Music Reviews : Sanderling Returns for Masterly Bruckner

At 78, Kurt Sanderling must be one of the last great romantic magicians. He has been enchanting Los Angeles--and the Los Angeles Philharmonic--as a frequent guest since 1984.

In an age that favors flash over introspection, Sanderling remains a wondrous anachronism. He conducts the music, not the audience. He is a poet first, a technician second.

He always is a reassuring, authoritative presence on the podium at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Sometimes, however, it takes a while for his special old-school magic to work.

It took a while on Thursday.

The Philharmonic, returning from a week’s vacation, sounded a bit rusty. Sanderling, appearing for the first time this season, seemed a bit subdued.

The evening began badly. Miriam Fried brought small, wiry tone and mechanical phrasing to the ethereal cantilena of Mozart’s A-major Violin Concerto, K.219. Sanderling and a suitably reduced orchestra provided perfunctory support. Apart from some lovely pianissimo passages in the adagio, charm and finesse were scarce.

Relative relief came after an early intermission, in the sprawling form of Bruckner’s mighty Symphony No. 4. It would be less than realistic to claim that the performance mustered the heroic force or brash precision that Zubin Mehta achieved in this challenge during his finest hours. But Sanderling’s kinder, gentler perspective proved equally persuasive, and in matters of historical style, it may be more authentic.

Using the Nowak edition, the German visitor stressed Bruckner’s lyricism and brushed past the bombast. He lingered over subtle details and held the massive climaxes in check. Throughout the 75-minute odyssey, he deftly balanced the folksy and the monumental, unraveled melodic knots and sustained natural momentum.

The orchestra responded to his knowing leadership with splendor that increased with each movement. One could bemoan a botched entry here and a bobbled solo there. Nevertheless, the architectural logic, the linear clarity and dynamic scope of Sanderling’s interpretation minimized the passing blemishes.

This “Romantic” Symphony wasn’t particularly taut or tidy. No matter. It was poignant and powerful, majestic and mellow.

Even under imperfect conditions, Sanderling retains the master’s touch.