Valery Gergiev has nothing particularly interesting to say about this symphony. The first movement begins without the necessary rhythmic crispness and doesn’t really catch fire until after the central “moonlight” episode. Although swift tempos ensure an exciting coda, they make a scramble out of the counterpoint in the first Nachtmusik (the canonic main theme), never mind the rapid triplet figurations in the scherzo and the sudden tempo shifts in its trio. The second Nachtmusik has sufficient charm, and Gergiev’s brisk tempo precludes excessive sentimentality–but he’s still not as characterful as Barenboim (Warner), to cite a recent release that’s also on the fast side. As in the first movement, the finale has its exciting moments, but this is music that needs to breathe, particularly in its “salon-music” episodes, and Gergiev’s approach betrays not a shred of the movement’s sly humor. He just sounds anxious to get the whole thing over with. Good playing and good sonics do nothing to redeem the lack of imagination from the man on the podium. Disappointing.
