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There was nary a microphone hanging in the hall or set among the musicians. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was making its first appearance ever in San Diego, playing in the Civic Theatre, not in the down-the-street Copley Hall, home of the San Diego Symphony. The orchestra was presented au naturel. Neither hall is outstanding, but each can reveal the characteristic of an orchestra.
The VPO played the Second Symphonies of Schumann and Brahms. The Schumann came first. I don't know if the original orchestration was used, or if it was tinkered with, as is often done. Nevertheless, the outstanding string section played with precision and unanimity, easily clarifying the thick writing. The scherzo was played with fleetness and accuracy that certainly could be call "impressive ease," which included fine solos by the woodwinds. I especially liked the beautiful tone and phrasing of the oboist. I thought the brass was a tad reticent, but this may have been due to the hall and where I was sitting.
The Brahms was played after intermission. The magical opening with lower strings and horns lost a little of its presence because I was sitting on the right side and strings were divided first violins, violas, cellos, second violins, and basses (left to right). So some of the players, including horns, were facing away from me. The string playing was as fine as I have heard. Yes, I've heard comparable quality, but never better. The audience had been clapping between movements until the end of the Brahms slow movement. It was played with exquisitely lovely sound, nothing rushed. Bychkov drew the ending out to a hushed, quiet finish. I held my breath so I could hear everything, as, I think, most of the audience did. Miraculously there was no clapping. Bychkov launched into the final movement with impressive vigor with the brass finally lifting their bells in a blaze of glorious sound riding over the orchestra at the end. This made me think that the more muted brass sound earlier was intentional. The change made for a magnificent ending.
Does the VPO have a sound of its own? I think so. The strings are top notch with an airy lightness when playing quietly and a density of tone when playing louder. The Brahms Second is perfect for demonstrating this with its autumnal quality and wonderful melodies. The scherzo was a delight with its shifting tonal qualities in the strings. There aren't many orchestras that can play Brahms like this. The defining word, I think, is refinement in all sections of the orchestra. It worked well in the pieces I heard.
I was hoping for an encore. We got one, a single Brahms Hungarian Dance. It was tossed off with aplomb and gone in a flash of virtuoso playing. It was as wild as the orchestra got last night.
The hall was sold out. The spokesman for the sponsor, the La Jolla Music Society, said 3000 people. Top price was $105. We are lucky in San Diego to have some generous patrons who help to subsidize the programs.
Follow Ups:
Sounds as if he needed a virtual reality sound system! :-)
Seriously though, they guy sounds totally ignorant - no person in his right mind would characterize Schumann's Second Symphony as "one of his weaker offerings".
I've only read this reviewer on one other occasion. The San Diego Union-Tribune was sold a year or so back, and a lot of old staffers were let go. I suspect this guy is working as a freelancer, as are several reporters I have talked to in the political news area. He may not even be getting paid.
I was surprised by his comment about the Schumann Second Symphony. And I didn't hear the final movement of the Brahms Second in the way he described. I sensed from the very beginning that the conductor was going to push the orchesra more forcefully. I saw it as part of his concept to make the climax of the last movement also the climax of the entire symphony. It doesn't make sense to me musically to do it any other way.
I got out an old recording of the VPO(1958). The fabled string sound has been maintained.
Don't you notice any sonic deterioration by now though?
The tape formulations used on these old 2-track tapes are remarkably stable. If the tape has been stored properly and not abused, it can sound very good. Apart from a few random ticks caused by very small dropouts and the inherent tape hiss, the sound is terrific. I finally got my CAT preamp back from repairs (after 4 months!), and these tapes sound better than ever, as I also had the preamp upgraded.
Take a look at the link. This auction closed today. Others have discovered the quality of these tapes.
Fantastic! That's wonderful they sound so great. I was just wondering in view of the discussion we've had about the Everest master tapes and their possible deterioration prior to the Classic Records reissues.
The guy basically hit on the problems that I've cited with the VPO: The orchestra never had stellar intonation (except for maybe when a George Szell conducted it), and the brass was never a strong suit....... This is an orchestra whose strings are tops, the winds are unpredictable, and brass underwhelming...... It comes off great with Beethoven or Mendelssohn, but with snappier pieces like the Brahms Two, bands with more projection in the brass and better intonation generally fare better.
As I've stated before, I think sensitivity to particular kinds of intonation problems must be a very personal thing. Offhand, I can't recall a VPO recording where I was taken aback by bad intonation. Maybe bits of the old Barbirolli/VPO set of Brahms symphonies, although my main problem with that set was that the oboe tone was so thin and sour - in other ways, I really like that set and I still have it.
Also, in general, I tend to agree with Richard Strauss when said, "Never look at the brass section - it only encourages them!" IOW, I'm wary of a lot of brass "projection" - for me, they're almost always loud enough already! :-)
In some ways, I wish I could have attended that program too, although in view of my post about their virtual sonic environment in Berkeley (below), I'd probably now be doubly outraged, unless I'd attended in San Diego! :-)
BTW, I fear I may have given the impression that I no longer believe the VPO has that individual sound that they boast of and that you and so many other listeners speak of. You can of course hear it on recordings. My problem was that the electronically manipulated sound I heard in Berkeley may or may not be representative of their undoctored sound. They may indeed have a very special, individual sound, but the sound I heard in Berkeley was not it. I'm glad you got to hear the unadulterated sound!
Also, since you liked the Brahms 2 performance, I'd like to take this chance again to recommend Bychkov's SACD set of all the Brahms symphonies (with the Cologne Radio Symphony) on the Avie label. These performances are very much "string-oriented" performances and I can understand why some listeners might not like that - I find them very satisfying myself.
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