This is Bernard Haitink’s second go at Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony. The first, from 1985, had as it’s main distinguishing feature the velvety sound of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The problem was that there was no iron fist in that velvet glove. The London Symphony has a less plush, leaner sound overall (and they play beautifully here), but this does little to help the performance, as Haitink’s interpretation is as bland as before. After an impressive Night and Sunrise (which shows off the recording’s impressively wide dynamic range), Haitink’s Ascent is so energy-deprived you’d think the mountain was being tackled by a geriatric hiking club. Likewise, On the Glacier comes across as a disturbing annoyance rather than the dangerous encounter heard in more assertive performances (such as Ashkenazy’s and Kempe’s).
There’s no denying Strauss’ sprawling score contains a fair amount of padding, but Haitink makes this painfully obvious with his plodding and directionless tempos and phrasing in On Flowering Meadows, and Wrong Path Through the Thicket. The conductor does whip up a moderately exciting Storm–the climax of which thunders really loudly (another testament to the well-engineered recording). This, and the nicely atmospheric ending leaves you thinking “hmm, that wasn’t so bad,” when you really ought to be saying “Wow! That was great!” You’re far more likely to have the latter reaction with Previn, Kord, Kempe, and Solti. In sum, the playing is considerably better than the conducting.
