Posted by Scott Sutherland on March 20, 2002 at 01:28:11:
In Reply to: Vienna Bruckner 8 posted by Jeremy Graham on March 20, 2002 at 00:01:57:
I was at the Vienna concert on the 11th in Los Angeles and I too felt it was amazing. I also went to hear the concert on the 13th when they played Don Quixote, Brahm's Haydn Variations and Haydn 101. The sense of ensemble was like no American orchestra I have ever heard. The only concert that I have heard that even came close by an American orchestra was Mehta conducting Mahler 6 with the LA Phil. That orchestra plays very differently when Mehta is around and that piece in particular was truely astounding.
I heard Berlin when they were in town about six months ago playing Beethoven 5 and 6. I don't know if you were able to hear them when they were touring, but that was the most amazing concert I have ever heard. Both of these orchestras seem to play with such sensitivity it is as if they are in a chamber setting. They have tremendous control over their sounds, and vary the timbres in order to blend to the point that you have to see the musicians in order to distinguish who is playing. They have an attitude that serves the music only, and not their egos. That is also the impression I got of Haitink. He was subtle, conducting with the utmost precision and never drawing attention to himself. Abbado was similar with Berlin, but I felt a little more impressed with Haitink's reservation with such an enormous work as Bruckner 8. Each of these were nights to remember.
Scott