Mendelssohn: Symphony No.1 & 3
Thomas Dausgaard / Swedish Chamber Orchestra (BIS)
(scroll down for English review)
道斯加特和瑞典室樂團錄過貝多芬及布拉姆斯交響曲全集，現在開始孟德爾遜交響曲全集。早前談過道斯加特的布魯克納《第三交響曲》（第一版），覺得他的極速帶出了布魯克納的原始創意。這次孟德爾遜，我覺得就被極速影響了，尤其是《第一交響曲》（軌一至四），他去到一種為快而快，能幾快就幾快的程度，例如是第一樂章Allegro di molto，4/4拍子，卻快到每小節一拍，貝多芬也不會那麼快。而且令首尾不一，因為第四樂章是Allegro con fuoco，又是4/4拍子，他卻用四拍數。
我相信原因是孟德爾遜沒有為《第一交響曲》的速度提供拍子機讀數，道斯加特就放心亂來，而《蘇格蘭交響曲》（軌五至八）就有拍子機讀數，道斯加特就逃不出五指山，快得來還有呼吸的空間，尤其是第三樂章（慢板）旋律的漸強漸弱奏得很清楚，另外第四樂章即使快也有搖曳舞動感覺。不過連同《第一交響曲》而言，道斯加特的詮釋太側重於氣勢，而不夠味道。
After cycles of Beethoven and Brahms, Thomas Dausgaard took the Swedish Chamber Orchestra onto Mendelssohn. I was impressed with Dausgaard’s very quick tempi in Bruckner’s Third Symphony (first version), but a similar approach in Mendelssohn has gone too far, particularly the First Symphony (tracks 1-4). Dausgaard seemed to go after the quickest tempi possible, he did the first movement (Allegro di molto) at one-in-a-bar but the rhythm is marked as 4/4. This resulted in inconsistency as he tackled the fourth movement (Allegro con fuoco) in four beats.
I suppose this was due to the absence of metronome figures in the First Symphony. But Mendelssohn provided them in the Scottish Symphony (tracks 5-8) so Dausgaard wasn’t able to go too far. There was more breathing space than in the previous symphony; the crescendos and diminuendos in the third movement were distinctly played and the finale had a certain swing. But I couldn’t forgive Dausgaard’s transgression because his interpretation focused too much on momentum and made the music rather tasteless.