French horns ruled this week’s BSO agenda, as Esa-Pekka Salonen led the US Premiere of his 2025 Horn Concerto and one of the sources that had inspired it: Bruckner’s Fourth.
Luciano Berio’s arrangement of Boccherini opened the evening. By combining multiple versions of Ritirata Notturna di Madrid, Berio sought complexity and richness coming from a combination of Boccherini’s various approaches to the same melodic material. Its crisp delivery by full forces of BSO teased with a subtle hint of modernity, while barely leaving the easy listening paradigm. Several ideas of harmonization superimposed and sounded lively and multilayered, like a tiered lasagna, and just as tasty.
Clever textures came back, albeit with slightly reduced personnel, to greet Stephan Dohr, Berlin Philharmoniker’s Principal and the dedicatee of Salonen’s Concerto. It started with sharp stylistic contrast between the unsettling modern buzz of the orchestra and the opening theme which the soloist played on a natural (valveless) and distinctly nostalgic horn. The movement grew into a passionate, vocabulary-rich monologue, as the soloist, now taking advantage of the modern instrument’s broader sphere, used every tone from ethereal to hoarse. According to the program notes, there was some simultaneous singing by the soloist, though I could not detect it behind his peripatetic melodic line. Some astute ears in the audience picked out heroic calls harkening back to Richard Strauss, but I was too taken by the restlessness of the narrative to notice. Other quotations would require program notes and repeat listening to zero in on.
The slower second movement introduced an element of melancholia, but the improvisational perpetuum-mobile of the horn came back in the third. Dohr achieved total control. In this movement, he wielded a robust expressive palette of hand-stopping, and moved between sonorities without leaving any doubts as to who was in charge. The only thing he could not master was his itinerary. Brief classical passages likely made sense to horn players and to the composer himself, but the narrative line allowed no predictability, nor hope of resolution or aim. You could hear none of the classical opposition of the soloist and the orchestra. Instead we heard a hopeless longing of the soloist facing his itinerant predicament, despite the comforting and supportive accompaniment. But as the evening continued, the clever shape of the programming brought a resolution.
In the second half, the jet-setting cosmopolitan horn receded, and in its place emerged the country horn of Austrian boonies, always rooted in its familiar forests and meadows. In any rendition of Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, the richness of the horn part is an essential. In this one, the contrasts with the first half shone an additional mighty light on it.
The regal and expressive tone of the Principal Horn Richard Sebring opened the symphony. This horn travelled far and wide as well, but it reveled in the harmoniousness of the traveler with his surroundings. The full brass forces gave total support as they built an ear-pleasing chorale in the development section.
Salonen navigated Bruckner’s spacious landscapes with sensitivity. While showing respect for the glacially patient denizens of the countryside, he took every opportunity to pick up speed. It made the first movement exciting and cinematic. The second movement continued the journey with unhurried and meditative progress down the country roads. Many distinct pilgrims’ voices contributed, with violas’ tale being most memorable.
The “Hunt-Scherzo” legitimately showcased the horn section again. The plot juxtaposed the robust calls of the hunters and brass-free themes of those keeping the fire going in the hearth. It culminated with a dramatic contrast between the humming horns and the exhilaratingly bright trumpets’ responses..
The finale launched from a version of the opening horn call and ascended to a powerful tutti, of the sort that makes you wonder how something so loud can be so pleasantly harmonious. The main thematic conflict shifted. Instead of the previous movement’s contrast of joys of the hunt versus joys of the hearth, here the opposition contrasted the achieved domestic happiness with calls of the divine. These competing calls of the homey and the grand iterated a few times.
Salonen masterfully interspersed relaxed phrasing of earthly bliss with high tension and the urgent summons of Heaven.
The angels won, and the symphony ended in a passionate move upward, towards the celestial realm, but the general sense of a harmonious and idealized golden age dominated. Now would be a good time to repeat the Salonen’s Horn Concerto, if only such frivolity were possible.
Here’s what should be a fairly stable link to the broadcast of the Saturday concert:
https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s1142/audio/2026/02/bso-260214-online.mp3
I was at the Friday concert, and found the Bruckner quite compelling. It had a consistent forward momentum, never had the “when’s this going to end” feeling. Generous dynamics, but the tension of the last minute wasn’t loudness, it was winding up to the final key resolution.
Comment by John Shriver — February 26, 2026 at 3:41 pm
That was the 1878/80 version, but I’m not sure which edition (H/N). Korstvedt’s recent book on the 4th is a fascinating piece of musicology, well worth reading for his comprehensive research on the development of the work, through all three versions. It’s important to keep in mind that Bruckner himself went over the 1888 score with a fine-toothed comb after the first performance and made quite a few edits before it was published. As for two consecutive nights of Bruckner, remember, the BSO also plays on Friday afternoons — that resulted in a rare Bruckner doubleheader at Symphony Hall on the 13th, with the 4th performed by the BSO in the afternoon, then the 7th with Zander that evening! I found the concerto a lot of fun — and felt it was a shame they couldn’t have had Dohr sit in on the Bruckner afterwards, as the BSO horn section is a little spotty at times these days (vacant chair is probably filled by subs). Bruckner exposes all four horns individually at various times, as in the slow movement, where he goes right down the line, 1-2-3-4 solo. The BSO low brass, on the other hand, sound like four instruments being played by one player, so locked in and consistent.
Comment by Urbie — February 22, 2026 at 1:37 pm
The orchestra certainly played beautifully, but the first half of the concert was a slog for this listener. I agree with the previous comments about the Horn Concerto but the Berio/Boccherini was also a poor choice, It was a very dull way to start off the evening. Evoking the sense of a street parade approaching and then receding, it was programatically and musically pedestrian. It might work on the Esplanade or as an encore to cool off an enthusiastic audience that refuses to go home, but it seemed out of place here.
Comment by Bob D. — February 18, 2026 at 1:56 pm
Jim47895, the Thursday evening concert was close to capacity – which has not been the norm this season in the Thursday evening concerts I’ve attended. I’m assuming that the draw was Esa-Pekka Salonen rather than Bruckner’s 4th. It was an exceptional concert overall. I didn’t think Salonen’s Horn Concerto was “dreadful” as Tertullian did – I’ve heard far worse new music – but there wasn’t a lot in it either that made me want to hear it again. I enjoyed the 2nd movement of the concerto the most out of the whole piece.
Comment by Mogulmeister — February 15, 2026 at 8:05 pm
The Salonen Horn Concerto was dreadful. I was tempted to boo at the end of it on Saturday night. A few moments of lush, impressionist harmonies for the strings were buried in self-indulgent meandering.
Comment by Tertullian — February 14, 2026 at 10:11 pm
Regarding which edition is used. The following statement appears on pg. 29 of the program book:
“The score used in these performances is Leopold Nowak’s 1953 edition, which is the 1880 version also incorporating Bruckner’s minor further revisions from 1886.”
I attended the Friday performance and it was a terrific concert from beginning to end. Sad to say there were a lot of empty seats on Friday, but it appears from the website that tonight’s performance is nearly sold out. I’ve never understood the animosity some people seem to feel towards Bruckner’s music, but then those folks probably don’t understand my enthusiasm for it. To each his own I guess.
Comment by jim47895 — February 14, 2026 at 4:09 pm
I heard the Friday concert, and I agree that Mogulmeister that I wasn’t the biggest Salonen fan prior to this concert, this was likely the best live Bruckner performance I ever heard, and it seems like it must have been the Novak edition. In particular, his ability to bring out different key lines of the orchestra, and switch tempi really effectively within the movements kept the through lines of the piece clear, as did Salonen’s deft way of emphasizing musical material from the earlier movements in the 4th movement. Very moving and indeed transcendent Bruckner.
Comment by Music is my soul and solo — February 14, 2026 at 10:06 am
I heard the Friday concert, and I agree that Mogulmeister that I wasn’t the biggest Salonen fan prior to this concert, this was likely the best live Bruckner performance I ever heard, and it seems like it must have been the Novak edition. In particular, his ability to bring out different key lines of the orchestra, and switch tempi really effectively within the movements kept the through lines of the piece clear, as did Salonen’s deft handling
Comment by M — February 14, 2026 at 10:05 am
Meckbesser (love the name!), thanks for your question. There was no format statement of which edition was performed, but I’m almost sure it was the Nowak (which would get my vote as the right edition of B4 to perform). It definitely was not the Haas, and it was almost certainly not the latest edition from Korstvedt which Blomstedt performed a few years ago (there were some weird/unfamiliar touches in the coda right near the end of the 4th movement in the Korstvedt edition which I did not hear Thursday night).
WCRB.com will stream the performance starting in several weeks, so even if you can’t make it to Symphony Hall, you will have a limited period of time in which you can still hear it via their website.
Here’s a question (and I don’t definitely know the answer but can guess): With last night’s performance of Bruckner’s 7th by Ben Zander and the Boston Philharmonic in Symphony Hall, have we ever before had two different Bruckner symphonies performed on two consecutive nights in Symphony Hall?
Comment by Mogulmeister — February 14, 2026 at 9:17 am
Herr Mogulmeister, Thanks for this. Which version was performed? Wish I could’ve heard it.
Speaking of perfect (or imperfect) orchestral balances, last week at Disney Hall I heard the LA Phil under Thomas Adès. Don’t know if it was his doing, or the hall’s, but the brass and percussion were deafening and totally out of proportion in all the works. Very unsettling. Yuja Wang played the Prokofiev second concerto and was actually able to be heard throughout. A remarkable feat.
Comment by Meckbesser — February 14, 2026 at 9:04 am
Anyone who enjoys Bruckner’s 4th symphony would do well to rush to Symphony Hall for the remaining concert Saturday night. To my shock, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the BSO gave an exceptional performance of B4 Thursday night – and frankly it was the finest I’ve ever heard live out of nearly a dozen performances from the likes of Andris Nelsons, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Kurt Masur, Franz Welser-Most, Daniel Barenboim, Bernard Haitink, Herbert Blomstedt, etc. Wow!! It’s clear that Salonen loves this symphony. His interpretation was commanding, reflected a deep understanding the symphony’s arc, and dare I say reached for and achieved the transcendant. His reading was not of the slow-and-steady variety but rather more interventionist, being unafraid to change tempos at times but not jarringly-so. What was most compelling is that while a number of his interpretive choices would not have been ones I would have made were I in his shoes, he was able to convince me of all them except one (discussed ahead), and most importantly – they worked! It was, frankly, masterful.
And so much needs to be said of the BSO’s playing Thursday night. I don’t recall hearing any piece played as well and at such a high level by the BSO as Bruckner’s 4th last night. Honestly, I don’t believe any orchestra could have done better – and that’s not an exaggeration. Across the board, the orchestra was EXCEPTIONAL. Clearly they were enjoying the piece and the conductor, and they gave him 110% of what he asked for. I was particularly enthralled by Salonen’s decision to give the lower strings so much prominence (the cellos and basses). Wow!! Bruckner in general and the 4th symphony in particular is music that begs for resonant lower strings, but so many conductors are unwilling to allow the beautiful rich sounds of the lower strings to anchor the music to the degree Salonen did, and last night it greatly buttressed the overall sound. The brass was on the whole exceptional. And here’s the thing – the BALANCES the orchestra achieved were literally perfect. At no point in the entire performance did I think to myself, ouch. The orchestra was at their considerable best and collectively they hit a grand slam.
My only “problem” with the performance came in the 4th movement, and perhaps this is quibbling, but it was the one fault I would lay at Salonen’s feet. As I hear it, the 4th movement is anchored by three “eruptions” that fail to “break through” to the eternal until the final effort in the extended coda, which ultimately reaches transcendence. There’s an internal logic and momentum that builds throughout the movement, but to my ears in the 3rd “eruption” Salonen dispelled the collective tension built by introducing an accelerando that made the eruption ineffective because it blew right by without sufficient force. For me, this greatly reduced the tension that had been building, and when the final buildup came to the powerful conclusion to the symphony, it lacked the sense of inevitability that one would hear in the greatest performances. That said, one shouldn’t allow one missed opportunity to blow up so much of what had gone right, and I didn’t. The ending was as wonderful as the rest of the performance. An A+++ to everyone on stage last night!!
I’ll admit, I can’t say I’ve been a big fan of Salonen, having heard him live twice and perceiving him more of a showman than anything else. Last night’s performance obliterated that opinion. What was clear was how deeply thought-through the performance was, how much the orchestra respected him and played for him, and how everyone was so committed. And as my husband said to me, “I’ve never seen them orchestra look like they were having as much fun as they seemed to be having.”
What an exceptional evening! Thank you, Maestro Salonen, and the BSO, for a tremendous performance of Bruckner’s 4th symphony. This one instantly goes into permanent memory.
Comment by Mogulmeister — February 13, 2026 at 5:10 pm