Bruch: The Complete Symphonies [Box set]

Bruch's three symphonies are not far behind his concertos in attractiveness, the third being perhaps the best. However one should 'rate' him in some pantheon of 19th century composers, it seems to me only fair to say that they are more even in quality than those of his nearer contemporaries Tchaikovsky and Dvorak. The performances strike me as being in general excellent, with speeds well judged and the rich late-romantic idiom put over with understanding and affection. The Leipzig orchestra is not one to let us down in any way, and the solo spots must have been most gratifying to the section principals, particularly, I'd guess, to the clarinettist. The recordings of all the works comprising this set were done over the period 1977-88, except perhaps that of the A minor Romanze which for some reason we are not told. The recorded quality is not bad by any means, but I couldn't shake off the sense that the orchestral effect needs more 'presence' and general lustre to it. Bruch's sound, not just in his orchestral compositions but in some chamber works that I also know and own in recordings, is highly and outstandingly beautiful and mellifluous, rich without being over-ripe. I would have liked it more 'in my face', so to speak, and I found that this sense coloured my reaction to the pieces with solo violin. On another day I might have thought the solo instrument too close, but here I was glad of the impact of Accardo's intense and strong-toned playing, full of soul and heart, by way of contrast. These four shortish numbers are Bruch at his very best, and it was high time I got to know them and to have the opportunity to recommend them anyone with ears to hear.

This is a lovely pair of discs, minor reservations notwithstanding. How music of this quality has managed to stay as unfamiliar as it seems to have done is not something I can offer a good explanation for. If you don't wish it to stay unfamiliar to you, the remedy is here to hand.

First, the symphonies. Although they are supposed to derive from the styles of Mendelssohn and Schumann, I found them more like a stepping-stone between Brahms and Sibelius. The former is of course understandable, as Bruch and Brahms were friends. Bruch's first symphony was in fact dedicated to Brahms, who appears not to have resented this.

The style is easy to listen to, being very much in the mould of the mid- to late-nineteenth century in which they were written. They do bear Bruch's personality, as you begin to discern as you progress through this listening experience - essentially light-hearted, with lush harmonies and delicate motifs picked out here and there, but nothing that comes across as *really* profound. However, they are definitely easy on the ear, and certainly bear listening to.

The pieces for violin and orchestra are a different proposition altogether. Bruch is the master of writing music that can make a violin weep. Here are three of the most romantically mournful pieces in existence - yet there is nothing nihilistic or despairing about anything here. These pieces are purely and simply elegiac, and the light-heartedness that underpins all Bruch's work is akin to the feeling you may get from watching a particularly effective weepie. This analogy is not far off the truth, as the music to "Schindler's List", to take an example straight off the top of my head, appears to borrow heavily from Bruch's work (although I expect someone's going to come along and tell me now that Bruch *did* write the music used in "Schindler's List").

A brief comment on the performances: the playing throughout is crisp and tight; the solo violinist Salvatore Accardo brings a husky edge to his instrument's voice that adds solidity to the pathos of each of the pieces featured. The sound is clean, and the overall effect is satisfying.

One thing that I liked especially about this package is that all the pieces have been placed in chronological order. This gives the listener the chance to observe the development of Bruch's style from the first symphony, from when he was about thirty, to the Konzertstuck, written a good 40 years later. He did not write a great deal of music in his lifetime, but that which he did write is worthy of a much wider audience.