Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Daniele Gatti, at Symphony Hall, last night; repeats today and tomorrow.
Sometimes you know after just a few notes that a concert is going to be special. That's how I felt last night at Symphony Hall as conductor Daniele Gatti began an all-Brahms program with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The 40-year-old Italian conductor was making his BSO debut, and it was an auspicious one. For the first time since Bernard Haitink's all-Mozart program a few weeks ago, this orchestra sounded from start to finish like the major one it is.
Gatti may be darkly handsome, but he isn't a charismatic figure onstage. Indeed he was stiff, even awkward and a bit grim when facing the audience. But when it counts - that is, when facing the orchestra and shaping the music - Gatti was clearly in command, his minimal but aggressive gestures producing maximum effect.
His pacing of the opening Variations on a Theme by Haydn was slow but loving. There was a great richness to the overall sound, with the silvery sheen of the violins providing a surprisingly apt contrast. And the phrasing was long, elegant, almost voluptuous.
Brahms' unsatisfying ``Song of Destiny'' for chorus and orchestra followed, alas. It's an overblown setting of a pretentious poem that, despite a fine performance by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, added little to the evening.
But after the intermission, Gatti and the BSO returned for a confident, dramatic rendition of Brahms' Fourth Symphony. This is a work that often comes off disjointed, as if each of its four movements were a unique entity unrelated to the rest.
Not here. Gatti managed to bring out the best in each movement - although the third may have started off overly brusque - without sacrificing the symphony's overall arc.
Yes, there were a few notes here and there that went astray. But that seemed to have far more to do with the vividness and vigor of the playing rather than sloppiness on anyone's part. Let's hope Gatti comes back to Symphony Hall real soon.
T.J. Medrek Talk Back
