François-Xavier Roth’s recording of Bruckner’s Seventh is the first instalment in a new cycle of the symphonies being recorded by the French conductor ahead of the composer’s bicentenary in 2024, joining the similar endeavours already under way from Christian Thielemann and Markus Poschner. It’s an interpretation marked by swift tempos in all four movements, an approach not unusual in the 1950s, when performances in the concert hall by the likes of Schuricht, van Beinum, Walter and even Klemperer regularly took less than an hour, but one less commonly encountered today. Roth’s sensitivity to the symphony’s musical trajectory is such that the performance never sounds fast, although a slightly slower tempo for the finale’s second subject at 1'03" would have allowed for a greater sense of contrast with the movement’s faster first and third subjects. On the other hand, this passage benefits from a careful observance of dynamics and a freshness of approach not always heard in other performances.

Compared to Iván Fischer’s similarly fleet recording with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Roth’s interpretation is both more straightforward and more persuasive. The close of the first movement builds naturally and radiantly, and the climax of the Adagio (heard in the scoring with cymbal, triangle and timpani) makes a tremendous impact. The Scherzo dances with wit and energy, and the mock pompous brass passages in the finale are sonorous and powerful. In the coda, Roth maintains the same pace almost to the finish line, eschewing the unmarked slowing that seems to have become standard in performances of the symphony. Other than in the final peroration, which is slightly lacking in transparency, the sound quality is first-class. In summary, not a recording to displace the finest versions by Haitink, Karajan and Wand but one that’s definitely worth a listen.