Grant Park Symphony Streaming Live - RVW, Nielsen, Martinu

[TheGSMoeller]

Tonight on www.wfmt.com the Grant Park Symphony will be streaming live from the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago at 6:30pm central time (7:30pm eastern). Clarinetist Martin Frost is the guest soloist with Carlos Kalmar conducting.


WHEN
Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 6:30pm – 8:15pm

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Grant Park Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor
Martin Fröst, Clarinet

Vaughan-Williams: Symphony No. 5
Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto
Martinu: Thunderbolt P47

[Karl Henning]

Incidentally, Martinů wrote that piece on Cape Cod in 1945.

[Sergeant Rock]

Martinu: Thunderbolt P47

My favorite WWII-era fighter plane. I'll have hear that 

Sarge

[Superhorn]

  Interesting program ! Not a single warhorse on it. (Not that I hve anything against warhorses, it's just great to see off-beat programming ).

[Karl Henning]

My favorite WWII-era fighter plane. I'll have hear that 

Sarge

Sez Wikipedia:

. . . the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single piston engine.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

  Interesting program ! Not a single warhorse on it.

I just got back from it. Despite the lack of warhorses, there were tons of people there, many of them young, just enjoying the music. Of course, it also helps that these concerts are free.

I don't have a whole lot to say about the RVW 5, except it reminded me of my old Boult recording, which is a good thing in my book. I was glad that Kalmar took the finale at a faster clip than I'm used to, it really wound up the symphony nicely, no mush in this interpretation. (I think he's recorded it recently, too.)

The Nielsen benefited from some spectacular playing by Martin Fröst, tonight's featured soloist. A fascinating piece this, with Nielsen's trademark personalization of instruments and ensuing conflict. As an encore, Fröst played his own improvisation on a theme of Malcolm Arnold (no, I didn't recognize it).

And the Martinu piece capped things perfectly - a big stand-alone orchestral scherzo, easily the loudest and most extrovert thing on the program, representing that strange 20th-c. genre, music inspired by machines.

So a terrific offbeat program, well played and the audience loved it. The only downside was some traffic noise coming off Michigan Ave., and a bird which insisted on chirping during the slow movement of the VW 5.

[Mirror Image]

And the Martinu piece capped things perfectly - a big stand-alone orchestral scherzo, easily the loudest and most extrovert thing on the program, representing that strange 20th-c. genre, music inspired by machines.

This was quite an unusual, and great, choice for a work on a concert program. Thumbs up for Kalmar for even performing this little-heard work from Martinu. It's certainly a fun work to listen to. I wish more conductors would put more Martinu on their concert programs. You just don't get to hear his music enough.

[Parsifal]

My favorite WWII-era fighter plane. I'll have hear that 

Also my favorite, appropriately nicknamed "the jug" if I recall correctly.


Basically an engine with fins.

[Sergeant Rock]

Also my favorite, appropriately nicknamed "the jug" if I recall correctly.


Basically an engine with fins.

One story I recall about the plane: A P-47 was badly shot up in a dogfight with a Focke-Wulf 190. It could still fly, limping along, but couldn't maneuver or fight back. So the pilot just pointed its nose towards England and prayed. The 190 kept attacking, putting shell after shell into the Jug. At one point, realizing it couldn't fight back, the German pilot flew right alongside it, surveying the damage, shaking his head in disbelief that he hadn't downed it yet. He made another attack and finally ran out of ammo. At that point, he flew up beside it again, saluted, and flew off. The Jug made it home 

Sarge