News of Günter Wand’s death arrived while listening to this release. While Wand certainly was one of the greatest conductors of the standard German repertoire (of any age), his passing will have less impact in the world of recordings if only because of his tendency to re-make his core repertoire over and over (there are no less than five Bruckner Ninths, for example). Having reached a very high level of excellence in general, the only issues with respect to his most recent efforts have been the minute, often-trivial differences between these and his earlier versions, and as so often happens his latest thoughts are not necessarily superior.
Such is the case with this latest Beethoven Fourth Symphony. Compared to his marvelous previous recording with the same orchestra, the first movement suffers from a slight heaviness, the tempo is a bit slower, the ensemble a touch looser. Passages that should brim with energy, such as the exposition’s syncopated cadence theme or the moment of arrival at the recapitulation, remain comparatively earthbound. The Adagio also has taken on a more measured tread, though the playing as such is gorgeous, while the remaining two movements compare favorably with their predecessors. In short this is a decent but completely unnecessary recording when compared with Wand’s prior effort, though it’s certainly not bad taken in isolation.
The performance of Mozart’s Posthorn Serenade offers better reason to acquire this new disc: It’s marvelous from first note to last. Wand achieves a wonderful transparency of texture throughout, with timpani using hard sticks, trumpets that make their presence felt (but never dominate), and a warmly flexible string phrasing that recalls the best work of Sandor Vegh in this repertoire. Wand’s shaping of the fifth movement Andantino is exquisite but never precious, and the quick movements (the finale in particular) produce the necessary impression of athletic, muscular motion somewhat lacking in his conducting of the symphony.
Excellent recorded sound completes the picture, and in the final analysis I’d much rather have this lovely, humane, and so very musical Mozart performance as a memento of this great conductor’s art than yet another Beethoven or Bruckner symphony. There are plenty more Wand concerts in the archives of NDR, all of music that he’s recorded before. Pray that these stay there, and that his posthumous legacy isn’t exploited through further pointless duplication of repertoire when RCA’s real job should be to increase awareness among music lovers of the value of the legacy already on offer.
