What’s a major label to do when it has an excellent ongoing relationship with a fine artist who specializes in one area of the repertoire (Baroque) but is pining to do something for which he has no evident affinity? The answer, evidently, is humor him. Philippe Herreweghe’s flavorless Bruckner Seventh already has been released, and the presence of this equally non-happening Fourth no doubt explains why Harmonia Mundi terminated Kent Nagano’s Bruckner project, one that seemed to promise much. If you like “Bruckner Lite”, then you may enjoy this gutless reading, one that sounds more like a rehearsal with a good youth orchestra than it does a serious performance by major artists.
To be honest, it’s not entirely disastrous. Herreweghe keeps the slow movement flowing nicely, and the scherzo has some vigorous movements until the heavy brass disappointingly weigh in. But where is the atmosphere in the “Romantic” horn calls at the symphony’s opening? Why does Herreweghe seem allergic to any shred of grandeur in the finale? Where is that glowing richness of tone in the chorales (consider the one that ends the first-movement development section)?
The problem here is simple: Herreweghe lacks a vision of the work that is both true to the composer and personal in its interpretive ideas. Doubtless he would disagree, but someone should tie him to a couch and make him listen to the reference recordings listed above. Add an orchestra that sounds distinctly undersized in the string section, and the result is simply unacceptable in a field crowded with truly great performances. Herreweghe owes Harmonia Mundi about a dozen fabulous new Baroque music recordings in exchange for its indulgence of him here.
