Bruckner: Symphony No. 9, Live at the Salzburg Festival

Album review

Christoph von Dohnányi and the Philharmonia Orchestra recorded Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor at the Salzburg Festival in 2014, offering a powerful live rendition that is also controlled and clear. This work often suffers in performance from murky textures and excessive heaviness in the bass parts, but Dohnányi balances the sections so the orchestration is lighter, and he pays close attention to details in the inner parts, making the music seem almost transparent in places. Also, he takes tempos a bit faster than might be expected and builds momentum to alleviate the ponderous weight of the first movement. Pacing is critical to keep the symphony from stalling out in the Scherzo and utterly falling apart in the Adagio, which often happens in less concentrated performances, so Dohnányi keeps the orchestra moving forward, sometimes even accelerating it to avoid an overly reverent feeling and to give purpose to Bruckner's repetitive rhythms. This is a first-rate performance of the three-movement version, and even though Dohnányi didn't take a chance with one of the completed finales that are gradually finding a place in the repertoire, it is still a worthwhile interpretation that bears repeated listening.
© TiVo