Geohominid and others (with some differing views, which, as far as I am concerned, are the salt in the pudding –or whatever the expression is – as long as it doesn’t get too salty for my taste!). Yes, I did like Haitink’s cycle on LSO, though the recording does not match the other sets. Vänska is superb. But for me the winner is Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. If the boxed set comes out: DO NOT HESITATE. Very highly recommended, even if you have already other versions and especially if you were as unfortunate as I was to acquire Andrew Manze’s understated, un-heroic Beethoven’s Third, with a Marcia funebre too slow to walk, but which I will keep for having 'another approach' and the highly interesting ‘fillers’.
Adrian Cue
France
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