Over the years, one learns to take Roger Norrington's rethinkings of the symphonic repertoire on a case-by-case basis rather than accept them as a world-view. His stripped-down, vibrato-free approach is sometimes revelatory, as it was here three years ago in Mahler's Ninth Symphony with his Stuttgart RSO players, and it's never less than highly interesting. Sometimes, though, it can all seem a bit too self-regarding, which was the problem with Norrington's approach to the main work this time, Dvořák's New World Symphony.
First, though, was Beethoven's Eighth, a Norrington speciality and favourite, wonderfully suited to his clean-off-the-barnacles approach and to his twinkly octogenarian naughtiness. The quick tempos and wide dynamics were exhilarating, with the gruff vigour of the basses, all in a line at the back, and the rasping horns helping to put the vibratoless higher strings in their place. The allegretto danced and the minuet had an infectious lilt, while the final allegro would have had Usain Bolt panting for breath.
A single orchestral movement, Romeo Alone, from Berlioz's unclassifiable Romeo and Juliet came next. The exploratory tonality of the violin line at the start was hauntingly poetic, while conductor and players revelled in Berlioz's sound painting as the Capulet ball swung into action. The attention to dynamics was exemplary. This was Norringtonism at its most persuasive.
The Dvořák was in too many ways the opposite. It started convincingly enough, and there were times, almost without number, when this or that previously overlooked detail, dab of colour, or crisp phrase came up freshly minted. The quietness at the heart of the largo was striking, though surely too theatrical. Overall, however, the brass-heavy balance squeezed too much of the Czech lilt out of the symphony, while Norrington's exaggerated changes of speed worked against a sense of unity. By the final allegro, the disjointed tinkering and accelerations had become irritating. Norrington is one of most important conductors of our era, but this was not one of the great man's better efforts.
• The Proms continue until 13 September. Details: bbc.co.uk/proms.
