21 October 2009

Wand and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (2)


So far I've listened to the Bruckner 5th and Schubert "Unfinished".


I've resisted the strong temptation to do comparisons with Wand's other recordings in the first instance, and decided to finish the journey through all the recordings as if I were attending his concerts one after another. I'd call it a pilgrimage.

The B5 has given me an impression of natural rawness and hence freshness. The orchestral sonority is different from that of MPO or BPO or even NDRSO for that matter. The woodwind timbre is quite distinct from the other orchestras, in particular the bassoon. The strings and the brass didn't have the polished and full-bodied sound of BPO or MPO, but the whole orchestra just sounds so unpretentious and natural. The lack of ostentatiousness, together with, or augmented by, Wand's insistence on respect to the music, conveyed a welcome sense of warmth to this humbled listener. I was totally enthralled.

Wand's rhythmic control is unsurpassed as ever. The three themes in the first movement were nicely done and seamlessly connected. The dialogue between different woodwinds, or that between woodwinds and strings, is chamber-music-like. There is much fire, drama and intensity throughout the symphony, which in some cases is lacking in the smooth and rounded sound picture of his performances with the BPO, and which in retrospect may appear "over-polished".

The orchestral playing is not without flaws, but these are more than made up by the positivism of the reading, and may even be considered "appropriate" in light of more than a hint of Mozartian Strum und Drang.

This is a Bruckner 5th which becomes quite dear to my heart. The applause recorded on the CD lasted more than a minute, which just echoed my thanks to Maestro Wand.

The "Unfinished" bears an appalling resemblance to his recording with the BPO, a benchmark for me for many years. It just shows us Wand's mastery of this symphony from an "early" age.

3 comments:

  1. i really appreciate ur writing skill,which is clear and natural.

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  2. Although I don't know who you are, I have to thank you for your kind words.

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  3. Please post more on Wand's new box-set. Thanks.
    Mary

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