Wand is a medium for music

Günter Wand never projects himself. Only he has taught me what it means to be a servant of music. While listening to the so called urtext of Toscaninis and Klemperers, one listens to Klemperer's or Toscaninis Beethoven or Brahms. With Wand you get Beethoven or Brahms.

Not necessarily one gets the inevitable feeling that this is the only possible way, but instead music comes totally naturally. Wand is a medium. As he himself put it: Mozart is for him the evidence that God exist as music comes from him so naturally without the struggle of a willing, creative artist such as Beethoven. Music flows totally naturally out of Wand, always sounding fresh and cristal clear.

Wand is like George Szell's tautness + Rudolf Kempe's lightness + Otto Klemperer's cohesion but without the outright personability and distinctive charisma of none of them. Wand offers authenticism perhaps not in the Norrington style but in musicianship.

There are not many obvious highlights way above the consistently high general level of musicianship but clearly the childish Brahms 2 and Beethoven 8 benefit from his adult musicianship that is always straight-to-the-matter but not without smile, and his Schubert Unfinished is creepy, haunting and reveals completely new details of the score. Wand has taught me why Bruckner is extended Schubert and not archaic Mahler. The last three Mozart symphonies are the best example of lively big band Mozart playing there is, and it is hard to imagine a better Schubert cycle. If you need one modern big band Beethoven cycle, it is here.

If any reservations about Wand's judgement would be needed, it would be his choice of preferring the original editions of Bruckner's symphonies and of applying exposition repeats in Brahms third. In Bruckner's case the choice of versions is hardly a case anywhere but in the first, which is completely a different prospect and certainly much worse in its dispersion than both the zeros; the seventh is otherwise your familiar version except of the lack of the climax in the second movement. Generally his lyrical but no-nonsense style is very satisfying in Bruckner.

My conviction is that no work gains from the exposition repeats, the idea already being told and the message already having been conveyed, these repetitions only being harmful for the cohesion. I also disagree with Wand that the composer's first thought always is the final thought. Anyone who has listened to the awarded Vänskä-Kavakos -record of the two versions of the Sibelius violin concerto, knows that even if for connoisseurs it might be of scholarly interest to be familiar with the first sketches.

And oh yes, no one would buy this for its Tchaikovsky or Fortner, but let them join the party. And who already had Fortner in his or her archives? Hands up? And Günter the man runs surprisingly idiomatic Tchaikovsky 5th

These reservations aside, wonderful stuff. If you are a newbie to classical music, buy this. This is classical classical music classically. If you already have your Karajans and Klemperers, buy this. You will experience familiar music for the first time. Günter Wand will be your partner for the rest of your life, but better: you will always find new things in it.

My review can also be read at Amazon.co.uk and by clicking on the headline.