Symphony 7 [Blu-ray]

A fine and fully committed version of this major symphony
Welser-Most has been supported by a major Upper Austrian bank for over 25 years now as a cultural envoy. This level of support suggests that Welser-Most has something special to offer in terms of Austrian music especially. The sleeve note describes Welser-Most's trademarks as 'Calm and composure' and this is certainly true of his podium manner but not all is so calm beneath the exterior. Those who know his recent Summer Night's Gala or the 2011 New Year's Day concert with the VPO will also be aware that he can produce very lively responses from his orchestra too. So how is his Bruckner?

In his bonus interview, Welser-Most makes a case for linking this particular symphony to the music of Wagner, and particular Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. The link is through the tonality of E major, the themes associated with German Romanticism, the mutual admiration the two composers had for each other, the prominant use of Wagner tubas in this work and Wagner's death during the composition...

Great sound, video and dynamic performance
Elsewhere, in my review of the Abbado Bruckner 5, I commented on the Bruckner "sound" being more realistic on this disc of the #7 with Welser-Most and the Clevelanders, my theory being the acoustic quality of Severance Hall is more suited to the mighty Bruckner brass chorales than the Lucerne Hall.

The other thing I like about this disc is the momentum that Welser-Most brings to this piece. It never feels hurried, but you feel like you're headed somewhere - not just being subjected to a series of melody vignettes. The conductor, in his accompanying monologue, posits that Bruckner was the precursor to modern composers like Adams. I actually see some connection with Phillip Glass. A lot of Bruckner's technique is to use string arpeggios running through the chord progressions as an underpinning for either the woodwinds or brass main melodies. If you take these arpeggios by themselves, they do sound like Glass utilized this same M.O. for a lot of his almost hypnotic music...

wonderful disc
Any recording of Bruckner has the ghost of Celibidache to contend with and the Rumanian Maestro made several outstanding recordings on LD and DVD that still look and sound very impressive. I compared this new release very carefully with the Sony LD recorded on tour in Tokyo. As one would expect it is a very different beast! Celibidache's 7th runs for some 83 minutes, measured but beautifully controlled and majesterial. This is much faster at only 65 minutes but does not seem to be too fast in performance. I enjoyed it very much. The picture and camera work are excellent and the sound wonderfully rounded and satisfying. Comparisons are not appropriate as the two performances are just too different. I love both and wish EuroArts, who have the Celibidache recordings in their vaults, would bring them out in a Blu-ray set. Equally I hope Welser-Möst records the other major symphonies as he seems well suited to his compatriot's music. If you like or want to learn about Bruckner get...

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