This performance, from July 1983, documents Lovro von Matacic’s only Proms concert appearance. Although the Bruckner specialist was 84 on this occasion (he died the following year), he conducts with the vigor of youth tempered with the wisdom of age. Indeed, it’s clear early on, as Matacic imbues the opening paragraph’s great crescendo with tremendous power, that a master Brucknerian is in charge of the proceedings. Tempos tend toward the moderate, yet in some instances, such as the Andante, they sound deceptively fast. Matacic draws a real Brucknerian sound from the Philharmonia, with prominent but not overbearing brass.
Matacic also has some interesting textual ideas–using the 1877 version, he nonetheless incorporates later revisions as he deems necessary. Thus, the second subject closes with the more emphatic tonic re-statement of its theme from the 1889 version–a more aesthetically pleasing if somewhat conventional solution. Similarly, the adagio features 1889’s new trumpet tune at the climax, while the rest of the movement remains as is. Purists no doubt will recoil at such transgressions, but Matacic is more interested in musical effectiveness than pious score-worship. (Besides, since Bruckner himself kept changing his mind, it stands to reason conductors should avail themselves of all the options before them.)
If the performance had been lackluster, none of this would matter; but Matacic convinces with the strength and single-minded focus of a reading that maintains a clarity of line all the way through to the finale, which in its fleet motion and combustible energy is one of the best performances on disc. BBC employed the then-nascent digital technology, with all its attendant shortcomings, to document this concert. But the sound is surprisingly full and warm for its time (a credit to BBC’s remastering wizardry) and conveys a wide and deep soundstage, albeit with an abundance of reverberation. This last testament from a fine conductor is fully worthy of the BBC Legends trademark, much more so than a number of the other releases in this series.
