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Sir Simon Rattle's already extensive discography with the Berlin Philharmonic is a richly varied one, with forays into the music of such disparate composers as Dvorák, Debussy and Shostakovich.
Yet, for each recording of music from surrounding lands there is another that - inevitably - pays homage to the great Teutonic symphonists whose works so define the orchestra's colourful history. Discs of Schubert, Brahms, Mahler and Richard Strauss (amongst others) are brought about not only by the demands of the orchestral musicians themselves, but also by the crucial role they will play in moulding the conductor's legacy. For when his output is placed side-by-side with those of Abbado, Karajan and Fürtwangler, it is Rattle's track record in this repertoire that, for many, will determine his standing.
Rattle's latest release on EMI Classics continues this process with Anton Bruckner's Symphony no.4 in E-flat major, widely known as the "Romantic". Rattle has opted for the 1886 version of the score, which was prepared for the then-conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Anton Seidl, and subsequently published by Nowak in 1953.
The blissful serenity with which the symphony begins is brilliantly rendered. A tender performance of the legendary horn call and delicately sculpted harmonic shifts from the oscillating strings lend a formidable sense of importance to the opening bars - clearly, something of epic proportions is about to unfold. However, the first hair-raising fortissimo, which signals the confirmation of E-flat major, is uninspiring, lacking the sheer dramatic fervour of Karajan's 1976 recording with the same orchestra (using the 1880 Haas edition). Indeed, throughout the first movement key structural moments - particularly in more forceful passages - are not quite pointed as they could be, detracting from the overall gravitas of the recording. Yet this account still has plenty going for it, from the lovingly played countermelodies of the second subject to the glorious brass chorale at the climax of the development section. Rattle also engineers a wonderful sense of revelation in both the recapitulation (with its sumptuous accompanimental solos from the flute and the 'cellos) and the coda.
Solemnity and nostalgia characterise the Andante quasi allegretto, which receives a performance of deep sincerity. The violas and cellos both bask in the limelight of their respective airs of longing, as do the violins and clarinets when they present the main theme in canon with one another. The third subject is especially well-contoured, with beautifully refined moments of temporal inflection. A remarkable, large-scale ebb and flow is bestowed upon the music, making its near-seventeen-minute length seem almost timeless.
The Scherzo is equally successful, highlighted by some outstanding horn playing. It is clear from the radiant glow of the brass, and from the resonance of the strings in the second subject's minor tonality, that this is much more than a testosterone-fuelled gallop through the forest. Nonetheless, the hunting topic of the outer sections - closely related to the opening of the first movement - is brought to life in scintillating fashion. The ländler-like Trio is punctuated by a graceful oboe and clarinet solo and a near-paradoxical sense of contented yearning which suggests greater profundity than the composer's own description of this music: "a dance-tune for the meal during the chase".
The Finale is a challenge for any conductor to navigate with complete conviction, and Rattle's interpretation occasionally loses its way, not least because of a slightly sluggish tempo. Nevertheless, there are instances of astonishing colour and vitality. Even the startling B-flat minor episode - a raucous, anguished passage that violently disrupts the pastoral tones of previous bars - is subject to the most sensitive musicianship. The final crescendo and climax which bring this wondrous symphony to an end are resolutely dignified, holding firm against a barrage of C-flats which threaten to pull the harmony in yet another direction. This is an uplifting end to a performance which, despite some reservations, is a worthy addition to Rattle's Germanic voyage with the Berlin Philharmonic.
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