Search - Beethoven, Bruckner, Kertesz :: Istvan Kertesz conducts Bruckner Symphony No. 4

A beautiful Bruckner Fourth that duplicates Kertesz's studio

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The London Sym. snapped up the young Kertesz as their music director in 1965, but the honeymoon was short lived. Apparently the highly gifted conductor became difficult personally, turning into a curt, demanding, immature personality. He and the orchestra parted company in 1968; five years later Kertesz drowned in the sea off Tel Aviv, lost to the musical world at age 43. There are few pirate recordings from him, so this 1964 Bruckner Fourth is welcome. It duplicates a Decca studio recording released the next year, and Kertesz recorded no other Bruckner symphonies.



The Gramophone raved over this live version, which comes in good FM-stereo sound from the BBC, which is no match for the superior Decca version. In truth if you already own the studio one, now reissued by Testament, there's no need to bother. Timings are essentially the same, including the swift 16 min. first movement, and the style in both readings is lyrical and light, reminiscent of Schubert. I like Kertesz's approach very much, and the LSO plays quite well. If you are looking for a reason to prefer this CD, however, the filler is generous: Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, one of the two greatest works for strings in English music, along with Elgar's Introduction and Allegro. Kertesz's reading, from a 1966 concert, is full and lustrously played but miked a bit too far to give maximum impact. I wouldn't select it as one of my top choices in this work; it certainly lacks the passion of Barbirolli's famous account on EMI."