Bruckner,
Symphony No. 8
Dallas
Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jaap van Zweden
Myerson
Symphony Hall, Dallas TX
29 April
2012
Jaap van
Zweden has been recording a Bruckner cycle with the Netherlands Radio Symphony
Orchestra for Octavia Records. The 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 9th have already
been released. The 8th is due out later this year. On the strength of this
performance, the recording will be a compulsory purchase for Brucknerians, even
though in Dallas Bruckner has home orchestra advantage, as well as the
acoustics of Myerson Hall, which van Zweden has described as the best Bruckner
Hall anywhere. Certainly, I have his other Bruckner recordings on order.
In this
concert van Zweden played the 1890 Nowak edition. The character of his
interpretation was in evidence from the very first bars of the opening Allegro
moderato, with the opening theme very expressively played and shaped. Van
Zweden's Bruckner is midway between the lyrical and the monumental. He uses the
DSO strings, woodwind, and harps to excellent effect in the more singing
passages, but never loses touch with the overall architectonic of Bruckner's
greatest symphony. The final part of the first movement really showed his
interpretation to best advantage, with a delicate rendition of the coda following
a powerful and well-paced climax.
Perhaps
the greatest strength of van Zweden's approach to Bruckner is his skill in
shaping the music - at every level, from the individual phrase and theme to the
contours an entire movement and the overall unity of the symphony. I logged the
following timings:
I =
15'38"
II =
13'39"
III =
26'04"
IV =
20'48"
The
numbers confirm my impression of a fast Scherzo and an expansive Adagio. The
tempo of the finale was very well judged after the Adagio, with the slower sections
of the finale seeming continuous with the pace of the preceding movement. This
no doubt contributed to the security with which van Zweden navigated the
multiple themes and complexities of the final movement. There was a similar
connection between the Adagio and the Trio of the second movement.
As so
often with performances of the 8th, the centerpiece was the Adagio, which built
steadily and inexorably through Bruckner's numerous stops, restarts, and
halting transitions towards the great climax - at which point, incidentally,
the acoustics of Myerson Hall made the triangle clearly audible. This movement
displayed the DSO to best advantage - extremely expressive strings, delicate
woodwind, and very secure brass. The timpanist drove the pulse of the symphony
throughout.
In sum, a
very good performance from a conductor who clearly has Bruckner in his blood
and an orchestra that can do more than justice to his vision. I look forward to
listening to van Zweden's Bruckner recordings with the Netherlands Radio
Orchestra - and also to his Parsifal!
