January 11 & 12, 2025
Jones Hall
Houston, Texas – USA
Houston Symphony, Christoph Eschenbach, conductor.
Anton BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4 in E♭ major, WAB 104 (“Romantic”) (1874-1888)
Lawrence Wheeler | 13 JAN 2025
Saturday evening at Jones Hall, former Houston Symphony music director Christoph Eschenbach conducted a program consisting of a single work– Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, the “Romantic.” This concert, along with the Sunday afternoon repeat, is being recorded for medici.tv to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth and the upcoming 85th birthday of Eschenbach on February 20. This performance is part of Eschenbach’s season-long Bruckner Cycle, in which he will conduct all nine Bruckner symphonies with nine orchestras around the world. The Houston Symphony is the only participating U.S. orchestra.
The combination of Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony has a rarefied history of exceptional performances, built on a foundation of mutual admiration, respect, and trust. Eschenbach ended his eleven-year tenure 25 years ago, having brought the Houston Symphony to higher artistic levels. During the interim, he has served as music director for several major orchestras, but none with the chemistry he enjoyed while in Houston. Houston Symphony musicians who know and love Eschenbach cherish his concert appearances. Indeed, a former orchestra member flew halfway around the world to play these concerts.
Last February, Eschenbach conducted Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 in what was the greatest Houston Symphony performance I had ever heard. While excellent, this evening’s concert was a notch below that lofty standard. Eschenbach moved a bit slower crossing the stage, and his beats were somewhat less defined. The range of tone colors and expression were all there, but so were fleeting lapses of precision. Rarely did his arms go higher than his shoulders, an action that had been a trademark of his conducting. He seldom looked at the score except to turn pages for the next movement, focusing instead on the musicians. His conducting style was more collaborative than authoritative. Bruckner’s symphonies are not about the destination but the journey. Eschenbach’s genius lies in his ability to transform abrupt harmonic changes and pauses between thematic material into a cohesive flow of musical ideas.
Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony features solo French horn throughout, and is considered the most difficult French horn part in the repertoire due to its wide pitch range and continual playing. It is not unreasonable to assume that Eschenbach chose the Houston Symphony to perform and record this particular symphony due to the artistry of principal French horn William VerMeulen. That choice was rewarded with stellar playing. From the opening solo, each phrase was thoughtfully shaped and expertly executed. It was a masterclass of great playing. The excellent French horn section joined him throughout, sounding especially impressive in the idiomatic third movement hunting scene.
The “Romantic” symphony has an unusually prominent viola part. In the first movement, the violas are the sole strings to join clarinets, bassoons, and brass with forté arpeggios, played with full-bow majesty. The second movement features Bruckner’s longest melody, which he described as a youth’s serenade, and which the violas played with expressive and delicate poetry. That movement opened with the celli playing a tonally rich song without words. They provided several folksy and gemütlich second-theme melodies throughout the symphony.
A key component of Bruckner’s symphonies is his use of the brass section in climaxes. With first trumpet Mark Hughes taking the lead, the brass section was impressive, producing voluminous but never coarse sounds. All combinations—trumpets with trombones and tuba, French horns with trombones—were outstanding. Timpanist Leonardo Soto continues to impress with his precise and incisive playing.
The Jones Hall audience gave Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony a standing ovation lasting several minutes. The longest I have ever witnessed, it was enough time for Eschenbach to slowly move from section to section, congratulating the players. Distribution of the resulting video should enhance the orchestra’s international reputation. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Houston Symphony: houstonsymphony.org
- Christoph Eschenbach: christopheschenbach.com
Read more by Lawrence Wheeler.
