Bruckner is a composer Sir Colin Davis seems
to conduct only rarely in London; yet, neither of the concerts I attended
suggest he has much to say about the composer. Indeed, unusually for
this writer, I find I have little to say about the performances. There
were some exquisite moments on both evenings – the adagio of the Sixth,
extremely spaciously done, and the scherzo of the Ninth – but largely,
despite some commanding playing, these remained strangely earthbound
performances, glossily superficial with an urbane feeling for that elusive
Brucknerian nobility.
Common to both performances was a brass heavy balance
(much in line with how Jochum approached these works) which, particularly
during the Sixth symphony, obscured much detail. This was also notable
at an early stage during the Ninth where the rising string figuration
in the opening bars was virtually inaudible; in a great performance
of this symphony it stands out. The LSO were also in variable form on
both days: in the Sixth the strings were magnificently full toned (the
opening of the adagio was simply sublime), the brass shaky and ill at
ease. In the Ninth, it was exactly the opposite – the brass beautifully
controlled and glowing, the strings depleted of tone. The recordings
from these performances, due out later this year, may tell a different
story and I shall look forward to studying them carefully in light of
the actual performances.
Prefacing both symphonies were concertos: Beethoven’s
Emperor Concerto on the first night, played by Alfred Brendel,
and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 on the second, played by Nikolaj
Znaider. In every respect, despite lapses in tone, Znaider gave
the more compelling performance; Brendel, often thundering away on the
keyboard, suffered the lesser technique – at times not so much hitting
the wrong notes as eliding them together or just plainly not playing
them at all.
What should have been highlights of the season were
dreadfully disappointing concerts; my guest for the second night was
so deplored by the opening concert he summarily cancelled my invitation
to the second.
Marc Bridle
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