Some of my colleagues have professed themselves dazzled by these performances, and in many respects they are impressive. There is no question that Pablo Heras-Casado gets outstanding playing from the Freiburger Barockorchester at speeds in the outer movements of both symphonies that are pretty terrifying. However, I am not convinced that they couldn’t do as well without him, or with Thomas Dausgaard, or Thomas Fey, or Paavo Järvi, or René Jacobs, or David Zinman, or any of the numerous conductors today who adopt that vaguely generic, “historically informed” approach to music of the classical period.
The truth is that most young conductors are not like young violinists or pianists; they are not “virtuosos”. They stand before a crowd of musicians any one of whom likely has far more experience and musical knowledge than they do, and they take credit for the collective noise. It may be decades before their individuality emerges. This relative anonymity is compounded by the period instrument approach, the basic modalities of which evolved before conductors as we understand the term even existed. The lack of breadth in the slow movements, the terraced dynamics, swift tempos, and general dearth of lyrical expression are all of a type. It may be extremely well done, as here, but it’s still a type.
So I enjoyed these performances for their excitement and drive, but anyone who finds evidence of podium genius in them is hallucinating. I give Heras-Casado full credit for drawing excellent results from an already very well-seasoned band of professionals, without offering anything particularly distinctive or thoughtful about the music. Harmonia Mundi’s sonics are excellent, the notes arrogant in their seeming denial of the fact that this music has been standard repertoire for about a century. It would be interesting to hear Heras-Casado in repertoire that gives him greater opportunity to assert an individual point of view.
