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| Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 – Klaus Mäkelä, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Dresdner Musikfestspiele on the Kulturpalast (Picture: Stephan Floss) |
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5; Klaus Mäkelä, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Dresdner Musikfestspiele on the Kulturpalast, Dresden
Reviewed 10 Might 2024
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and its chief conductor designate carry remarkably unanimity of intent and youthful vigour to Bruckner
Anton Bruckner wrote his Symphony No. 5 in 1875-76, across the time of the primary Bayreuth Pageant. While Bruckner revered Wagner, there’s little conventionally Wagnerian in regards to the symphony, it is available in at 75 minutes and makes use of comparatively compact orchestral forces. However removed from conventionally backward-looking, Bruckner reworks the previous in his personal picture. A lot so, that the work needed to wait till 1894 for its first orchestral efficiency after which it was in a now discredited revision by conductor Franz Schalk.
Having begun with a brand new, traditionally knowledgeable take a look at Wagner’s Die Walküre [see my review], the 2024 Dresdner Musikfestspiele (Dresden Music Pageant) continued on Friday 10 Might 2024 with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 with Klaus Mäkelä conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on the Kulturpalast in Dresden. A younger conductor (Mäkelä is 28, born 1996) bringing a contemporary look to Bruckner with a venerable orchestra of which he’s chief conductor designate. The orchestra, based in 1888, has an extended custom of the efficiency of music by Bruckner’s good friend and colleague, Gustav Mahler, courting again to Mahler’s friendship with Willem Mengelberg who was the orchestra’s chief conductor from 1895 to 1945.
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| Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 – Klaus Mäkelä, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Dresdner Musikfestspiele on the Kulturpalast (Picture: Stephan Floss) |
Mäkelä and the orchestra started with a sound that was barely there, but one might nonetheless respect the plush sound. Mäkelä drew a exceptional unanimity of intent from his gamers, Bruckner’s blocks of color strongly outlined, and he saved tight management of the tempi. When the primary motion’s foremost part began, we might respect the fabulous cello line, the perky particulars, the depth and vibrancy of the sound. Mäkelä’s strategy introduced out the music’s contrasts, strenuous v intimate, blocks of color v rapt solos, arduous edges v delicacy. There was little that was mellow and one in every of my colleagues, discussing the efficiency afterwards, opined that it was younger man’s Bruckner. From my perspective, Mäkelä’s strategy tended to focus on the commonality between the fabric within the 4 actions and the entire work felt like one, lengthy sequence of preludes to the ultimate climax. A distinct conductor may need staged the massive paragraphs in another way, given us mellower Bruckner however there was no doubting the sophistication, and vibrancy of this efficiency, the remarkably unanimity of intent from all involved.
The second motion started quiet and intense, sleek but managed, When issues opened up the sound was heat and robust, with a excessive sheen, however Mäkelä introduced out wealthy element together with tremendous instrumental solos. The motion itself was regular and inexorable, unfolding in direction of a perpetually withheld climax. The third motion’s stressed ländler alternated with vivid contrasting sections, the taking part in at all times on level, a classy machine expressing what Mäkelä wished, with a central part bringing out the country dance. Right here the heavenly size reasonably received the higher of me and the motion’s finish, when it got here, was one thing of a ‘thank god’ second. The ultimate motion took its time, mixing materials from earlier in regular but inexorable unfolding, vigour and restlessness alternated right here, and the music had a robust really feel of Bruckner saying ‘Do not rush me, I am considering’, however the climax, when it got here, was remarkably affirmative.
Bruckner’s symphonies haven’t been central to my musical expertise, however the likelihood to listen to an orchestra asa refined because the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra underneath a conductor as dynamic as Klaus Mäkelä was to not be missed, and the outcomes have been certainly wonderful.
