Issued three times a year and sold by subscription www.brucknerjournal.co.uk Editorial : [email protected] 23 Mornington Grove, Bow, London E3 4NS Subscriptions and Mailing: [email protected] 4 Lulworth Close, Halesowen, B63 2UJ 01384 566383 VOLUME TWELVE, NUMBER THREE, NOVEMBER 2008 Editor: Ken Ward Managing Editor: Raymond Cox. Associate Editors: Peter Palmer, Crawford Howie, Nicholas Attfield In this issue Bruckner at The Proms The Sixth Bruckner Journal On Wednesday August 9th 1961 the London Symphony Orchestra Readers Conference Page 2 at the Royal Albert Hall performed Bruckner’s 7th symphony. It Portrait Bust of Bruckner Page 3 was conducted by Basil Cameron. The Times reviewer the Concert Reviews Page 4 following day was not complimentary, calling his handling of the CD Reviews and listings Page 10 work ‘unstylish’. The conductor apparently decided that where a crescendo was marked, this called for an accelerando , and that Book Rewiew when the violins descended arpeggio -wise at bar 125 in the finale, Bruckner Vorträge 2006 Bericht the tempo was to be allowed to slacken. In the reviewer’s by Crawford Howie Page 13 opinion, this was all a misguided attempt to heighten the music’s eloquence. ‘Bruckner has had to fight hard for acceptance in this Bruckner, Mahler and the country. A performance such as the one his seventh symphony piano-duet arrangement of Bruckner’s Third Symphony received last night helps one to understand why.’ by Crawford Howie Page 15 It would no doubt have been a surprise to the reviewer had he seen into the future to discover that this concert SevenTypes of Mystery inaugurated an unbroken run of 47 years of Bruckner by Ken Ward Page 20 performances at the Proms, some of which have with justification come to be regarded as ‘legendary’ - conducted by Horenstein, The Dissolution of Mysticism Wand, Haitink among others. And it was therefore an unwelcome in Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony surprise to Brucknerians to discover that there was no Bruckner at by Raymond Cox Page 26 all to be played at The Proms in 2008. Those 47 years were not There is no compromise with exactly ‘years of plenty’, but the spectre of years of famine now Bruckner - i/v Philipe Herreweghe hovers above the Royal Albert Hall. Page 33 It was, however, an omission that was not allowed to Edition Confusion Even Among pass without comment. The audience that attended the first night Publishers by John Berky Page 34 may have spotted in the queue outside, and in the Arena during the concert, a member of the audience sporting a T-shirt with the The Tenth Annual Bruckner question, ‘Where’s Bruckner?’ emblazoned on its chest (see page Marathon, Carlsbad, California 40). Roger Wright, the director of the Proms, received several A report by Neil Schore Page 35 letters of protest, to each of which he replied. In one such reply A Bruckner Marathon in the Midlands, UK he wrote, “ It often happens that certain composers have few A report by Ken Ward Page 37 works of theirs performed simply as a result of what conductors offer - it is certainly no reflection of our lack of interest in Letter to the editor Page 40 Bruckner. I hope, nonetheless, that you will find much to enjoy in Concert Listings Page 41 the 2008 Proms and I trust, although things can change, that next _________________________ year will not be Bruckner free!” Copyright in all pieces remains with the I hope we can put our trust in this prediction from the author. Silhouette by Otto Böhler. Views man in whose hands the matter rests. KW expressed by contributors to The Bruckner Journal are not necessarily those of the editors. 2 The Sixth Bruckner Journal Readers Biennial Conference 2009 Introductory session on Fri. 17th April, 7 - 9 pm Sat 18th April, 2008 09.30 am - 5 pm, followed at 6.30 pm by a performance of the 8th Symphony in a transcription for two pianos, four hands: Prof. William Carragan and Dr. Crawford Howie, pno. Hertford College, Catte Street, Oxford Speakers to include Nicholas Attfield, William Carragan, Andrea Harrandt, Paul Hawkshaw, Julian Horton, Howard Jones, Ebbe Tørring, Peter Palmer, Ken Ward The Conference fee is £25. If you would like to attend please complete and return the booking form as soon as you can conveniently do so. Readers who book for the Conference will find a map enclosed with the March issue of The Bruckner Journal . Accommodation . Hotel Accommodation is quite expensive in Oxford and those attending the Conference might wish to investigate B&B as a somewhat less expensive option. www.oxfordcity.co.uk has a good listing. You might also look at www.visitoxford.org or ring the Tourist Information Centre +44 (0)1865 252200. If you are prepared to share a dormitory with several others, the cheapest by far is likely to be Central Backpackers Oxford. This is very central at 13 Park End Street, +44 (0)1865 242288 Because of the popularity of Oxford as a tourist centre, early booking is advisable. Travel Oxford Railway station is about 1.5 miles from Hertford College. You can take the bus from Oxford railway station to Broad Street, then just walk up Broad Street, take a right onto Catte Street, and Hertford College will be on your left. The bus is free if you have a rail ticket. Alternatively, you can take a taxi from the station, which should cost around £5. Coaches run between London and Oxford, very frequently, as often as every 10 minutes during peak hours. There are two services, the Oxford Tube and the X90. For more information about where to get on, schedules and fares, you can check out the Thames Travel (www.thames-travel.co.uk) site for the Oxford Tube, or the Oxford Bus Company (www.oxfordbus.co.uk/espress1.shtml) site for the X90. There are several stops in Oxford, and it is easiest just to stay on till the last stop, Gloucester Green. From Gloucester Green it's only a short trip to Hertford (about 3 blocks). If you have a lot of luggage, you might want to take a taxi, and there is a taxi rank adjacent to the bus station. Travel by car into the city centre is discouraged, but there are five ‘Park & Ride’ car parks on the periphery of the city. Bus services to the car parks run till 11 pm or later (depending which car park you’re in) on Fri and Sat evenings. (Further information at www.parkandride.net and at the Tourist Information Centre +44 (0)1865 252200) 3 Small Portrait Bust of Anton Bruckner From an original sculpture by Ken Ward, mould made by Bronze Age Sculpture Casting Foundry, as pictured above hand-cast in Jesmonite, and mounted on a plinth of teak salvaged from the art room of a nineteenth century Catholic school in South London. h.205mm x w.135 x d.95 A limited number are available for sale to Bruckner Journal subscribers at £35 (65$US, 45 €) each, plus P&P. If you would like to buy one please contact The Bruckner Journal, 23 Mornington Grove, London, E3 4NS, or by e-mail to [email protected] Also available are bronze castings in a limited edition of 20 (only 4 of which have been cast so far). These were cast at the Bronze Age Sculpture Casting Foundry, Limehouse, London. They are to be mounted on ebonised teak (screw fixings allow purchaser to fix their own plinth) and priced at £400 each. Pictured right, not yet mounted. All enquiries to The Bruckner Journal, as above. 4 Concert Reviews SUFFOLK, UK Snape Maltings 28th August 2008 Bartók - Viola Concerto Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 Britten-Pears Orchestra / Robin Ticciati Snape rarely programme Bruckner - the only previous work I can recall was the Mass in F minor some 10 years ago - so this concert was especially welcome. It is interesting that it was supported by an anonymous donor - hopefully a Bruckner enthusiast. The Britten-Pears Orchestra comprised 75 youthful players for the Bruckner. The programme cheekily abbreviated the name to BPO - perhaps because Robin Ticciati bore a striking resemblance to Simon Rattle in his younger days. The Maltings at Snape is a small venue by most standards and holds about 800 people. It benefits from excellent acoustics so that one can hear all the instruments and the B-PO produced an ideal balance of sound for this symphony in this hall. Any fear that the sound might be too much, as has been reported on previous occasions in this hall, were soon dispelled. The opening string tremolo stole in so quietly it was almost like a mist moving in across the Suffolk marshes. It was from the very first a fine performance with Robin Ticciati conducting from memory and keeping a firm grip on structure and dynamics. The symphony took about 60 mins, so could, in comparison with many recent recordings, be considered swift and yet it never for one moment seemed rushed. Of particular merit was the playing of the first trumpet, first horn, and the quartet of Wagner tubas. From a good position in the audience I was able, for the first time in 54 years of Bruckner listening, to fully appreciate the role of Wagner tubas in this symphony. The cymbals and triangle were included. It would be churlish to mention minor faults in this performance. It was a pleasure to see these young musicians turn in such a fine performance and as always a joy to hear this glorious symphony. The Bartók seemed to me to be an odd work to accompany the Seventh Symphony, and I felt it had little to say to the near capacity audience.