If you could conduct for one night

[Brian]

Let's say you are able to be one of the best conductors in the world for a single concert - maybe you've asked a genie, or a fairy or wizard or something, and they have granted you conducting powers to lead any orchestra as you wish, and accompanist skills if you want to be joined by a soloist, for one concert (plus rehearsals). You can't cheat and put on a marathon concert of ten pieces.

So...

what program do you perform?

Bonus question for real snobs  . What orchestra do you lead?

[Scarpia]

Let's say you are able to be one of the best conductors in the world for a single concert - maybe you've asked a genie, or a fairy or wizard or something, and they have granted you conducting powers to lead any orchestra as you wish, and accompanist skills if you want to be joined by a soloist, for one concert (plus rehearsals). You can't cheat and put on a marathon concert of ten pieces.

So...

what program do you perform?

Bonus question for real snobs  . What orchestra do you lead?

That's easy, Bruckner 8, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.  (Or maybe Brahms 4.)

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Concertgebouw Orchestra

Brahms: Tragic Overture
Magnard: Chant funèbre

Interval

Brian: Third Symphony

[MDL]

Ligeti: Requiem

Interval

Mahler: Symphony No.2

With the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the most gorgeous-sounding orchestra in the world.

Or I'd clone another three of me and conduct:

Stockhausen: Carre (for four orchestras and choruses)

(I'm using somebody else's netbook so I'm not sure how to create the accent on the e in Carre. Sorry, Stockhausen.)

[PaulSC]

Brilliant question!

<thinks>

London Sinfonietta

Available Forms I ------------------------------------------------- Earle Brown

Sinfonietta --------------------------------------------------------Leoš Janácek

Transit ----------------------------------------------------- Brian Ferneyhough

[Scarpia]

Brilliant question!

<thinks>

London Sinfonietta

Available Forms I ------------------------------------------------- Earle Brown

Sinfonietta --------------------------------------------------------Leoš Janácek

Transit ----------------------------------------------------- Brian Ferneyhough

The London Sinfonietta has a line-up of 14 trumpets?

[Lethevich]

Janáček - Jealousy Overture
Novák - Lady Godiva
Rachmaninov - The Isle of the Dead
Langgaard - Symphony No.11 'Ixion'

Interval

Brian - Symphony No.27
Irgens-Jensen - Passacaglia

Ideally this would leave the audience wanting to climb a mountain or something, so I certainly can't perform this in England - I'll go with the Bamberger Symphoniker.

[PaulSC]

Brilliant question!

<thinks>

London Sinfonietta

Available Forms I ------------------------------------------------- Earle Brown

Sinfonietta --------------------------------------------------------Leoš Janácek

Transit ----------------------------------------------------- Brian Ferneyhough

The London Sinfonietta has a line-up of 14 trumpets?

There are versions for smaller orchestras. But I didn't realize before looking just now that they appear to be arrangements by third parties, nor are they as compact as I recalled. Let's substitute the Concertino for piano and six instruments...

[Mirror Image]

Oh, I like this question a lot.

I would conduct the Vienna Philharmonic.

The program:

Hindemith: Trauermusik (viola: Yuri Bashmet)
Berg: Violin Concerto (violin: Anne-Sophie Mutter)

Intermission

Mahler: Symphony No. 9 in D major

This will definitely be a night of some serious music-making.

[Scarpia]

There are versions for smaller orchestras. But I didn't realize before looking just now that they appear to be arrangements by third parties, nor are they as compact as I recalled. Let's substitute the Concertino for piano and six instruments...

Why not substitute the London Symphony?

[Antoine Marchand]

Great! Our marathon of "air guitar": 

[snyprrr]

Great! Our marathon of "air guitar": 

BWWAAAAAHHHH!!!!!

[PaulSC]

Why not substitute the London Symphony?

True -- and then I could do Available Forms II...

[snyprrr]

Hommage to Randall Scott

intermission

Sibelius 7

intermission

snyprrr: Improvisation for Grand Orchestra



Actually,... only the Sibelius!

[MishaK]

This is an impossible question.... there is just too much repertoire I'd love to do. And too many orchestras...

I think I would love to do:

Strauss Vier Letzte Lieder
Bruckner 9

But then again, it could be:

Debussy La Mer
Ravel Concerto in G
Brahms 4

Or just simply:

Mahler 2

I could think of a dozen others.

Can't even decide on the orchestra. Maybe Berlin Phil? But not for the Mahler. I love the CSO, but they first need to fill those empty clarinet and double bass principal chairs and retire a few other past-their-prime principals and assistant principal player before I'd take them.  Concertgebouw? Staatskapelle Berlin?

Impossible to choose.

[Scarpia]

Impossible to choose.

You're like that character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail that can't answer when asked his favorite color!

[Drasko]

Choices are endless, a few:

Brahms - 3rd Symphony
****
Bruckner - 9th Symphony (VPO)


Tchaikovsky - Francesca da Rimini
Scriabin - Le Poeme de l'Extase
****
Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances (Mariinsky Orch)


Ravel - La Valse
Martinu - Les Fresques de Piero della francesca
****
Janacek - Sinfonietta (Czech Phil)


Strauss - Horn Concerto No.2 (Baborak or Vlatkovic)
Berg - Lulu Suite (Schaffer or Petibon)
*****
Mahler 4th Symphony (Dresden Staatskapelle)


Krenek - Kafka Motets
Poulenc - Figure Humaine
****
Rachmaninov - All Night Vigil (Estonian Phil. Chamber Choir)

[Cato]

Schoenberg: Gurrelieder with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Using a Lazarus Machine in some cases, the line-up would be:

Siegfried Jerusalem (Waldermar), Hildegard Behrens (Tove), Brigitte Fassbänder (Waldtaube), Matti Salminen (Bauer), Gerhard Stolze (Klaus-Narr), Hans Hotter (Sprecher).

Possible pinch-hitters for Behrens and Hotter: Barbara Bonney and Patrick Stewart   

[MishaK]

You're like that character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail that can't answer when asked his favorite color!

Seems I'm not alone:   

Choices are endless, a few:

Strauss - Horn Concerto No.2 (Baborak or Vlatkovic)

Baborak, hands down! If you have access to the BPO digital concert hall, there is a recent Glière concerto with him, as well as a Strauss Konzertstück with Baborak playing No.1 and Dohr on No.2.

[MishaK]

Possible pinch-hitters for Behrens and Hotter: Barbara Bonney and Patrick Stewart   

You want Stewart reciting German?