“Why another complete recording?” of these symphonies Mario Venzago asks in his booklet note to this new CPO release. Why indeed, when there are already so many excellent versions in the catalog? One of Venzago’s chief aims is to break with the traditional solemnity and massiveness in Bruckner performances. He appears to have accomplished this in choosing the Basel Symphony Orchestra, which, with its smallish string body (and seemingly vibrato-deficient playing style), makes for an unusually anemic sound in this composer.
But the real distinguishing factor in these recordings is Venzago’s highly idiosyncratic interpretations, which skirt the edge and, in the Seventh, cross the border of taste and sensibility. No. 4 benefits from Venzago’s relatively quick tempos in the first two movements, and sprinting pace in the Finale. This makes the performance interesting, at least, although the rather undistinguished brass playing makes it easily forgettable and there are other relatively swift performances that get the same results more effectively.
Better forgettable, though, than offensive, for in Symphony No. 7 Venzago’s self-indulgence borders on the perverse. Right away the conductor distorts the beautiful main theme by rushing its upward arc, then slowing down for the remainder — a really amateurish move that he repeats every time (and I mean every time) the theme appears. Oddly however, for all of his fussiness over tiny details, Venzago makes the Adagio’s great climax a rather staid affair — even with the added percussion.
But the greatest crimes occur in the finale. Here Venzago appears to be recomposing the piece as he arbitrarily pushes and pulls the tempo so much that it resembles that lurching sensation (some of you may recall) while learning to drive a stick-shift as a teenager. Check out the especially clunky sample below. This, on top of the aforementioned scrawny string sound and tepid brass, makes for a decidedly un-Brucknerian experience. At least the sound quality is very good, so you can hear this abominable interpretation in hi-fi. All but the most jaded Brucknerphiles would find this release annoying. Avoid it.
