Powerful Bruckner and uneven Haydn from Gražinytė-Tyla in Philadelphia

When Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla made her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2018, she combined a landmark of the Austro-German symphonic repertoire with a concerto of the Classical period. The results were varied. I know music lovers who still speak fondly of her detailed, highly personal account of Mahler's Fourth Symphony, while the performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 23 was memorable for the presence of Menahem Pressler, then 94 and significantly diminished, as soloist. Pregnancy and pandemic curtailed several planned returns in the interim, but when Gražinytė-Tyla took the podium again this weekend, she followed that initial pairing, prefacing Bruckner with Haydn. And history repeated itself in the outcome.

Bruckner appears on subscription programs more regularly these days in Philadelphia – music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is a particular fan – but his Symphony no. 6 in A major remains an outlier. The Philadelphians last performed it in 2009, but under Gražinytė-Tyla's baton, they showed no signs of rustiness. She built the cathedral of sound in the Majestoso opening movement, with broad textures in the violins and low strings and particularly forceful brass. She also created opportunities for glimmers of light to creep in – Olivia Staton's flute solos provided a levity one doesn't naturally associate with this most dour of composers.

Gražinytė-Tyla drew ravishing harmonies from the complex structure of the Adagio. The orchestra beautifully found its ways back to a restatement of Peter Smith's oboe theme. The Scherzo, often noted for its lack of humor, seemed lighter-footed than usual here, but the Finale was pure Bruckner: somehow stately and frenetic all at once. Gražinytė-Tyla has yet to record any Bruckner, and now that she is an orchestral free agent, one can dream of her committing her sharp vision of this music to disc with any number of partners, including Philadelphia.

It's a shame that she preceded such a rich interpretation with a somnolent reading of Haydn's Horn Concerto in D major. The Philadelphia Orchestra slimmed down its forces for its first-ever performance of this work, but as is often the case with outfits that aren't grounded in historical practice, the result sounded anemic rather than lithe and snappy. Principal Horn Jennifer Montone seemed tentative in the cadenzas, her sound somewhat muted. Although Montone and Gražinytė-Tyla managed their way through the difficult Allegro conclusion, the music lacked the joyous abandon found in the best interpretations of Haydn. It felt like something to be conquered rather than a celebration.