Wagner: Overtures and Preludes
Andris Nelsons / Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig (DG)
(scroll down for English review)
有人開始布魯克納交響曲全集，又有人剛剛完成了。尼遜斯本星期推出了布魯克納全集的最後一輯，第一及五交響曲，不過我這次又不是談他的布魯克納。因為打從第一集的《第三交響曲》開始，每張碟都有至少一首華格納序曲做伴碟，原來這麼多集下來，一共有大約100分鐘的華格納樂曲，我集齊了一個playlist，排序則以創作年期來排，於是就從《唐懷瑟》序曲開始，到《帕西法》第一幕前奏曲作結。
談之前集數的布魯克納時，我覺得頭威不錯，然後急劇下滑，但逐漸回勇。在最後一集，不但最後灌錄的《第一交響曲》如此，就連同碟的《崔斯坦》第一幕前奏曲及愛之死（軌三及四）也是。其實是不是真的是演奏最好，我也不肯定，但一次過聽這些華格納段落，單從音響水平來說，有很多首我都覺得未及當代水準，只有《崔斯坦》我是滿意的，另外就是第一集的《唐懷瑟》序曲（軌一）。
假如太久沒聽過華格納，尼遜斯這100分鐘的華格納還算能入耳的，只是我跟了他十年以上，就是覺得他真的太忙（或者不注重健康），沒幾多心力去追求頂尖演奏，過得去就可以，但從德國因疫情封城後重開才錄的布魯克納一及《崔斯坦》選段才看，疫情這些日子可能令他沉澱了。
此外，布業大廳樂團的編制是一般樂團的一倍半，因為它就是萊比鍚歌劇院的樂團，兩個場地只是隔着一個廣場。萊比鍚歌劇院的音樂總監Ulf Schirmer將於今個樂季下卸任，聽過傳聞說，尼遜斯想一統天下而逼走他，且看尼遜斯日後會否在歌劇院指揮很多華格納。
Andris Nelsons finally completed his Bruckner cycle in Leipzig. This time I’m not going to discuss the First and Fifth Symphonies of this last issue. Instead I compiled a YouTube playlist of the Wagner fillers of each issue and sorted them chronologically. So it started with the Tannhäuser Overture and ended with the First Act Prelude of Parsifal. This is nearly 100 minutes of music so I think it’s worth discussing it.
I had great expectations of this Bruckner cycle as I heard Nelsons’ Third Symphony live in Leipzig. As I reviewed the penultimate issue of the Second and Eighth Symphonies, I noticed that Nelsons did quite well in the first issue but the standards sank in the middle but gradually picked up towards the end. For this last issue, I’m quite happy with the First Symphony, the last recorded symphony of the series. And so is the Tristan Act One Prelude and Liebestod (tracks 3-4), also the last recorded Wagner item.
As I went through the Wagner items in one sitting I couldn’t help but think that their playing standards mirrored those of the Bruckner symphonies. So the Tannhäuser Overture (track 1), recorded first, is another Wagner item that I enjoyed out of the whole series. In addition, I think the engineering isn’t wholly satisfactory for most discs of the series, but the First Symphony and the Tristan portions were well recorded.
Perhaps the enforced break caused by the pandemic provided Nelsons with the recharge that he sorely needed, so he finished the Bruckner cycle on a high note. With the departure of Leipzig Opera’s Music Director Ulf Schirmer later this season, Nelsons would probably be conducting Wagner operas there with its resident orchestra none other than the Gewandhaus Orchestra.