On November 26, 2024, the Berliner Philharmoniker, as part of the 94th season of Symphony Center Presents, led by Russian Austrian Maestro Kirill Petrenko at Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago, presented a balanced and inspired account of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No.5 in B-flat major, 1875-76. The thoroughly developed No. 5, deftly handled by a visibly moved conductor, drenched the sold-out audience in a “cathedral of sound”.
The first movement Adagio-Allegro’s slow introduction, said to be unusual for Bruckner, starts with plucked strings in the cellos and basses, followed by violin and viola counterpoint and an answering brass chorus devolving into silence. A strong pulse is heard and felt in a grounding bass line.
The second-movement Adagio, in stark contrast, conveys an instant sense of riches from the outset via a single transporting melody, a beautiful sad theme by a lonely oboe followed by a majestic second theme in the strings.
The Scherzo builds on the 2 preceding movements; here the notes which began the initial adagio descend into a happy waltz-like dance, filled with shades of tempo and color, woven by woodwinds, strings and trumpet, in a wild and thrilling manner.
In the glorious Finale, after the 2 interior divergent movements, there is a return to the original slow introduction, with an unexpected entrance by the clarinet, followed by rigorously deployed strings. Numerous exciting-but controlled-climaxes bring us to a period of calm before the brass enters with a strong chorale, continuing to a blazing finish.
The piece has been rigorously examined by way of musical analysis, with the most common descriptive adjective being “architectural”. The tempi, the return in later movements to earlier thematic material, and many more internal characteristics are explained in retrospective articles, some dissecting the techniques of conductors. For this reviewer, however, not a formal musical scholar, the question arises: can the ear of each listener embrace the complex and extensive nuances of phrasing and technique?
Maybe not, but what can be understood and enjoyed by everyone who heard this evening’s concert is the enormous sense of exploration and studied form. Throughout the almost 80-minute presentation which flew by in glorious sonics, all could appreciate that a majestic and intricate edifice has been crafted, harking back within later exploration to earlier introductions, and completed in an uncannily beautiful way.
The Berliner Philharmoniker is known as one of the finest orchestras in the world. Petrenko, in his 6th season as music director, just led and concluded their 25th US tour. The concert in Chicago was the last of 8 performances of 2 different programs from Nov. 15- 26th. The ensemble seemed remarkably cohesive; before their conductor appeared, members greeted each other with cheek-kisses and salutes. Petrenko appeared relaxed and joyful, noticeably beckoning the artists, clearly making eye contact, sometimes bending at the knees almost to the stage. The colossal sweep of the symphony expansively embraced a range extending from tender quiet moments through titanic explosions of sound.
All photos by Rob Davison
For information and tickets to all the great programming of The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, go to www.cso.org
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