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Karajan conducts Bruckner's 8th and 9th Symphonies on a Deutsche Grammophon DVD set released to mark the maestro's centenary. Filmed by Unitel in the late 1970s with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, these concerts will be of considerable interest to collectors familiar with Karajan's acclaimed LP and CD recordings from Berlin.
In fact, the Eighth Symphony goes right back to the early days of Karajan's long career when he made an experimental stereo recording in 1944. He also conducted the work at the abbey church of St.Florian later that same year, when an eccentric radio producer locked Karajan in the crypt for 10 minutes after a rehearsal so he could be alone with Bruckner's remains. Karajan returned to conduct the Eighth at St.Florian in 1979 for a live televsion relay which now forms part of this Unitel Bruckner double bill.
By the time of this concert Karajan's conducting was changing. The sophisticated dynamism of the 1960s and early '70s was making way for the minimalist approach of his last years. The gestures more restrained, the approach more direct. Whether this is to do with the Vienna Philharmonic, the orchestra that knew him best, or simply conserving energy for the long-term demands of the work is difficult to say. But I think it could be more to do with the recurring back trouble that Karajan was suffering at this time. Often he seems to be meditating over the score; eyes closed and with an almost tactile response to the rise and fall of each phrase.
In some ways this is a warmer, more flexible interpretation compared to other Karajan versions of the Bruckner 8th. Whereas his Berlin Philharmonic LPs tended to overwhelm with high-powered virtuosity this Vienna Philharmonic concert has all the structural mastery we come to expect from Karajan in this music but with a more rounded, lyrical aspect. This does, however, mean some minor glitches in ensemble, especially in the brass where the horns tend to wobble at the big moments. But this is a minor quibble set against the visual impact of seeing the Vienna Philharmonic playing Bruckner's music in the place that inspired it. The baroque majesty of St.Florian is breathtaking and the cameras show us something of the abbey's architectural detail as that of the symphony unfolds: a visual compliment to the Olympian quality of Karajan's conception of the work as a whole.
As the St.Florian concert was originally a live television relay rather than a film production, there are a few small blips (horn players emptying valves etc.) and the actual range of camera angles are fewer than in Karajan's 35mm productions in Berlin. However, what angles there are provide both effective close-up and long-distance shots where conductor, players and location get equal share of the lens.
A concert of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony given the previous year in the Vienna Musikvereinsaal, shows a more intense Karajan at work. Again, given with the Vienna Philharmonic, this was a rare event for both conductor and orchestra. In 1978 Karajan was still closely bound to the Berlin Philharmonic and had seldom appeared with the Vienna Philharmonic since his break-up with the State Opera in 1964. This might account for the heightened level of tension in this performance.
This is by far the darkest and most 'Gothic' rendition of the Bruckner Ninth Karajan has given us - indeed, his later versions, including a video production in Berlin from 1985, seem like well-oiled run-throughs by comparison. There's more risk-taking in this Vienna performance - even if it means a few minor technical lapses again. What you get from this DVD is the special intensity and spontaneity that Karajan's concerts are usually remembered for. Although famous for casting an entire movement in a single tempo, Karajan is much more pliant at points of transition here - although he avoids the sometimes over-dramatic 'push-me, pull-you' approach of Eugen Jochum in this music. The usual cathedral-style ediface that Karajan's Bruckner is so renowned for is here supplanted by something altogether darker and more elusive - an aspect of the music which is complimented by the atmospheric low-lighting effects in the Musikverien.
Normally shown as a glittering palace the famous Golden Hall is on this occasion a more cavernous place: Bruckner through a glass darkly. Again, as with the Bruckner 8th from St.Florian, video is used instead of film and there are a few 'dolly shots' that come with standard tv transmissions of orchestral concerts. Karajan is filmed from the left of the stage or from within the second violins while the cutting between instrumental sections is usually in well-timed close-up. The Te Deum of course makes a big impact visually with the arrival of the Wiener Singverien and it is fascinating to watch Karajan adopt a completely different conducting technique. Here, as in other choral music, Karajan foregoes the baton and uses his hands to evoke mood and intensity. He opens his eyes and looks directly at the singers, often singing along with the text as the music proceeds. This will certainly be an eye-opener for those who think Karajan's conducting was too sophisticated: here, his approach is as immediate and workmanlike as a village kapellmeister.
This 2DVD set is a wonderful souvenir of Karajan conducting music so closely associated with him. It can be frustrating, as in the case of Barbirolli, to have footage of orchestral titbits. Here, you have a chance to see as well as hear Karajan's Bruckner at its impressive - and often surprising- best.
Robert Kenchington.
