Much was made of the fact that no major American orchestra appeared at the 2009 Proms. This pair of concerts by the venerable Chicago Symphony Orchestra and their veteran Principal Conductor, Bernard Haitink, looked set to redress the balance. I dare say, however, that the two programmes chosen to kick off the Royal Festival Hall's Shell Classic International season might have struggled to pass muster at the Proms. Even the Vienna Phil had managed one twentieth century work – albeit only as a late addition – but here we had two pairs of symphonies: Mozart and Haydn coupled respectively with Brahms and Bruckner.
The orchestra had treated other cities on its European tour to Shostakovich's Symphony No.15, so it's unclear whether the decision to give London Brahms instead lay with their management or that of the South Bank Centre. Nevertheless, this lack of imagination in the programming, for me, seeped in to the opening performance of Mozart's 'Jupiter' symphony. Haitink's sound instincts and impeccable musical integrity can always be relied upon but he gave us a performance that hinted at little of this symphony's drama, drive and majesty. All the phrases were well turned but the opening Allegro was short on thrust, the emotional core of the Andante cantabile was hidden behind a rather polite exterior and the Minuet lacked a spring in its step. Haitink chose a spritely tempo for the great finale which at least kept the players on their toes. I only wish, however, that they'd all tried to liven things up like principal flautist Mathieu Dufour, whose playing was a constant delight, and that the brass – the trumpets particularly reluctant to assert themselves – hadn't simply become subsumed into the wind band.
The orchestra filled out considerably in Brahms's First Symphony which followed. The string sound, a touch charmless in the Mozart, now took on an impressive grandeur, while the famous brass section were consistently impressive. Haitink's reading was powerful and, as one would expect, carefully argued over the music's longer paragraphs. There was no shortage of drama in the opening movement but I found a lack of warmth in the central movements; the violins produce an impressive sound but it still lacked grace on occasion. The grand finale was a great success, though, showcasing not only a horn section on fine form – their shepherd's call resounded magnificently – but Haitink's masterly control of structure as he built up the tension towards a thrilling coda.
The orchestra's second concert pitted Haydn's 'Clock' Symphony, No.101, against Bruckner's mighty Seventh Symphony and, despite a greater number of empty seats in the hall, proved a more satisfactory programme. The same approach that had given us an underpowered 'Jupiter' Symphony proved more successful in the Haydn. It was still a straight performance that could be short on charm, but there was much to admire in both the playing and Haitink's no-frills (and few-thrills) approach. A po-faced account of the tick-tocking Andante was a highlight, while the virtuosity of the Chicago strings was impressive in the finale's contrapuntal to-ing and fro-ing.
It is the works of the other end of the symphonic scale that Haitink's reputation is greatest and the opening strains of the Bruckner were imbued with impressive authority, as the first theme soared reassuringly up against the signature shimmering strings. Some of the early brass climaxes were a little brash, with the trombones in particular needing a little while to gauge their contributions, and there were a couple of shaky moments from the horns. With Haitink's measured control of structure, though, and his patience in the build-ups the account of the opening Allegro moderato was masterful. Perhaps even finer was the Adagio: at a tempo less funereal than some, Haitink seemed to find the perfect balance between detail and overview; the final climax was hard won, answered by a beautifully tentative quartet of Wagner tubas. The Scherzo was exciting and the Finale – another swift tempo choice for Haitink – blazed a trail inexorably towards the final grand apotheosis. The balance between conductor, orchestra and work had not quite been struck previously, in this performance, though, it was ideal.
By Hugo Shirley
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