Before leading the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Bruckner’s Symphony no. 7 in E major, conductor Rune Bergmann reminded the audience that although Ludwig II was the work’s named dedicatee, the deeply religious composer devoted every note to his beloved God. His remarks set the tone for a reverent interpretation that captured the emotionality of Bruckner’s very particular structure and sound world. It also served as a fitting tribute to the late Yuri Temirkanov, who led the Baltimore musicians from 2000 through 2006 – and to whose memory this past weekend’s concerts were dedicated.
Bergmann infused the opening cello theme in the Allegro moderato with a powerful sense of mystery, complemented by mounting tension heard in the aggravated violins. He lingered in the expansive qualities of the movement, unafraid to take his time building to massive climaxes with sharp fluctuations of tempo. His approach here was notable too for a sense of balance – the light textures of the strings and woodwind underlined the forcefulness and tension in the chorale. Detail was paramount throughout Bergmann’s reading, from the dignified quality he culled from the Wagner tubas at the beginning of the Adagio to the Alpine flavor of Andrew Balio’s trumpet solo in the Scherzo.
The Baltimore Symphony forces can sometimes take a rough and ready approach to music that ideally requires a touch more delicacy, but that charging bluntness helped enliven a Scherzo that can occasionally come across as, well, slightly humorless. It emerged here with a zesty sense of abandon, although the Trio was appropriately refined. The Finale unfolded with quick rhythm and a fabulous interplay between the bright strings and foreboding brass. There was also the sense of in-the-moment discovery central to Bruckner, where even the most intricately structured passage can lively and improvisatory. In every section, Bergmann respected the intricacies of Bruckner’s style and met the music on its own terms, and the overall effect was better for it.
A work as grand as Bruckner’s Seventh almost needs no introduction, but in Baltimore it was paired with Mozart’s Concerto in E flat major for Two Pianos. Although the orchestra slimmed down its forces for this Classical period work, they produced a richly blended, room-filling sound that harkened back to what was common for non-specialist outfits before the rise of historical performance practices. The effect was elegant but not especially exciting. The same could be said for twin sisters Christina and Michelle Naughton, who lacked a sense of adversarial individuation in the solo cadenzas. The pair’s highly attuned sensibility better suited their encore, Le Jardin féerique from Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye.
