Bruno Walter - Schubert's Unfinished and Beethoven's Fifth

★★★★★

   There are genius musicians and musicians with moderate talent. Among them there are modest people and impostors. Since most musicians are duplicating some patterns, it is really hard to say what part of the scene is more important in the history of music, creators or carriers and supporters.  One of the best ways to test creative talent in music is to examine how original are interpretations of commonly known works. Performances too much dependent of tradition, reproductive and not self-reliant are excluded at this point, although we should remember this is the main part of all musical activity. Interpreters who can show the work in new perspective, who are able to find some new ideas in famous and commonly known work, these are really gifted people. Such works as most popular symphonies like Beethoven’s Fifth or Schubert’s Unfinished are the test some musicians will never pass.
   Bruno Walter recorded Schubert and Beethoven many times. Especially looking for recordings of most popular symphonies like Beethoven’s Fifth and Schubert’s Unfinished, one can be overwhelmed by number of performances and recordings. But our astonishment fades away when we consider it was just a part of everyday work and basic symphonic repertoire was recorded on various occasions, for example with live radio broadcasts. Standards were considerably lower and market more voracious, so recordings had more chance to be sold. These recordings have paramount importance in understanding changes in perception of music in last century. Bruno Walter recorded Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished” nine times, first time with Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1936 and last time with the same orchestra in 1960. Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C Minor Bruno Walter recorded four times, first time for Columbia with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1926, second with New York Philharmonic in 1941 and then two times more as parts of wider projects of complete Beethoven’s Symphonies in 1950 with New York Philharmonic and in 1958 with Columbia Symphony Orchestra.

Bruno Walter conducts Schubert and Beethoven (1963)

   In 1963 edition of two most popular symphonies Columbia chose newest studio recordings. Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 is sixth recording and was made with New York Philharmonic March 3rd, 1958 at St. George Hotel in Brooklyn. It was recorded three more times with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and with Vienna Philharmonic, but all of these were live recordings. Recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 with Columbia Symphony Orchestra was Walter’s last recorded performance of this work. It was done during two day session January 27 & 30, 1958 at American Legion Hall. Both were master performances and Columbia published them repeatedly as parts of various programs. Unfinished Symphony was published under Columbia Masterworks label since 1960 in many re-editions. It basic set was together with Schubert’s Fifth Symphony. This album has its license edition in German Democratic Republic in 1967, in 1974 was republished in CBS Masterworks and in 1996 on CD with Beethoven’s Overture Leonore III by Sony. Beethoven’s Fifth was published with Fourth and sold both as a part of  complete Symphonies' set or as alone album.
   What makes these more than half century old recordings still interesting is the question of value in music. In fact this is also the way to ask about autonomy of musical meaning. 19th century music is so much complex it can be reinterpreted without the danger its potential can be exhausted. The issue in best conductors’ performances is not only to show the new face of the composition, but to show it in most universal, most capacious shape. Bruno Walter read Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 B Minor ‘Unfinished’ in a dramatic way, moving the centre of gravity from melodic narration to background harmony dramatic contrasts and obsessive rhythms. Powerful dynamics and orchestral precision of sound and articulation give this performance more tragic aspect than usual. In contrast Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 C Minor Op. 67 Bruno Walter shaped as more classical, balanced in equilibrium of melodic and rhythmic ideas and formal discipline. Characteristic feature of his interpretation of Fifth are moderate tempos, never too fast, rather slower, calm and reassuring. Five stars for quality of interpretation sound of orchestras and recording quality.

Bruno Walter – Mahler’s Fifth and Kindertotenlieder

Since Gustav Mahler was graduating from Vienna Conservatory, he was working with sequence of opera orchestras in Olomouc, Kassel, Leipzig, Prague and Budapest. Every engagement was successful and droves his career to higher positions. Great successes, he achieved as a director of Stadttheater Hamburg and then Hofoper in Vienna, didn’t protect him from attacks of anti-Semitic press. Doubts and accusations had escalated when Mahler begun his work as director of Vienna Philharmonic. Orchestra was displaying discontent of his habit to re-orchestrate well known works. Musicians protested because they had to learn their parts from the beginning. First chosen unanimously, than openly criticized for his artistic decisions, overworked and tired of attacks Mahler resigned off the function. But this decision didn’t help and he was still under attacks as the director of Hofoper. In October 1907 Mahler resigned and after farewell performance of his Second Symphony on November 24th, he left Vienna for New York. One month later 1st day of 1908 Mahler made his New York debut conducting Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in Metropolitan Opera where he stayed for last three years of his life.
Despite not too much numerous catalogue his works has bad reception during his life and in next decades. Instrumental and structural requirements of his works were usually higher than most symphonic works in his times, so for years he was omitted, played only by few most professional and conscious conductors. Among them were Mahler’s assistants Bruno Walter and Otto Klemperer, as well as some prominent artists – Willem Mengelberg, Leopold Stokowski, and Henry Wood. But still Mahler’s music was not known to wider public. After Nazis recognized Mahler’s music as „degenerate”, it was totally banned in Germany and satellite countries. Rare presentations in Berlin (Symphony No 2) and in Amsterdam under German occupation (Symphonies 1st & 5th) had been performed by Jewish artists and for Jewish audience only.

Bruno Walter - Mahler's Fifth and Kindertotenlieder

Better times for Gustav Mahler’s legacy came after the war. Rediscovery of Mahler’s music was possible amid another thank to the new media and recording techniques. Unparalleled in history of mankind accessibility to the values of the culture changed the way of social understanding and participating. Once recorded, music had been played from gramophone records and radio auditions. But probably it was contemporary music what had served Mahler best. Better understanding the powers of modern symphonic orchestra and the meaning of the sound in formal setting were qualities extremely helpful for Mahler’s listeners. Later to the group of great conductors joined next generation of artists, Pierre Boulez, Claudio Abbado and many others. The better these new renditions were, the more impressive appeared older Bruno Walter’s recordings.

Bruno Walter has center position in history of Mahler’s heritage. In 1894 when Bruno Walter met Gustav Mahler for the first time, he was only 17 years old. Musical and creative personality of sixteen years older Mahler had to make a huge impression on novice conductor. In next years young artist was conducting assistant of the great composer. This fascination and even idolization resists for decades – Bruno Walter became the conductor strongly connected to Mahler’s work. He was spreading his promoter’s music by playing numerous premieres and working on piano transcriptions of Mahler’s compositions. And his recordings of Mahler’s works became one of legends in Twentieth Century recording history. And not only because we can believe Mahler’s himself would have conducted in closest way. Fifth Symphony recorded by Bruno Walter in 1947 has so many shadings and nuances it’s hard to catch simple pattern characteristic for this interpretation.
Highly narrative, dramatic and meaningful Symphony No 5 sounds with inevitable power of sound, but cycle of mourn songs about death of the children Mahler wrote to his own poems in many parts is even more soulfully profound and emotionally pronounced.  Fifth Symphony and legendary recording from 1949 of five song cycle Kindertotenlieder with great Kathleen Ferrier and Wienner Philharmoniker were published together as double LP album issued by Odyssey. It is unbelievable how vividly and transparently sound these recordings after 64 years.

Bruno Walter – Gustav Mahler – Symphony No 2

Gustav Mahler is probably most important composer connecting separate worlds of romanticism and modernism, nineteenth century irrational trust in development and progress and twentieth century blend of pessimism and exalted emotionalism. His creative output was almost exclusively delimited to symphonic works and songs cycles. Exceptions in most cases are a student works, among them one opera and very few piano compositions. These compositions are predominantly lost even if some of them resist as a parts of symphonies or song cycles. Some of his early works composer later revised and included into new projects. Mahler’s major activity was conducting. For orchestras he led he was constantly rescoring historic compositions, and this can explain why list of his mature compositions is so short.
Symphony No. 2 in C Minor called „Resurrection” is undoubtedly one of highly valued Mahler’s masterworks. Since it’s premiere in 1895 it was recognizable and esteemed as a masterpiece of postromantic symphonic form. Five movements of this symphony were set with philosophic program, which Mahler confided to his friends. First movement based on Mahler’s earlier symphonic poem Totenfeier represents funeral rites and express query of life after death. There are still a lots of doubts about formal and constructive ideas or about composer’s intentions of the first movement. Second part, illustrative slow landler with two contrastive episodes, represents remembrance of past life. First two movements of Second Symphony are focused on past live.

Mahler's 2nd Symphony by Bruno Walter

Third movement opens totally new perspective of musical vision. First two movements are cancelled. Anything keeping us bounded with this life occurs false value. Foundation for biting sarcasm of third movement is satirical song from Des Knaben Wunderhorn cycle – Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt. The scherzo-like movement is designated by composer as In ruhig fliessender Bewegung but it has not much to do with joking spirit of scherzos. Its naïve serenity from bright enthusiasm turns into dark and depressive consciousness of defeat, like it was trying to convince listener that even under the mockery hides the nonsense of the world. The solution comes in fourth movement for which Mahler included the song „Urlicht” (Primeval Light) from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, which is straight confession of faith in redemption from God. Final movement comes as hymn in choral and orchestral setting. There are some construction analogies with Finale from Beethoven’s Ninth. Poetic text of this is poem Die Auferstehung by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock to which Mahler wrote alternative closing.

This work is extremely hard for interpretation and life performing. This is confirming by notable differences between various renditions. Recording of this work occurs even more difficult. Among few good records especially one is extraordinary. It is 1957 stereo recording made under baton of Bruno Walter for Columbia with New York Philharmonic, Emilia Cundari, Maureen Forrester and Westminster Choir directed by John Finley Williamson. Conductor of this performance was Mahler’s assistant so it is easy to believe his interpretation is as much close to composer’s intentions as it is possible. And perfect sound he achieved is so transparent, it makes polyphonic structures readable and clear. After more than half of the century this recording is still fresh and powerful vision of Mahler’s Second.