Word: orchestra
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...Boston Symphony Orchestra pulled together a refined performance Thursday evening after scrambling to replace Russian guest conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Their recovery was largely due to the powerful touch of cellist Lynn Harrell...
...Last-minute replacement Julian Kuerti—now in his second season as the BSO’s assistant conductor—led the orchestra in a clean performance of Brahms’s “Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel.” The brass section’s muddled sounds in the opening harmonies set the BSO off to a shaky start. Following the two introductory phrases, Kuerti eased into the set of 25 variations and a fugue, orchestrated by British composer Edmund Rubbra...
...Brahms variations, which form a series of brief musical sketches, were performed with much character, and the orchestra easily shifted from the lovely dance-like themes in the first variation to the quiet, minor lyricism of the fifth. The dialogue between the solo voices of the orchestra was especially well articulated, as the two-note slurs and other musical motives were seamlessly passed among the different instrument sections...
...Though the passages were, for the most part, cleanly executed, the performance lacked a malleable dynamism. The overall shape of the piece was relatively flat, and there was an audible uncertainty that suggested too much hesitation. The orchestra ran into recurring problems with the ensemble, as the individual instrumental voices did not pull back in unison for several ritardandos...
...Even when not playing, Harrell’s passion continued to drive the orchestra and give the performance the sense of direction and purpose the Brahms lacked. The effect of Harrell’s performance was evident in the rousing standing ovation following the concerto...