Jean-Philippe Tremblay has followed up his debut on Analekta with yet another recording of a Bruckner symphony, this time with the Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, "Romantic," in a performance that, disappointingly, compares with his plodding 2006 recording of the Symphony No. 7. Tremblay can be admired for his fine attention to detail and fastidiousness in directing the Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne, but his tendency to favor extraordinarily slow tempos and to hold back at climaxes makes getting through this long ...
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Jean-Philippe Tremblay has followed up his debut on Analekta with yet another recording of a Bruckner symphony, this time with the Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, "Romantic," in a performance that, disappointingly, compares with his plodding 2006 recording of the Symphony No. 7. Tremblay can be admired for his fine attention to detail and fastidiousness in directing the Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne, but his tendency to favor extraordinarily slow tempos and to hold back at climaxes makes getting through this long symphony extremely difficult for the impatient. Granted, weight and ponderousness are part of Bruckner's characteristic expression, and the perennially popular Symphony No. 4 needs some heft to convey its seriousness. But Tremblay's dragging tempos seem to be less about gravitas and more about luxuriating in the rich sonorities that abound in this version of the work. Performing Ferdinand Loewe's questionable 1888 revision in Albert Gutmann's 1889 edition, Tremblay appears to be...
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