Two CSO concert reports for the price of one:
A couple Tuesdays ago I heard the Bruckner Fifth with Jaap van Zweden. The Fifth may be Bruckner's most complex symphony, and I thought the conductor presented it in a straightforward and unmannered light. If only Orchestra Hall were large enough to recreate Bruckner in a convincing acoustic.
Incidentally, the Schalk version, which is heavily cut and includes superfluous percussion in the finale, has been recorded by Leon Botstein and the London Phil on Telarc. This version is now widely regarded as laughably adulterated, but it is an interesting historical artifact. It adds a theatrical twist because, in addition to the percussion, Schalk added a separate brass section for the ending, supposedly in order to relieve the exhausted players on stage.
Last Tuesday, Yefim Bronfman played the Rachmaninoff third concerto, with Neeme Jarvi conducting. Following was Symphony #4 by Sergei Taneyev.
To my ears Bronfman is pianistic royalty. As usual he played with both intensity and grace. I am not familiar with his brief encore, but it was played elegantly.
The Taneyev is an interesting and effective work. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the standard repertory is crippled by its neglect, but I'm glad that Jarvi brought it to Chicago. It's in a Romantic idiom that is easily digested by today's audiences, yet it brings a breath of fresh air into the hall. The audience responded enthusiastically.
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