Christoph von Dohnányi, The Cleveland Orchestra - Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale" & Leonore Overture No. 3 (1987)

While it is hard to fault Christoph von Dohnányi for bringing a clear, unsentimental vision to Beethoven's works, sometimes his approach tends toward cerebral dryness. The two performances presented here have great sound and firm structure, yet they both seem to show little connection to their underlying narratives. Admirably polished but lacking real drama, the performance of the Leonore Overture No. 3 is too economical, deprived of the expansive freedom Beethoven's long lines suggest; and the heroic struggle, which the overture's dissonances and upward trajectory imply, is strangely minimized. Beethoven's programmatic Symphony No. 6, the "Pastorale," is energetic and colorful, yet it also suffers from Dohnányi's abstract conception and seems unevenly paced. The first movement, marked Allegro ma non troppo, is almost too fast to set the bucolic ambience, though the pastoral mood is better served in the following Andante molto moto, where Dohnányi lets the Cleveland Orchestra somewhat relax. The third movement needs a more bumptious and earthy treatment than supplied here; it goes by too busily to realistically portray a rustic dance. The "Thunderstorm" Allegro and the peaceful Allegretto are adequately balanced and picturesque, though at such a late point, they are not enough by themselves to rescue the symphony's neglected program.