Sebastian Klinger: My BRSO Top Five
In celebration of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra's 75th anniversary, principal cellist Sebastian Klinger shares his favourite recordings from over a decade of playing with the orchestra.
Read more…Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major KV 551: I. Allegro vivace – Herbert Blomstedt
This CD is the result of various performances over the years both in the Philharmonie im Gasteig as well as in the Herkulessaal of the Residenz. Herbert Blomstedt, who is particularly known for the great symphonic repertoire, has impressed me here as always - but in this case also surprised me - with a historically informed and very fresh interpretation of the last three Mozart symphonies. Until then, I could not remember ever having heard such a clear and swinging Mozart on modern instruments with a large orchestra - especially from a conductor of his generation, in which it was not at all common to deal with questions of historical performance practice. A super CD that I can highly recommend!
Schostakovich: Symphony No. 6 in B minor op. 54: III. Presto – Mariss Jansons
Mariss Jansons with Shostakovich - that was always extraordinary! He had this deep understanding of Shostakovich's music, which was certainly significantly influenced by his biography and the early musical influence of his father, Arvid Jansons, as well as that of Yevgeny Mravinsky, with whom he was allowed to attend rehearsals of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra as a young boy. Mariss Jansons told us about Shostakovich in general, but then also focussed on the individual movements or passages in the works. It was always very fascinating how different the result sounded after Jansons had explained the meaning behind the notes. Information that you don't find in the score but which had a significant influence on the sound!
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde: 3. Von der Jugend. Behaglich heiter – Sir Simon Rattle
These were fantastic performances in Munich's Herkulessaal with Magdalena Kožená and Stuart Skelton on the vocal parts. There was this insane, exuberant emotionality in the interpretation, but at the same time a great differentiation in the dynamic and tonal range that impressed me so much about Sir Simon Rattle then and now!
Wagner: Das Rheingold WWV 86A: 1. Prelude – Sir Simon Rattle
This was my very first Ring opera that I got to play. And the one in which the low string parts in particular are incredibly demanding - technically, rhythmically, dynamically, in terms of colour...! That was something special, also because it's music that opera orchestras play all the time, but we as the BRSO do not. At the time, we rehearsed the individual instrumental groups several times in order to get the most homogeneous sound possible for the most difficult passages. That worked well, and the respect for the music remained. In the meantime, the Ring project continued with Walküre and Siegfried, and will be completed in the next few years with Götterdämmerung. Nevertheless, this Rheingold was something very special for me personally, also in the collaboration with Sir Simon Rattle, who makes this music so fantastic!
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor – Mariss Jansons and Anja Harteros
The explosive beginning of this symphony is very impressive in itself. But it was also the time when our second daughter was very little. I will never forget how I was able to tackle her problems falling asleep with the beginning of this symphony of all things - by putting my mobile phone (which was playing Mahler's music) in her pram and, lo and behold, she fell asleep immediately! From then on, this piece became her daily bedtime music for quite a while. Mariss Jansons, with whom we regularly played Mahler, conducted this work phenomenally and it is my favourite Mahler CD to date. I then played Mahler No. 2 again with Zubin Mehta in 2020, in the very emotional memorial concert for Mariss Jansons. So for me, the Jansons era also came to an end with this piece and the many great memories associated with it.