Original instruments or "authentic performance"

Posted by: Chris G on 04 February 2013

I greatly enjoyed the recent BBCR3 relay of Simon Rattle with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment performing Mozart's symphonies 39,40 & 41.  The performances were very accomplished with some fine playing as one would expect, but has the "authentic performance" become closer to modern instrument performances, or is it the other way round?  At the start of the original instrument movement, many performances sounded truly radical, such as from Norrington, Hogwood, Pinnock and Harnoncourt.  OK the sound is perhaps more transparent with original instruments, usually performed at a lower pitch (resulting in a different character to the sound), and of course, particularly, the more piercing trumpets and greater prominence given to the timpani.  These Rattle Mozart performances sounded at times similar to a conventional modern orchestra (perhaps the BPO's influence on Rattle?).  I'd be interested in other people's thoughts.

Posted on: 04 February 2013 by EJS
Originally Posted by Chris G:

I greatly enjoyed the recent BBCR3 relay of Simon Rattle with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment performing Mozart's symphonies 39,40 & 41.  The performances were very accomplished with some fine playing as one would expect, but has the "authentic performance" become closer to modern instrument performances, or is it the other way round?  At the start of the original instrument movement, many performances sounded truly radical, such as from Norrington, Hogwood, Pinnock and Harnoncourt.  OK the sound is perhaps more transparent with original instruments, usually performed at a lower pitch (resulting in a different character to the sound), and of course, particularly, the more piercing trumpets and greater prominence given to the timpani.  These Rattle Mozart performances sounded at times similar to a conventional modern orchestra (perhaps the BPO's influence on Rattle?).  I'd be interested in other people's thoughts.

My 2 cents, I agree that the two movements started blending. Already in the 80s, pioneering HIP conductors as Norrington, Herreweghe and Harnoncourt brought their theories to modern orchestras, and influenced traditional conductors as Rattle, Abbado and Chailly. Even Haitink's recent LSO Beethoven sounds nothing like his earlier performances. On the other hand, many period orchestras have mellowed in the interest of the music as opposed to the management of original instruments (although I love early Norrington in all its screetchiness). I imagine this effect is magnified when a cross over conductor like Rattle is on the stand.

 

EJ

Posted on: 05 February 2013 by Chris G

Thanks EJS for your thoughts.  Yes, I agree, undoubtedly many "mainstream" conductors have modified their interpretations to mirror HIP thinking - your examples of Haitink and Abbado are particularly good examples.  The original instruments performances now seem less exciting - perhaps there's less risk as the players become more accomplished with these older type instruments.  The two movements are coming together. 

Posted on: 06 February 2013 by EJS

Hi Chris,

 

Some of the early orchestras no longer have 'it' (the Musica Antiqua Köln has quit altogether), but there are still groups that follow the dogma. In Italian repertoire, Alessandrini and his Concerto Italiano reign supreme. There is much more of this - we have a resident early music specialist on the forum now, Chords, who seems to have good access to the weird and obscure, some great stuff among it (if you can find it).

 

Cheers,

 

EJ 

 

Posted on: 06 February 2013 by George Fredrik

One of the most successful and accomplished "period" orchestras is, in my view, The Orchestra Of The Age Of The Enlightenment. They are masters of their instruments and their performances are subtle and expressive. In my view their efforts represent a real advance on the bleeding edge of the period instrument pioneers. 

 

Period instrument performances are of course much older than the current trend to play on "authentic" instruments in orchestra. Helmut Walcha made his 1947/52 mono Bach Organ Cycle on two organs in North Germany, both of which were put into their then current specification in Bach's time. They represent a powerful corrective to the use of Nineteenth Century leviathans in this music.

 

What these old instruments easily and naturally present is the style of timbre and balance that the music was intended to be presented with. I believe that this is an important aspect, but many of the so called softenings that are apparent these days in the period instrument performances, are in reality the kind of musical subtlety that I am sure enough that Bach, Haydn or Mozart would have expected and would been satisfied with nothing less.

 

Some of the early period performance recordings represent something close to the hair-shirt style of performance that none of the great composers of the time would have happily accepted from their own performances.

 

ATB from George