Osmo-sis

Osmo Vanska is getting a lot of attention these days for his revitalization of the Minnesota Orchestra. And why not? His performances are generating excitement, he's brought them into the recording studio, and he's a hockey fan (occasionally seen at Minnesota Wild games).

His Beethoven cycle, on the Bis label, with the Minnesotans has been celebrated, so I took the opportunity the other night to check out the Eroica. There's no doubt that he has worked wonders with the orchestra: they sound marvelous. As for Vanska's reading, he went for clarity and balance. From an architectonic point of view, it was impeccable. He essentially grouped the movements into three sections of roughly equal length (the scherzo and finale having the weight of a single unit, even if not performed that way).

That sense of proportion was evident within each movement as well; nothing was distended or distorted. But Vanska didn't apply a straitjacket to the rhythm either.

I thought, though, that the recording was a disappointment. Balance and proportion are nice in Mendelsohn. But this is Beethoven. There was too little edginess; the catharsis of the last movement failed to come off. I didn't hear any creative risks--or, for that matter, anything so new or unique as to justify yet another recording of this familiar music.