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Proms / The Guardian / 20 juillet 2007 |
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Prom 7 LPO / ONF / Masur
George Hall
As the departing principal conductor of the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and the continuing music director of the Orchestre National
de France, Kurt Masur spent his 80th birthday conducting two orchestras
at the Proms simultaneously. So, even the capacious Albert Hall
platform looked crowded.
Nearly 100 players were fielded for the
first piece, Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, while the forces used
in the second, Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, were gargantuan. From a
sonic point of view, Bruckner came off better. Textures remained clear,
and the playing was precise and often spirited. Masur exposed much of
the intimate beauty of the writing as well as the grandeur and
excitement of the climaxes. What was missing, crucially, was an
effective presentation of the composer's vast architectural scheme,
covering some of the widest spans in western music.
Tchaikovsky may have described his Serenade as "heartfelt", but it is
on the lighter side of his output, and none the worse for that. It
scores heavily both in the invention of its string writing and in
melodic and rhythmic charm. However, some of these qualities were
diminished in its presentation by a body of players resting on the
fortress-like foundation of 12 double basses. The overall sound picture
was reminiscent of a ballerina dancing, not in a tutu but swathed in a
heavy brocade curtain.
Wagner
loomed at encore time in the shape of the Mastersingers Overture, which
went beautifully with massed forces until some sections of the
orchestra were a couple of beats out in the final bars. It was a scary
moment, though they managed to finish together.
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