DR Kultur: Daniel Barenboim leads glowing Bruckner Seventh. Beethoven/Bruckner zyklus. Staatskapelle Berlin. Philharmonie, Berlin - 25.06.10

Speaking with student from Tokyo years ago, I learned quickly he knew some piano and had some interest in classical music – in addition to whatever else on the side. On my mind was a Bruckner Seventh Symphony to come over the air later that evening from Chicago under Daniel Barenboim. What I then had to ask Keigo was what if anything anybody knew of how the great late maestro, prolifically recorded Bruckner interpreter Asahina Takashi was getting along. Upon arriving home, some minutes before Norm Pellegrini (DSO emcee) came on, I discovered notice that he had passed away several weeks earlier – right before end of 2001 – and after having conducted in Nagoya his final concert two months earlier as fifty-four year music director of the Osaka Philharmonic.

I then quickly emailed Keigo for both of us to reckon the Seventh on in memory of whom Barenboim and Henry Fogel brought to Chicago for much too delayed U.S. conducting debut at age of 87. The Bruckner Fifth Symphony at Orchestra Hall then beamed to television sets all across Japan – in May of 1996; a friend of mine living in Indianapolis made the drive up to attend This Orchestra Hall Seventh among Bruckner I had yet heard from Barenboim went just adequately, mildly phlegmatically. He had put out in 1992 a fine recording of the Seventh (Teldec) with the Berlin Philharmonic. Now very lately there has been this performance by Staatskapelle Berlin several days of necessary breather after three consecutive nights of both Beethoven concerti and three preceding Bruckner symphonies at the Philharmonie.

Re-reading Robert Simpson’s notes and inspired by what just got played at the Philharmonie forces one to somewhat rethink what one has smugly concluded from its overall serenity to be one of the most conservative of Bruckner’s symphonies. Things are not always as they appear on the surface. The Seventh is instead perhaps Bruckner’s most quietly radical and thus mostly quietly innovative creation thus far. The layout of there being three theme groups for such as an Exposition and Recapitulation for its first movement do not really tell any story of this movement’s formal properties. So much gets redefined in this first movement, for on the surface, it one must label it, the great arched binary form it is instead. Rich with so much supple modulation (between keys) and manipulation of its material, there is much found within to anticipate what Bruckner would write in his Eighth and Ninth symphonies. Unique to stand on its own as is the Sixth, that Bruckner considered his most original (thus far), it subtly anticipates some of what happens in the Seventh.

The open sonorities, gleaming quality about its melodic material, as Simpson says, make for the lay listener the more congenial experience of Bruckner than a number of his other symphonies. In this happening however, one can fear there is as much or perhaps more lost than illuminated. My earliest experience of the Seventh live – Houston Symphony under Efrem Kurtz (1979) – was mostly likely so unwittingly deceptive. Though happy at the time with what I had heard, but having developed just some intimation toward what Bruckner is about, I felt vague dissatisfaction.

Assessing the Seventh to be of mostly classical formal characteristics is misguided and can often lead the interpreter to hold where and how this music stretches boundaries too much in check. There is tempting often safe choice to sentimentalize, even make stodgy long paragraphs and expanse that happens between what proportions, according to textbook, are readily assumed to conventionally emerge.

Barenboim took the Seventh in 1992 on disc at quite a stately pace, but still flexibly shaping narrative of what transpires with good cohesion and fine handle on logic. At more moderate tempos here and utmost flexibility with which one can keep this music intact, he opened out the Seventh’s unique characteristics the best I have ever heard anybody do at all lately. Barenboim assuredly managed working in diminuendo into opening line of the first movement as it leans into the dominant - B Major – consistent with his finding more flexible sweep to this movement’s opening paragraph overall than previously. He then clarified with inevitably accumulating sense of anxiety this music’s inability to hold on to such as any stable tonal center - balm arriving in form of (as Simpson typifies it) the half supertonic of C Major to at last help confirm B Major as (partially) achieved tonality at last.

Allowing a few lax rhythms, Barenboim freely achieved fine internal rubato for bourree like third theme. Later passing reference to it got heavy emphasis when more prudent to understate anticipation of pianissimo arrival of (tonality for) main theme in E Major moments later. Judiciously scaled moderate sweep suited Barenboim for grandiose inversion segue into C Minor re-statement of the opening theme – impressive here – in context of his ease at making all breathe very well throughout all else. Fortunately he avoided overstating what is effectively incidental reference to the home key where is conventionally expected a more prepared, fulfilling restatement. Barenboim wisely held off making significant allargando, until reaching consequent to it here; trumpets glistened in doubling this once more further enhanced lean into the dominant (B Major). Off entrance of second theme, almost half a beat early (on purpose), came playing of restive deep longing, as if to proclaim continuance this direction (B Major) as tenuous at best. Barenboim then insistently made segue to A Major from third theme group. Inevitable large parenthesis of the main theme consequent - mostly non-enveloped here - then ushered in without large slow-down a fully enthralling, blazing conclusion in E Major.

Equally passionate, thoroughly developed was Barenboim’s now moderate paced traversal through the Andante – more Andante here than very close to ‘Adagio’ he took on disc, others have also taken - very affectingly. Now he is near two thirds quicker to an arguably, mildly controversial not ‘sehr langsam’ Andante Metzmacher took last year with DSO Berlin. Metzmacher found the more linear means of exploring Bruckner’s innovation with form than Barenboim; his scaling of Bruckner’s horizons was the starker for it. Barenboim achieved more fulsome results, even if perhaps more intuitively than how Metzmacher, more consistent artist, had.

The Andante opened mostly elegiac, in place of sounding hieratic. Strings made pensive their musing, coming off firmly resounded refrain to main theme. Lines throughout were suffused with fervor we associate with line from Bruckner’s Te Deum. Passionate crest was made to opening paragraph of this Andante on half-diminished supertonic, but without denying scale of what was imminent, while making supple long descending clarinet lines and sonorous comment on Wagner tubas. Cantilena for second subject was close to Italianate – Barenboim’s experience at La Scala starting to show – in its fully vocalized grace and sensuality. Gentle yearning in upper violins coming off this episode was very affecting. Great sense of striving,achieved by supple means, infused rising crests through the remote tonalities of C and G Major, latter of which through passing cadence in C Minor, this music returns to C-sharp Minor by means of tertiary relationship with A-Flat (or G-Sharp). Gentle second theme, enhanced by floating violin’s descant, all centered in A-Flat, facilitated very reflective following retreat thereof.

Sense of great strain was apt in making last ascending reach or two from gradually accumulating sequence for explosive climax in C Major (leading tone or half-subtonic to C-Sharp Minor) – all seemingly to not have encumbered the line coursing through all this and the ease with which flutes (in D-Flat) found lift in making retreat from it. Deftly achieved sense of light lingering beyond - past notably sad lament from horn and Wagner tubas - ended what continued sounding very incredibly assured. Barenboim, in finding the self-transformative character of this music, had this Seventh speak very much as anticipatory of the Eighth (and Ninth).

Rollicking broad bow strokes and posthorn sounding principal trumpet made merry romp of the scherzo. Sweep and shape up to end of first half was all free, yet precise to the ear - open air and light interplay made of bucolically accented retransition to restatement of the opening. With simplicity Barenboim caught drowsiness of start to the Trio, letting in vernal shaft of light to anticipate making benediction out of restatement of the same, underpinned evocatively by not quite awakened ruddy sounding low French horn.

Mercurial jaunt opened the finale rapt – all keenly observed the rapid harmonic shifts between episodes and through elaborate figuration within. Barenboim treated somewhat strictly one inverted restatement of the opening theme in the strings midway through, to avoid making cliché of such. He then made very solid the forceful brass unison ascending craggy, igneous restatements of the main theme. Hush coming off such last statement by Staatskapelle brass to frame chorale second theme was very telling - after keeping first statement of the same chorale simple several minutes earlier. It spoke naturally it being felt by all on stage of having accomplished (considerably) more than what usually passes as good norm for the Seventh. With the fire these players let course through the tricky closing pages of the Seventh, there seemed no further challenge too great. Following evening, it would be the Eighth.

Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto provided gateway to such a fresh open-ended outlook on the Bruckner Seventh. The breaking free of a semblance of classical grace and poise seemed practically as much theme song for this concerto as for the Bruckner - as though Beethoven could have been composed as catalyst thereof. Fine precisely scaled enveloping was made for parenthesis into minor key submediant during the solo exposition, but already with a Lisztian fire on cusp of bursting out from the playing, yet without loss of poise. Barenboim both as soloist and conductor provided with measured finesse balance between antecedents and consequents in the line, their internal exchange of masculine and feminine phrasing, accenting. There was also the orchestra’s role of, colloquially speaking, taming the near-savage beast. Calibration between soloist and orchestra through the frequently agitated Development was excellent – with quasi-operatic rhetoric for long cadential segue through pensively remote C-sharp minor episode into well characterized capricious G Major re-transition.

Equally Mozartean from Barenboim were doubled broken thirds restatement of first movement opening idea and vocalized phrasing he drew out of Staatskapelle oboe and other winds under much filigree. Cadenza to have started tentatively quickly regained its footing, poise with well shaped lyrical second subject and incisive interplay between insistent first theme derived motif in left hand and increasingly elaborate response in the right. Putting thought of virtuoso display for its own sake aside, quite an engaging drama played out from there before all attained to Elysium for a most bel canto opening to the coda to the first movement, and equally impassioned playing to achieve its close.

Broad allargando for firm orchestral accents contrasted well with poised, hushed reply from soloist, with Barenboim making it subtle the string tutti’s retreat from making confrontation. He then curiously eschewed threat to overstate the ‘lion’s roar’ near close of the intermezzo - after fine beseeching quality to his phrasing right before.

Barenboim then made rhetorically slightly hesitant accents of rondo theme upbeats, without deflating any vitality of the rondo to ensue. Pace was a vigorously stated healthy Moderato that allowed the expansive second theme high in the right hand ample space to sing out. He then wisely eschewed making anything too arched out of largely re-transitional Development – with fire to internally spur on both line and filigree and alternate accents between orchestra and soloist as from within, toward making something febrile of its entirety. Thinking well ahead, he phrased return of the second theme in the tonic with greater poise and then made broad allargando, written out such, of slowly descending and ascending chord resolving on the subdominant for playfully clarinet doubled restatement of opening theme - replied to contrastingly with great vigor.

Fully weighted then were the vigorous octaves to open brief cadenza - to soon thereafter spin off pointed ascending, jumping trills into orchestral re-entry. His reach for the large clash of thrashing secondary dominant to the subdominant was found lacking nothing in heft toward bringing this rondo to a furious conclusion. Nothing could have proved better showcase, not so much for Barenboim, but for Beethoven and Bruckner to rouse anyone listening out of last vestige of lingering sense of complacency. This was what this concert was all about, what got accomplished here.
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DSO Berlin: Herbert Blomstedt conducts Berwald, and from near equally Nordic perspective, a compelling Bruckner Ninth

The combination of a Franz Berwald symphony with the last and most forward looking of the Bruckner proved stimulating here – and in which way Herbert Blomstedt musically worked out what rationale there may be to putting both together. There were flaws in how Blomstedt went about things, not so much in conception, as perhaps a matter of complacency combined with cultural feeling from locus equipping him how it has - as influencing especially his way of interpreting the Bruckner. Apparently of great interest was how material is developed more than just its character itself. Blomstedt hears Berwald as fine at demonstrating this on its own, but for the Bruckner, here was a way Blomstedt intervened in abetting matters. Blomstedt, a seasoned interpreter of Sibelius, Nielsen, but also of Bruckner, was ultimately seldom far off any mark here with either.

Berwald’s music, for its even peculiar characteristics, appealed to me at a young age. He wrote four symphonies in the early 1840’s, soon after Schumann had started composing his. All of them bear descriptive titles instead of numbering. The ‘singuliere’ is presumably the third and likely the most dramatic as well. It carries with it – with scherzo middle section to central Adagio – the idea of being in a more conventional four-movement layout, even though in three movements. With the dancing, scherzo-like character for much of the ‘capricieuse’ it seemed superfluous to have added a full-fledged scherzo. Though not more so, the opening movement of Sinfonie capricieuse indicates as much his influence on Sibelius as on Carl Nielsen. According to Harold Truscott, It is his interesting manipulation of sonata form - with events placed often in different than usual order and way Berwald sheds light on doing so that is compelling.

Play the first movement of ‘capricieuse’ (Berwald’s second) also in D Major alongside scherzo of the Sibelius Second, should you have any doubt. There is no Sigmund Spaeth like detective work to do here – not like as could be for between tune to Chris Walken’s noir Dead Zone (what Walken is not film noir?) and second movement of Sibelius Second. Just the character of the writing is so similar; for that, momentarily. Sibelius hardly seems so original anymore. I unusually favor the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh over the Second among the Sibelius canon. That Berwald prefigured at all the towering Nielsen and Sibelius cycles just proves that from small acorns do large trees grow.

Blomstedt, very fine editor of the score to ‘singuliere’, felt here most attuned to the utter simplicity of Berwald’s inspiration. His music that Eduard Hanslick said (or carped) lacked creative power and fantasy does not lay it out on the surface that it indeed is in fact imaginatively creative. It is just different than what people in central Europe were accustomed to hearing. In its using such different language as it does, it may have even mildly proved an irritant; Berwald’s language is hardly more dissonant than what else was getting written at the time.

Berwald was hardly a radical, but it was his natural prerogative to discover how his structural methods should uniquely absorb sense of the wide expanse of space in which he lived most of his life. Such individual and subtle departure from classical principles of orchestral design is present just toward being distinct from much else. The polarity of tonal centers interval of a fifth apart that after Beethoven was taking somewhat of a hit anyway still interested Berwald, but while staying coherent, it was not, with attendant expected worked out implications, paramount. Interesting but flawed are the Thomas Dausgaard interpretations of the Berwald symphonies – Dausgaard who conducts Schumann with strings affecting method of playing on gut strings. Ostinato figure out of which the first theme of opening to the ‘singuliere’ is built gets to underpin during bridge passages ascending triplets that make it alone obliquely to tonal center a whole tone apart. Might you have trouble making it out, then Dausgaard is your man. I often argue for making music sound – not as the ‘period’ movement in using weaker instruments –as fresh and innovative as it did when new. Neeme Jarvi (DGG) is the most natural at characterizing both the more progressive and dramatic aspects of this piece.

Blomstedt for Sinfonie Singuliere maintained a relatively placid surface throughout, emphasizing very convincingly its unprepossessing qualities. His tempos tended toward spacious, especially for the first movement. What innovation, contrast Berwald achieved writing this piece is something Blomstedt, after so much work with Nielsen and Sibelius, hears as very much internally driven and accomplished. Crescendi on upward gallop of triplets animating much of the first movement were still present, but not underlined like for Dausgaard or given extra boost at all. Such made here an understated case for their harmonic underpinnings.

Blomstedt’s overall rhetoric, infused with simplicity, still came across assured. Flute trill to crest the ascending line of the first theme on first repeat emerged most naturally. Poco stringendo marked stretti ending both Exposition and the movement were firm. Four note brass intimated chorale came across ominously well. From support of building modal melodic patterns into this music, Berwald makes it more interesting than usual to start the Recapitulation from the subdominant (F Major), but Blomstedt declined to overtly point it out - in support of his more mature take on full landscape in view. Interplay of much figuration working throughout was supple and free.

While slightly betraying that this is not their standard repertoire, DSO Berlin strings continued to produce fine warmth for twilit color Adagio while still avoiding excess of vibrato or diffusion. Sequential closing statement to Adagio and its reprise received appreciative feeling for its expansive qualities, harmonization. Mendelssohn-ian elfin grace characterized the extended scherzo middle section, with roughness of edges slightly more smoothed out than ideal, but still with all accenting clear.

Blomstedt ultimately perhaps sold the finale slightly short, but started it off with healthy vigor nevertheless. Berwald bases a rondo episode – only superficially a new theme - on both thematic profile of and accompanying filigree to the first movement’s second theme, very cleverly so. Offbeat accented on purpose awkwardly shaped first theme tends to lean heavily into the subdominant to quite wittily but dramatically get jerked back into vigorously restating it in its home key. Similarly motivated ingenuity, irregularity occurs in Haydn. Experimentation with how tonal centers a whole tone apart interact is likewise provocative. Much optimism, inherent wit was still on display, but sharper profile to still better convey occasional flashes of diabolical wit might have helped well enhance how much Blomstedt had invested in this already.

It was perhaps from sensing little from the outset what was about that early phases following the opening to Bruckner Nine came off perfunctory, matter-of-fact, Strong affirmation opening earlier Bruckner symphonies here gets replaced by doubt, yet through all the chromatic, enharmonic spellings, transitions, there is still something slightly stronger than got restated here. This is so, even if the quality of such is infused by more an existentialist sense than customary for orthodox faith. Transitions framing the main theme of the Exposition lacked what might be sufficient decisive voice leading and mystery, respectively. Blomstedt even chose to openly yet subtly understate the sensuous longing infusing the second theme group, by ever so deftly shaving off the end of opening dotted half notes demarcating its main idea. Underlining of crescendi did not quite convince. Gradually through transition into third theme group did at last Blomstedt let in more air for mystery to envelop it. Sense of weariness with third theme group - though allowing line to just momentarily drift off before recovering it well – was very fine, within context of good line overall.

Development section in the first movement took on better shape, with brass rhetoric right for Bruckner’s increasingly indecisive restatements of chorale statement from earlier. Increasingly incisive shape to transitions inbetween proved solid. Strings, abetted by precise pointing from DSO woodwinds, then began to make something incendiary out of their tremolo and other figuration – smoldering quality underneath coloring all of the Ninth - as left over from blaze that at times engulfs the Eighth. Blomstedt could not fail to make it known. He even very adeptly had his strings here turn on a dime in shifting from laendler accents to making quick reach for fiery opening of the Recapitulation.

Shyness belaboring the Exposition statement of the same made for slightly flaccid accents from the brass upon this arrival. Blomstedt recovered quickly, in even riskily broadening upbeats from his violins, to help steeply mark the ascent to terrible F Minor climax to follow. Brass had it incipient to bring it off all the way, but Blomstedt, seeing ahead, refrained from giving it conventional full blast. Change of fifth in the timpani from low C down to A was really felt, enveloping great weary slow descent from DSO violins. Infusion of winds and brass in voice leading for the second theme recovered for it complete profile. All transition and spelling through third theme group and alternatively weary and fiery coda came off in sterling form.

Bucolic sense to randy, dry toned brass through the scherzo, instead of understating or making sterile its demonic character, enhanced it. DSO Berlin strings were found here to be both incisive and insinuating, with woodwinds precisely imitating their figuration Bomstedt, the first time through an accelerando not ‘imperceptible’ enough (as marked), right before recapitulatory statement of the first theme, made up for it by strongly marking the rustic accents through it, but was less observant at doing so upon its reprise after the tri section.. Still, arrival at cadences was very firm in their intensity. Excellent spring to line in the strings marked a both jaunty and breezy pace through the trio, though a little failure to yield – less bad than with Welser-Most in Cleveland – with line for cellos right past midpoint of this only almost here proved murder for principal flute and other woodwinds. There was ultimately little more in playing quality, interpretation one could have sought than put on display here.

Though excessively broad, less specific in shape than conventionally accepted for broad statement with which strings open the Adagio, it led for aesthetically the most difficult movement of the Ninth to very fine interpretation thereof. Dry brass underpinning of allargando line was very distinctive. It was most of all subtly the underlining with which Blomstedt infused developing both the opening theme and laendler second theme group that likely had to subconsciously influence what one’s perception of this music, of novel way to hear how it is constructed. Blomstedt approached it here – neither insipidly nor undercutting its sonorities, scale, or depth - conceptually as though chamber music. It was here most of all that one got rewarded by some subtle taking of risks.

In context of maintaining a fairly moderate pace, brass were allowed space for beautiful limning of their broken chorale lines off fine climax to the introduction, as to segue in the second theme group. Elegaic shaping of the second theme complemented sound and mindset of how the Adagio opened. Lighter accenting of following thematic consequents was both deft and intimate, but with little tempo contrast from already forward moving pace for the ‘etwas bewegter’ marking the consequents. Blomstedt compensated with excellent pointing of accents to all this. Inter-relation of thematic material of the Adagio started becoming prescient with violins’ gentle reprise of opening statement i through Development opening emotionally agitated B Minor inversion of first theme in trumpets over jagged, arched, heavy strings. Blomstedt maintained an electric current through all this – including the pianissimo trailing off that follows – to laendler infused allargando buildup to temporarily satisfying climax to the opening statement. Consistent with train of thought was subtle enhancement of angularity to second theme group, upon its reprise.

Brief paragraph of descending statement in full-toned strings proved momentary balm upon despondent restating mid-phrase from opening statement in the violins. The humanity of how this spoke was very moving - as though already to foresee the beautiful trailing off of everything at the end. Over almost manically insistent tread of hollow whole-tone intervals in the winds, DSO strings subtly made much of the Tristan-esque longing that segues over to buildup to shattering C-sharp minor climax.. Even with icy quality to string tremolo above oppressive brass, still paramount was the human voice.

Marking of crescendo into dominant seventh of the Neapolitan (F Major, in context of E Major) became intensely febrile. Out of what had started so matter-of-fact with this Bruckner Ninth emerged very much. Yielding winds sweetly cooled off the flame, answered by non-enveloped long weary sigh from the strings, before confident reach into restating the opening of the Bruckner Seventh with which the Ninth closes – with here most sublimely a living current still running through it all. Most sublime here was - this music could never be quite construed as optimistic - a sense of a positive force or moving forward at work, even amidst despair. As with life, it is the context in which we put so very much. Wise seer at hand here, speaking from considerable experience even if mildly shy of definitively was Herbert Blomstedt. As he’d agree, no wiser seer could be found in our midst than the composer Anton Bruckner himself.