A1 BEETHOVEN Symphonies Nos. 1–5 • Jordi
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A1 BEETHOVEN Symphonies Nos. 1–5 • Jordi Savall, cond; Le Concert des Nations • ALIA VOX 9937 (3 SACDs: 170:45) Is there a musician alive right now who can claim the sort of career and achievements accomplishments of the great Catalonian viol virtuoso, conductor, cultural ambassador, musicologist, record-label-creator, writer, editor, and humanist, Jordi Savall? Just the sheer number of CDs Savall has produced—it must be getting close to 250 or so by my count, which is more than six a year ever since the CD was invented—is mind-blowing, and every one of them under the label he created (Alia Vox) is a masterpiece of production values, let alone the stratospherically high standards of musical performances he inspires in every one of his extraordinary diverse and talented collaborators. Amidst this, Savall—having just turned 79—still maintains an exceptionally active performing schedule as a viol virtuoso, as well as his conducting, and all his other projects. Then there is Hespèrion XX, and after that, Hespèrion XXI. The man is a miracle. So, in the Beethoven year of 2020, it is hardly surprising to see that Savall’s latest project is a complete set of recordings of the Beethoven symphonies. It is a venture that has been tragically interrupted by COVID-19—with only the first part able to be completed—but that does not diminish the triumph represented by what has so-far been done, namely the recording of the first five symphonies, all played by the crack specialist period instrument orchestra Savall himself founded back in 1989: Le Concert des Nations. Never content to accept any half-measures, Savall’s latest project entailed assembling a hand-picked iteration of Le Concert des Nations made up not just of their regular players, but also of the very finest of the new, younger generation of period-instrument players from across Europe, all individually auditioned by Savall himself. Next came a period of detachment from the outside world, where Savall and the players got together in four “Academies”— held from April through September 2019—to immerse themselves in all aspects of Beethoven’s world, before then performing these symphonies in concerts across Spain, France, Germany, and Italy in the last quarter of last year. The recordings we now have were put down in sessions at the Collégiale du Château de Cardona, Spain, in October 2019. I will now go through these performances in detail from first to last. The review of the First Symphony is a little longer than of all the others only because here we set some standards and benchmarks for performance values that will hold true throughout the entire set, so much of what is spoken of in a generic manner regarding the Fist Symphony will apply across the board. I simply cannot believe that the First Symphony has ever been performed better than this, anywhere, any time. This is a performance to treasure, to rejoice in, to be inspired and to be thrilled by. Wow! From the very first entry, everything—the playing, the recording, the conducting, the music—is utterly compelling. From the brief, almost otherworldly introduction, to the sheer infectious joie de vivre that then bursts forth, this is astounding playing. We know what to expect from original-instrument woodwinds, brass, and timpani, and we get that in spades here immediately. No bland or ever less than fascinating sounds are ever to be heard, and the playing from these instrumentalists is right up there with any of the best period ensembles anywhere. The timpanist, in particular, brings something to this music that has simply never been heard before, and needs to be heard to be believed. But it is the string playing that is truly, truly astonishing. I have never heard any orchestral strings—period or modern—play this music anywhere near as well as do this hand-picked group of virtuosi. The detail, the unanimity of articulation and dynamics, the perfection of the bowing, the intonation—all leave one in complete in awe of the magnitude of the achievement being witnessed here. Clearly Savall’s preparation for these performances (already mentioned above) has paid off in ways hardly imaginable, and it is such a privilege to listen to music-making on this utterly exalted level. If the first movement is a revelation, the revelations just keep coming as the symphony unfolds. The second movement is taken at the absolutely perfect tempo, emphasizing the “con moto” of Beethoven’s marked Andante cantabile con moto. It is just amazing to hear how every single note has presence, vitality, and life, with the central development simply incredible in its revolutionary characterization and unprecedented dramatic intensity. (Indeed, I was struck on many occasions throughout both the First and Second Symphonies just how revolutionary they both sound in Savall’s hands: every bit as much as the “Eroica,” in fact). The third movement was never going to disappoint, and it surely doesn’t with the palpable excitement of the supposed “Minuet” section (this movement is absolutely a “Scherzo” rather than a “Minuet and Trio”; the nomenclature just hadn’t caught up to Beethoven yet!) contrasting gloriously with the milky wind playing in the Trio. But the best, believe it or not, is still to come with a Finale of astonishing bravura, conviction, and virtuosity that just beggars belief, and left me (literally) in tears of joy even on the fourth playing over numerous days. In this movement, the interplay and imitation between groups of instruments, the simply unbelievable exposed unison playing by the first violins, the constantly hair-trigger-sprung rhythmic excitement, and the edge-of-your seat intensity of Savall’s focus on the manifestation of Beethoven’s singular genius unfolding before us all, is simply thrilling: a musical experience that cannot under any circumstances be missed. It is also impossible to overstate the importance of the part played by the recording itself in what I have just described, as this (all three CDs) is simply the finest audio recording of a Classical-period orchestra I have ever heard, bar none. I am an unashamed supporter of multichannel SACD/Blu-ray Audio as simply the finest reproduction technology that has ever been available for recorded sound, and this recording is an unqualified masterpiece. The impact, the sense of “being in the space,” the fidelity to the actual sounds of (and within) the ensemble in the space itself, is simply extraordinary. Even more miraculous is the fact that this is a micro-detailed recording, but in a space with a full four seconds of acoustic reverberation. The result is truly, truly special, and the full utilization of the rear channels—allowing the listener full-immersion into the experience—is something that all recording companies should aspire to, lest the critically endangered species that is multichannel audio die of criminal neglect. As we have begun, so we now continue with Symphony No. 2. Again, from the opening chord, which is unleashed all around the listener, we know this is going to be a special experience, and throughout the introduction to the first movement, the listener is held in dramatic suspense. This is visceral music-making: stopped horns, acerbic attack from the low strings, pungent timpani strokes, fantastic bass presence: everything is there right in front of you, only—when the first movement proper begins—to be unmasked in mischievous and scintillating ways by the sheer élan of the playing and interpretation that unfolds. As we saw in the First Symphony, the tempo in the second movement is also perfectly captured. Yes, this will be faster than some listeners will have been used to, but these days it really is not that fast. Indeed, I will take the opportunity to state this right now: there is not a single moment in any of the performances of any of these symphonies where the tempo set by Savall seems too fast. Not a single moment. More: every single player in this orchestra is clearly more than able to play every single note at the tempo demanded. Very, very few orchestras of any description could boast that level of artistry from every single player. I have never heard a period-instrument orchestra present the sort of gossamer string sounds that feature here, and the only reason this happens is that every single player in every section is playing in tune (without vibrato). Gorgeous! The third movement is equally compelling and convincing, but I am prepared to almost gloss over this so as to get to the last movement more quickly! I have long held great affection for the last movement of Beethoven 2, ever since—if I remember correctly— Karajan’s second complete set, when he took the Finale far faster than was approved by the then conventional wisdom. I thought it was amazing. This is more amazing. We are now far more used to hearing this movement at the “right” speed, and the playing here is just stunning. When the end is in sight the glorious passages featuring everyone—particularly the cellos and basses—going at it hammer and tongs on rapid, almost mechanical-sounding sixteenth-note passagework, is utterly thrilling. So, now we come to the “Eroica,” and many people will be aware that this symphony was indeed recorded earlier by the same forces—back in 1994 at exactly the same venue—a recording that was later remastered onto multichannel SACD and rereleased in 2016. That has long been my reference “Eroica,” and it will not come as any surprise that Savall’s new 2019 reading is very much consistent with the 1994 recording, especially in terms of tempo for the first movement, where the old recording is 15:23 and the new one is 15:31.