What concerts are you looking forward to? (Part II)

[pjme]

I'll have to wait a full year, but on june 21st 2025 the Antwerp SO will perform three Belgo/Flemish works!
Good and rare.... I'll try to be there.

Conductor is Karel Deseure.

Worldpremiere of Danses macabres by Erik Desimpelaere  after Brueghel's  The triumph of death

https://www.erikdesimpelaere.com/Partituren%20composities/Danses-macabres/Danses%20Macabres%20-%20preview.pdf

Denise Tolkowsky's (very muscular) pianoconcerto (1958). The work was written for her husband Alex De Vries (1919-1964)

https://www.svm.be/componisten/tolkowsky-denise?language=en


Daniel Sternefeld's second symphony "Brueghel"

https://www.svm.be/componisten/sternefeld-daniel?language=en (several YT videos with Sternefeld's compositions, including the second symphony).

[ultralinear]

Tonight:

Liszt  Piano Concerto No.2
Bruckner  Symphony No.9

Philharmonia Orchestra
Manfred Honeck conductor
Alexandre Kantorow piano

[Brian]

I've posted a couple times around the board that this week I'll be seeing the Dallas Symphony and conductor Daniele Rustioni do the Casella Symphony No. 2. Unfortunately that's no longer true. At some point in the last few months there was a major program change and artist change, and subscribers with tickets were not informed.

The new program:

Lili Boulanger - D'un matin de printemps
Rachmaninov - Paganini Rhapsody
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15

Andris Poga, conductor
Behzod Abduraimov, piano

The pianist and piano work have not changed. The Boulanger was added, which is cool. But the Shostakovich I am worried about. Not just because I was mentally prepared for a big riotous late romantic extravaganza full of Italian tunes, and am getting...uh...morbid Rossini quotes?  But because many of the hallmarks of DSCH 15 seem perfectly calibrated to touch my partner's sore spots. She's a former oboist and keen classical listener, but she hates long slow stretches, percussion only bits, short snippety cells, and quiet endings.

I think we'll just find out together what happens  but man, to have 2/3s of the program changed with no notice is an annoyance.

[ultralinear]

I've posted a couple times around the board that this week I'll be seeing the Dallas Symphony and conductor Daniele Rustioni do the Casella Symphony No. 2. Unfortunately that's no longer true. At some point in the last few months there was a major program change and artist change, and subscribers with tickets were not informed.

The new program:

Lili Boulanger - D'un matin de printemps
Rachmaninov - Paganini Rhapsody
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15

Andris Poga, conductor
Behzod Abduraimov, piano

The pianist and piano work have not changed. The Boulanger was added, which is cool. But the Shostakovich I am worried about. Not just because I was mentally prepared for a big riotous late romantic extravaganza full of Italian tunes, and am getting...uh...morbid Rossini quotes?  But because many of the hallmarks of DSCH 15 seem perfectly calibrated to touch my partner's sore spots. She's a former oboist and keen classical listener, but she hates long slow stretches, percussion only bits, short snippety cells, and quiet endings.

I think we'll just find out together what happens  but man, to have 2/3s of the program changed with no notice is an annoyance.

Wow that's really annoying.

It happens here quite frequently, and it doesn't matter if the substitute program is "just as good" if it's not what you took the time and expense to book for.  Particularly if what attracted you in the first place was a rarity like the Casella.

Tomorrow night we have an all-Ukrainian program:

Thomas de Hartmann  Selection from La Fleurette Rouge Suite
Anna Korsun  Terricone
Boris Lyatoshinsky  Symphony No.4

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Kirill Karabits  conductor

[Ian]

I've bought tickets for all these upcoming Orchestre Philharmonique Royale de Liège performances:

November 16th
BERLIOZ, Symphonie fantastique


January 10th
RAVEL, Rapsodie espagnole
RAVEL, Concerto en sol
STRAVINSKY, Le sacre du printemps


February 14th
RAVEL, Valses nobles et sentimentales
PROKOFIEV, Concerto pour piano n° 3
MOUSSORGSKI / RAVEL, Tableaux d'une exposition


April 25th
LALO, Symphonie espagnole
SAINT-SAËNS, Symphonie n° 3 « avec orgue »


May 8th
DELIUS, The Walk to the Paradise Garden
YSAŸE, Poème nocturne
DVOŘÁK, Symphonie no 9 « du Nouveau Monde »

[Florestan]

Yesterday night I greatly enjoyed this concert:



I believe there is no need for translation other than Seară = Evening and Tricornul = The Three-Cornered Hat.

Next I'll attend this, on May 31:



(The Stravinsky work is The Firebird)

[brewski]

I think we'll just find out together what happens  but man, to have 2/3s of the program changed with no notice is an annoyance.

Wow. Yesterday I heard from a friend in Missouri who is in Dallas for the same concert, but I didn't know to ask if he had originally made plans because of the previous program. He seemed excited by the Shostakovich (I would be, too) but true: quite a 180 turn from the original menu. Would love to hear your comments, in any case. I have heard that Boulanger live twice in the last year or so, thanks to the advocacy of conductor Thomas Søndergård, and it's worth a spot in the rotation.

-Bruce

[brewski]

Tomorrow night we have an all-Ukrainian program:

Thomas de Hartmann  Selection from La Fleurette Rouge Suite
Anna Korsun  Terricone
Boris Lyatoshinsky  Symphony No.4

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Kirill Karabits  conductor

Wow, speaking of rarities! I know of Lyatoshinsky but haven't heard any of his works, and don't know the other two at all. Hope it's as fascinating as it appears on paper.

-Bruce

[Brian]

Karabits brought Korsun to a half-Ukrainian program in Dallas last fall, along with a work by Victoria Poleva. I missed it, sorry to say - to sell tickets the rest of the program was Richard Strauss. An all-Ukrainian night sounds fascinating! And without the help of Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2 as a possible ticket seller.

[VonStupp]

Gustav Mahler: Symphony 2
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

I was supposed to see this next weekend, but ended up with a possible concussion, so it may not be possible.

Esa-Pekka Salonen was originally leading this performance, but I think he backed out of engagements recently. Have never seen Järvi live.
VS

[ultralinear]

Karabits brought Korsun to a half-Ukrainian program in Dallas last fall, along with a work by Victoria Poleva. I missed it, sorry to say - to sell tickets the rest of the program was Richard Strauss. An all-Ukrainian night sounds fascinating! And without the help of Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2 as a possible ticket seller.

It's part of a one-day Voices from The East presentation:

1pm  Azerbaijan & Turkmenistan

    Franghiz Ali-Zadeh Nagillar (Fairy Tales)
    Nurymov Symphony No.2
    Garayev Selection from Seven Beauties Ballet Suite

4pm  Georgia & Armenia

    Kancheli Styx for viola, chorus & orchestra
    Terterian Symphony No.3

7:30pm  Ukraine  program as above

A younger me would have gone to all of them, but nowadays I tend to just pick one to focus my energies on.   I've already heard both Lyatoshinsky 2nd & 3rd symphonies in concert, so am looking forward to adding the 4th.

[ultralinear]

Wow, speaking of rarities! I know of Lyatoshinsky but haven't heard any of his works, and don't know the other two at all. Hope it's as fascinating as it appears on paper.

-Bruce

The 2nd & 3rd are more modernist - in style if not date - which generally I prefer.  By the time of the 4th the hammer of Socialist Realism had come down hard, so what you tend to get is program music - but it's still pretty good stuff.  A bit like Shostakovich 11th - wouldn't be my first choice, but very happy to give it a listen.

[ultralinear]

Gustav Mahler: Symphony 2
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

I was supposed to see this next weekend, but ended up with a possible concussion, so it may not be possible.

Esa-Pekka Salonen was originally leading this performance, but I think he backed out of engagements recently. Have never seen Järvi live.
VS

Sorry to hear that, it looks like a great concert if you were able to make it.  

I've never seen Neeme Järvi in performance either, though I have seen Paavo a fair few times, also Krystjan.

I have tickets for MTT conducting the Resurrection in October, though whether anything comes of that seems a bit of a long shot, indeed I thought so even when making the booking.  

[Brian]

It's part of a one-day Voices from The East presentation:

1pm  Azerbaijan & Turkmenistan

    Franghiz Ali-Zadeh Nagillar (Fairy Tales)
    Nurymov Symphony No.2
    Garayev Selection from Seven Beauties Ballet Suite

4pm  Georgia & Armenia

    Kancheli Styx for viola, chorus & orchestra
    Terterian Symphony No.3

7:30pm  Ukraine  program as above

A younger me would have gone to all of them, but nowadays I tend to just pick one to focus my energies on.   I've already heard both Lyatoshinsky 2nd & 3rd symphonies in concert, so am looking forward to adding the 4th.

Wow, what a day! A younger me would have done 'em all as well. I know the Garayev/Karayev from disc, it is opulent Hollywoody exotica.

Neeme Jarvi live is not exactly a thriller - when we were subscribers in Detroit he had health problems and had to sit down most of the time - but he is at least no-nonsense. He had recovered fully by the last time I saw him, in 2010, leading the London Philharmonic in Dvorak's Te Deum and Stabat Mater. The latter was released on CD but they omitted the former, which was too bad as it was a very lively performance.

[VonStupp]

Neeme Jarvi live is not exactly a thriller - when we were subscribers in Detroit he had health problems and had to sit down most of the time - but he is at least no-nonsense. He had recovered fully by the last time I saw him, in 2010, leading the London Philharmonic in Dvorak's Te Deum and Stabat Mater. The latter was released on CD but they omitted the former, which was too bad as it was a very lively performance.

I know he is not getting any younger, just like the rest of us; hopefully he is doing well. 

I had a friend stop in for a CSO concert not too far back with Blomstedt conducting, also needing to sit. Apparently, there were a lot of sick players out, with a fair number of civic replacements. He was less than thrilled with the results.
VS

[Florestan]

(The Stravinsky work is The Firebird)

@ritter

El pájaro de fuego and Pasărea de foc --- find the essential linguistic differences.

Well, here they are.

1. In Spanish el pájaro is a male noun --- el. In Romanian it's a female noun --- pasărea. Cf. the Portuguese female definite article a: a rua, a republica.

2. In Soanish, the definite article is put in front of, and distinct from, the noun --- in Romanian it's put at the end of, and linked with, the noun. El lobo --- lupul

3. Foc is the same in Romanian as in Catalan (sorry!)

3a. Catalan is closer to Romanian than Castellano (sorry!).

4. This one is tricky but I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Spanish llegar > Latin plicare (English to arrive): military command to fold the sails of a ship because arriving to port.

Romanian a pleca > Latin plicare (English to leave, to depart): military command to fold the tent because leaving the camp.

4. Most interesting factoid: English and Romanian are the only two Indo-European languages that express the infinitive by two words; for instance: English to write, Romanian a scrie. Spanish escribir, Italian scrivere, French ecrir, German schreiben.

5. Romanian is the only Romance language that has preserved the vocative case. In Spanish, if you call out Juan, it's Juan!. In Romanian Juan is Ion or Ioan but if you call them out it's Ioane!. My name is Andrei but if you call me out you say Andreie!

Cf. Latin Non dolet, Paete!

[ritter]

Very interesting, Andrei. Thanks.

I'm just back home after attending, as announced upthread, a performance  at the Teatro Real here in Madrid of "the greatest work of genius ever achieved by any artist in any field of human endeavour" (Ignacy Jan Paderewski dixit) composed by the "dullest, most boring, pompous, bombastic and overrated composer ever" ( @Florestan dixit  ).

Laurent Pelly's staging was efficient but not memorable and slightly drab, Gerald Finley a superb Sachs, Jongmin Park an imposing Pogner, Leigh Melrose a compelling Beckmesser, and I was very favourably impressed by Tomislav Mužek as Stolzing (he had received generally negative reviews). I found the ladies at a significantly lower level, so I will not name them.

But this was Pablo Heras-Casado's triumph. His conducting was masterful; he squeezed every last drop of the contrapuntal riches of this miraculous score, his pacing was perfect, and the dynamics were very judicious (only on a couple of occasions would the orchestra drown the voices, and the fortissimo rendition of the "Wachet auf!" chorus in Act III was perhaps a bit extreme, but this was clearly an interpretative choice). Really world-class Wagner conducting... 

I know that Paderewski's opinion on Die Meistersinger is an exaggeration, but only slightly so  . What a fabulous work it is, in any event!

[Florestan]

I know that Paderewski's opinion on Die Meistersinger is an exaggeration, but only slightly so  .

Well, exactly so is my opinion on Wagner. 

(sorry, my friend, couldn't resist...)

[Brian]

Lili Boulanger - D'un matin de printemps
Rachmaninov - Paganini Rhapsody
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15

This turned out to be quite a good night indeed despite my irritation with the massive program change. The first half was lovely - the Boulanger piece is a delightful miniature (so small, they had already brought the piano onstage in preparation). Abduraimov fully lived up to the expectations I had based on his recordings, with plenty of power, beauty that didn't turn sentimental, and a slight flexibility of pulse at times that was very tastefully applied (he chose both times where it sounded appropriate, and times where a slight deviation would not confuse the orchestra). The encore was one of the least generous encores I have ever heard, hardly worth his walk back onstage: a transcription of the trumpet solo "Danse napolitaine" from Swan Lake, but without the faster bit being repeated, and entirely without the orchestral tutti section at the end. It was probably about 70 seconds long.

The Shostakovich is a wild piece and it is also wild to see live, unless you have a deep familiarity with it, I imagine. He ignores so many traditional rules of orchestration that you don't know when the brass section is going to suddenly burst in, or when the strings will go pizzicato. Afterwards we talked about how we'd each been thinking, while listening to whatever desolate quiet solo section, "huh, this is a strange time for the tuba player to be getting ready!"

I have to tip my cap to Andris Poga, a Latvian conductor who used to lead Latvia's national orchestra and now leads the Stavanger Symphony. (EDIT: It looks like I've heard several of his Ondine albums without remembering his name, and he recorded Weinberg and Dutilleux with cellist Edgar Moreau.) He looks a little like a guy you'd avoid in a bar - big and hulking and with an intimidating forehead - but he has a very delicate, light podium technique, all in the wrists, and his motions are clear and clean. Even better, he didn't indulge himself in any nonsense or weirdness leading the Shostakovich, because the piece has plenty already. Movement timings were about 8, 16, 4:30, 16:15 = 44:45. Performance seemed plenty direct and the very ending landed with great satisfaction, like a key finally opening a lock.

The second-movement cello solo was very ugly, which I imagine is the composer's intention rather than the performer's mistake - the orchestra was on top form - but my partner said she didn't like the "dying cat part." The rest she was cool with and enjoyed following along, so that's good. She laughed at every William Tell quote. I had trepidation with the work being fairly gnarly, but I needn't have feared!

Gerald Finley a superb Sachs,

I believe the one time I have "seen" Meistersinger "live" - a livestream long before livestreaming became the norm, from Glyndebourne in 2011 - Gerald Finley was the Sachs as well. What a happy combination of beautiful voice, skilled acting, and the ability to stay on form for an entire, extremely long evening. The listeners had more time off; during one of the intermissions I was able to cook dinner 

Obviously it has been quite some time, but I remember the music being spectacular and the story also being engaging until the nationalist "message" lectures. Just looked up my GMG post about it and it focused on a very trivial detail, hah!