Beethoven: Symphonies No.1-9
Ádám Fischer / Danish Chamber Orchestra (Naxos)
(scroll down for English review)
香港樂迷很熟悉伊凡費沙（Iván Fischer），對他的兄長阿當比較陌生，也自然假設兄不如弟。但其實阿當被維也納國立歌劇院及維也納愛樂邀請客演的次數，是伊凡的很多倍，在莫扎特及華格納都被維也納觀眾視為專家。而我在別處看過阿當兩次演出，主要是海頓及莫扎特，都令我覺得他很好玩，經典在他手中很生動，伊凡雖有他的優點，但我覺得阿當是更難得的指揮。
阿當曾和這隊丹麥室樂團錄過莫扎特交響曲全集，但來在這套貝多芬交響曲之時，樂團已被丹麥電台停止資助，要艱苦經營。當然我介紹這套貝多芬並不是出於同情，也不是斬釘截鐵地說奏得很好、非聽不好，但其實若你覺得貝多芬交響曲已無新意，倒是要試試。
這套全集是以現代樂器作倣古奏法，但我以為它奏得很快、很爆炸，完全估錯。當然不是說慢，是比復古或原音演奏慢一截，又不會像大樂隊那般沉重。我又以為室樂團就是輕盈，我又估錯，因為阿當費沙奏出來的，不只是室樂團質感，而是室樂質感，弦樂聽來就很像弦樂四重奏一般。主要原因是阿當費沙用了接近無揉弦的奏法，但聲音絕不沙啞，於是一組小提琴就很像一支小提琴、一組大提琴也像一支大提琴般集中。
我以前從不以為無揉弦會很得通，但這次我真要甘拜下風，纖幼的弦樂，令機動性大幅增強，弦樂不用時時刻刻都要奏出最滴水不漏的聲音，於是強弱對比的定義也有改變，我不是說再沒有大細聲，而是強弱已不是單是大聲細聲，更是強度的對比，所以我會用弦樂四重奏及室樂去做比喻。又由於阿當費沙不去追求最快速度，加上發音不用最厚最密，於是造句及節奏很有擴展收縮的空間，我是從《第七》開始聽，希望你會像我享受這個真正不落俗套、又不拘泥復古的演奏。
Ádám Fischer did a complete Mozart symphony cycle with this orchestra, in the meantime, Danish Radio withdrew its financial support and the orchestra is now striving to survive. But this isn’t the reason for me to review this set of Beethoven symphonies. To me Ádám is the more talented and extraordinary than his more famous brother Iván, and this Beethoven set is a good example.
This is played with modern instruments but almost no vibrato in the strings. Before listening I thought tempi would be brisk and the playing explosive. Wrong. It’s moderate as a whole, even slow by HIP standards. And I thought it would have a light texture, as in a chamber orchestra. Wrong again. It’s not just chamber orchestra, but chamber music, the strings functioning almost like a string quartet because of the minimal vibrato.
I never though “senza vibrato” would work so well in Beethoven symphonies. As the conductor didn’t find it necessary to play every note in full volume and duration, mobility was drastically enhanced which allows for unusually malleable phrasings and accents. Also the pp and the ff no longer sound as those in a symphony orchestra. It’s not that Ádám Fischer ignored these markings. But instead of sheer volume, he aimed at differentiating intensities. That’s why I liken these performances with chamber music at its best. I started with the 7th Symphony, if you think you already know it so well, you might as well take a dip in this symphony as well.