Bruckner und das Stift – St. Florianer Brucknertage / Bruckner and the monastery – St. Florian Bruckner Days

Thursday, July 11, 2024

St. Florian Monastery of the Augustinian Canons Regular, Stiftstraße 1, 4490 St. Florian, Austria

It started an hour later than had been suggested if coinciding with a couple of other listings, and then it began without me, if not by much, and was audio-only; good sound though. So, this was Herbert Blomstedt’s ninety-seventh birthday, and he was conducting one of ‘his’ composers (not that he’d be so possessive) in the place (near Linz) where Bruckner was a choirboy, played the organ, and is buried. Blomstedt – I’ll presume he was seated and conducting from memory (score in front of him, unopened) – did not allude to his own age, or that Bruckner was unable to complete his Ninth Symphony, by leading a flowing account, underlining that Bruckner, however ill, was nevertheless seeking new musical horizons and vividly notating them, both harmonically and in orchestration: no self-conscious ‘endgame’ here with a first movement to the point and coherent, yet emotionally flaring, then a Scherzo deliberately paced, articulate, accents less than violent, if giving Blomstedt somewhere livelier to go for the Trio, quicksilver and spectral, melody integrated. The Adagio mixed intensity with serenity (an accepting “farewell to life”) seeming to reach beyond the hallowed venue with affecting dynamic contrasts, pianissimos made significant of deep contemplation, fortissimos essaying pain, these extremes complementing a grinding dissonant climax, itself giving way to a ‘where next?’ envoi. The dedication of the Bamberg musicians was palpable for a special occasion greeted by a lengthy silence, then applauded and cheered enthusiastically.