Beethoven: Complete Symphonies; Sir Simon Rattle/Vienna Philharmonic

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Music reviews of Beethoven: Complete Symphonies; Sir Simon Rattle/Vienna Philharmonic

Music Review: Sir Simon's Beethoven
Rating: 5 Stars

It comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that one of Rattle's first major recording enterprises as newly minted conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic is a complete set of the Nine performed with that other great European orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic - a move made all the more interesting when one considers that Rattle's immediate predecessor, Claudio Abbado, recorded a complete set with the Berliners themselves a scant two years earlier. However, after hearing this set, I believe that Rattle's trepidation at (or disdain of) recording the Nine was ill founded, to say the least. Although similarities can be found between Rattle's and other recent sets (e.g., Abbado with Berlin, Harnoncourt with the COE), as well as legendary older ones (Toscanini with NBC or Karajan with Berlin in '62), Rattle's set stands on its own merits. And based on those merits, I feel it is among the most exciting and compelling sets of the Beethoven symphonies that I have yet heard.

Rattle's success lies in a fundamental formula that combines urgent tempi, pointed rhythms, and dramatic dynamics with an insightful, original interpretive flair, all underscored by playing and recording quality of the highest caliber. (Unlike the rounded, at times almost dull sound on Abbado's Berlin set, this set's sound has plenty of bite and point, just what is needed for Beethoven.) Like Zinman and Harnoncourt before him, Rattle uses a "period" approach on modern instruments. The Vienna forces are reduced, and the strings often use a playing technique virtually devoid of vibrato, making them sound more period than modern. Winds and brass stand out in marked contrast. Indeed, I have not before heard interpretations of Beethoven symphonies where the brass is so prominent. However, always his own man, Rattle refuses to be bound by period convention. While seldom wayward, the interpretations bring out personal, dramatic nuances at every turn. Veteran listeners of Beethoven will find themselves surprised at how many new things Rattle brings out of the scores. (Some credit, no doubt, must go to the Urtext editions.) Listen, for instance, to the tragic depths plumbed in the funeral march of the Eroica, or the jubilation of the finale of the Fifth. Of note, too, is his account of the Eighth, in which the work is made to sound every bit as persuasive as the Seventh. (Beethoven always preferred the Eighth to the Seventh, and, hearing this Viennese version, one can easily understand why.) Rarely has depth of expression gone so well with textual fidelity.

Lest I sound like PR rep for EMI, I should make note of some reservations I have. At times, the orchestral sound can be a little too spare. While I have always felt that Karajan's ravishing approach to Beethoven's sound world was overrated, feeling that the beauty of it somewhat diminished the dramatic impact of Beethoven's darker side, I nevertheless could have done with a little more vibrato on the strings of Rattle's set, and a bit more fullness in general. Rattle's Pastoral, for instance, lacks something of the lush ripeness that Walter brought to it. Conversely, while the "period" approach to tempi is abundantly evident throughout the first eight, the tables are somewhat turned in the Ninth. The first movement is surprisingly broad. Although it stops short of being sluggish, I nevertheless would have prefered a faster clip in this music. In the finale, Rattle's insights that proved eye-opening elsewhere, here border on being perverse. For instance, the coda rushes in at breakneck speed, but then leaves at a clop rather than a gallop, just the opposite of what we normally would expect. Prior to that, though, the great choral outburst leaves one in awe: this may be an unusual interpretation of the Ninth, but an impressive one nonetheless.

While no complete set can equal one that you yourself could assemble from all your favorite individual interpretations of the symphonies, Rattle's set is certainly worthy of issue in an already crowded field. For newcomers to Beethoven who are interested in hearing something in the way of a definitive interpretive vision of the symphonies, if such a thing is even possible, his set is on a short list of ones I would recommend. For those jaded people who have heard it all, or think they have, Rattle's set may just get the juices flowing again.

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