Vienna Philharmonic Concert: Sublime
I was at Carnegie Hall this past Sunday to hear the Vienna Philharmonic play the third of three concerts. The showpiece was Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, in E Flat, conducted by Franz Welser-Most (pictured). I agree with the New York Times critic, Anthony Tommasini: “The Vienna Philharmonic is famous for the richness and depth of its string sound. But the way the strings play tremolos is a wonder of the Western world. There was no sense of pressure being applied from bows to strings. The sound just emanated, as if from some cosmic place, and suddenly you became aware of it.” I have been put to sleep by Bruckner more than by any orchestral composer. But this concert was sublime.
