At Seoul Arts Center, Christian Thielemann and the Vienna Philharmonic shaped Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony not as volume for its own sake but as a structure whose lines could be followed in real time. Antiphonal violins spoke across the stage; a line of double basses gave the floor its sprung resilience and a reinforced brass section gave the largest tuttis breadth, even if some edges at peak dynamics were not entirely pristine.
The approach of Thielemann and the Vienna Philharmonic felt tightly focused and cohesive: an introduction in long spans, an Allegro that argued rather than hurried, an Adagio turned inward, and a Finale that settled the account by counterpoint rather than glare. In the first movement, the pizzicato introduction stepped off with an unforced tread, the first brass proclamation rising above it in broad paragraphs, and the movement’s span felt argued rather than inflated. The slow movement’s “two-against-three” weave stayed exact without losing pulse; the answering C major opening after the oboe’s plea felt like light across stone, warming without blur. Thielemann’s economy of gesture – more suggestion than command – reinforced the sense that continuity, not spotlighted effect, was the evening’s priority.
The Scherzo showed how firmly this Asian tour has tightened the frame. Where earlier readings made sheer weight the central virtue, here the movement drove forward with force held in tension, more clenched than exuberant. Echo figures between strings and brass landed with an almost obsessive precision, and the Trio’s legato sang not of comfort but of an undercurrent of unease. That fabled Viennese lilt surfaced in the grain of the strings and in woodwinds that projected by profile rather than decibel, the Principal Flute in particular floating through tuttis with centred focus. Articulation was clear and inner parts felt de-fogged, a shift towards a transparency that suits Bruckner’s intricate engine.
The Finale made the case most persuasively, even if not every corner was immaculate. Clarinet asides refreshed the air before the double fugue took hold; subject groups entered legibly and the chorale sat broad but never bloated above string counterpoint. This is where many conductors trade detail for blaze; here the balance largely held, though a few brass entries lacked the same suppleness of line and ensemble at full cry sometimes lost a degree of polish. When the mass finally lifted, the hall answered with a long, intent hush before applause, a silence shaped as carefully as any cadence. No encore followed; several calls did.
If “grand Bruckner” can blur, this Fifth argued for precision as a kind of grandeur: tempo as grammar, balance as narrative, sonority as consequence. Thielemann’s interpretation kept the broad outline listeners knew while adopting fresher habits – cleaner inner life, an edgier Scherzo, a steadier peroration. Minor imperfections in the largest tuttis kept the evening just short of the truly unforgettable, but it still felt, on balance, like one of the more compelling accounts this partnership has offered.
