Bruckner: 10 Symphonies
Paavo Järvi / Frankfurt Radio Symphony (RCA)
(scroll down for English review)
今年RCA終於把未發售過的第零及八加入，完成P約菲在法蘭克福的布魯克納交響曲全集，錄音年份為2006至2017年。作為當代錄得最多作曲家的交響曲全集的指揮，P約菲在布魯克納未算打開新領域，不過以全集從頭到尾，我覺得他的弦樂值得一提。
他指揮東京NHK或者蘇黎世音樂廳樂團時，都會把小提琴分置左右，事實上他指揮其他樂團的網上片段，大多數都是這樣。但這套錄音卻是小提琴全放左邊，相信是樂團習慣如此，約菲不欲改變。我感情上雖然較喜歡分置左右，但至少在這套錄音中，全放左邊卻有奇效，但我要強調只是在這套錄音如此。不是因為小提琴會較大聲或厚，反而是他們和右邊的中提琴及低音弦樂分得夠開，造成很清晣的弦樂肌理。
第二點則多數和約菲有關，他的弦樂聲音不寬廣，但如鋼筋般纖幼而有力，亦不會用蠻力。我相信這一點已經是約菲的特色，因為他指揮NHK及蘇黎世也有這種特質。這套錄音我不是專注的聽，但這種弦樂令我聽到尾。詮釋上比較平凡，但較為精彩是第二（軌九至12）及六（軌25至28）。尤其是前者，約菲的深情演奏足以令它擺脫「早期」作品並忽視的命運，我看他也對《第二》有特別感情，因為他和柏林愛樂及漢堡NDR樂團都有奏過。
RCA finally released Paavo Järvi’s Frankfurt Bruckner cycle as a box set, with the previously unreleased No.0 and 8. I don’t think Paavo Järvi broke new grounds in Bruckner interpretation but listening to this set as a whole drew my attention towards his string usage.
Most videos and live performances I saw of him used antiphonal violins, but this series had them all on the left. Perhaps that’s what the orchestra felt most comfortable in and Järvi accommodated them. But in this particular set such setting worked wonders. I’m not crediting that to a thicker and more massive violin sound, but on the contrary, the first and second violins set themselves aside from the rest of the string family, and indeed, the first and second violins were clearly distinct from each other. The resulting string sound had a transparent texture much to my liking.
And with these Bruckner recordings I now identify an ongoing trait with Järvi’s string sound, something he conjured with his other past and current orchestras such as the NHK and Zurich Tonhalle. He never exerted the strings to produce the thickest and loudest sound, but had them play in a very concentrated fashion resulting in a sound which I would liken to a steel rod.
As said above the interpretations aren’t something to die for, but I’d pick No.2 and 6 as the best items of this set, especially No.2. Järvi seemed to have much affection with this unpopular symphony, conducting this piece with the Berlin Philharmonic and NDR Elbphilharmonie as well. Järvi’s rich and heartfelt performance here is more than enough to elevate this symphony out of its “box set only” status.