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

[Solitary Wanderer]

Yeah, he's a hottie. The Capuçon brothers should play in the Brahms Double. That would be quite interesting. I wonder if any concert agency has thought of that?

Heres the story http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=10445266

[Sergeant Rock]

Oooh! Dutoit does a stunning Sheherazade. He just conducted that here in Chicago a few months ago and it was easily the best I have heard live.

You were right, O. It was absolutely stunning. Dutoit surprised me, though. I thought we'd get a fast, supercharged Sheherazade but the first movement reminded me...don't laugh...of Celibidache's version. It was immense, and slow, which is how I picture the sea and is the way I like this music to go (favorite versions are Rostropovich and Celi). The Dresden brass lived up to their reputation. Among the wind soloists, the gentleman wearing the 60s do, playing the clarinet, was especially memorable. Only one complaint:  even though the build-up to it was thrilling, the actual shipwreck in the Finale was underwhelming.

Lisa Batiashvili called in sick and we heard instead Boris Belkin in the Prokofiev G minor. I've never heard him live and I own few recordings, but his Tchaikovsky with Ashkenazy has long been my favorite so it was interesting to finally see him. He played the concerto flawlessly. It must be part of him now.

Dutoit's Mother Goose was excellent of course and the delicacy of the Dresden band was quite breathtaking.

Sarge

[MishaK]

You were right, O. It was absolutely stunning. Dutoit surprised me, though. I thought we'd get a fast, supercharged Sheherazade but the first movement reminded me...don't laugh...of Celibidache's version. It was immense, and slow, which is how I picture the sea and is the way I like this music to go (favorite versions are Rostropovich and Celi). The Dresden brass lived up to their reputation. Among the wind soloists, the gentleman wearing the 60s do, playing the clarinet, was especially memorable. Only one complaint:  even though the build-up to it was thrilling, the actual shipwreck in the Finale was underwhelming.

Lisa Batiashvili called in sick and we heard instead Boris Belkin in the Prokofiev G minor. I've never heard him live and I own few recordings, but his Tchaikovsky with Ashkenazy has long been my favorite so it was interesting to finally see him. He played the concerto flawlessly. It must be part of him now.

Dutoit's Mother Goose was excellent of course and the delicacy of the Dresden band was quite breathtaking.

Sarge, thanks for the report. Good to hear Dutoit lived up to expectations.

[Choo Choo]

Putting together a wedding-anniversary trip to Vienna in November, found a 5-day period when there's:

Day #1:  Musikverein - Cleveland Orchestra in Bruckner #9 (Welser-Möst)
Day #2:  Musikverein - Cleveland Orchestra in Mahler #2 (Welser-Möst)
Day #3:  Staatsoper - Tosca (Carignani)
Day #4:  Musikverein - BRSO in Bruckner #7 (Jansons)
Day #5:  Staatsoper - Queen Of Spades (Ozawa)

Just as well the wife likes music, really ... or I'd have had to go on my own.

[MishaK]

Day #1:  Musikverein - Cleveland Orchestra in Bruckner #9 (Welser-Möst)
Day #2:  Musikverein - Cleveland Orchestra in Mahler #2 (Welser-Möst)
Day #3:  Staatsoper - Tosca (Carignani)
Day #4:  Musikverein - BRSO in Bruckner #7 (Jansons)
Day #5:  Staatsoper - Queen Of Spades (Ozawa)

Wow! That sounds great. BTW, Carignani, in case you don't know him, is GMD at the Frankfurt Opera. Should be very good. I have heard him there a couple of times when I was still living in Frankfurt.

[Sergeant Rock]

Putting together a wedding-anniversary trip to Vienna in November, found a 5-day period when there's:

Day #1:  Musikverein - Cleveland Orchestra in Bruckner #9 (Welser-Möst)
Day #2:  Musikverein - Cleveland Orchestra in Mahler #2 (Welser-Möst)
Day #3:  Staatsoper - Tosca (Carignani)
Day #4:  Musikverein - BRSO in Bruckner #7 (Jansons)
Day #5:  Staatsoper - Queen Of Spades (Ozawa)

I now know where I'm going to be in November.

Sarge

[Choo Choo]

Wow! That sounds great. BTW, Carignani, in case you don't know him, is GMD at the Frankfurt Opera. Should be very good. I have heard him there a couple of times when I was still living in Frankfurt.

No, I don't know him at all.  That's good to hear.  Thanks.

The only thing I'm not totally happy about is Welser-Möst, whom I've seen/heard several times now, and TBH haven't been all that impressed - but the chance to hear the Clevelanders in those two is too good to miss (and he has to be good at something, right?)

There's also Gardiner with the Orchestre Révolutionaire and the Monteverdi Choir doing Ein deutsches Requiem at the Konzerthaus a couple of days later ... and Norrington conducting the Camerata Salzburg (excellent band) with Jonathan Biss in a series of Wagner / Beethoven / Brahms programmes ... just spoiled for choice.

[Choo Choo]

I now know where I'm going to be in November.

Sarge

Excellent.  I know some good places to eat.

(I envy you your Staatskapelle Dresden concert.  Never heard them live yet.)

[Choo Choo]

Actually the concert which excites me the most is the BRSO / Jansons Bruckner #7.  If this were anyone else then I wouldn't bother - I really don't need yet another B7 - but I saw Jansons conduct the Concertgebouw in B3 this February - and for a piece that I thought I knew well, it was astounding.  Not just the best Bruckner #3 I've heard - or even the best Bruckner I've heard - but damn near the best anything I've heard.  I admire Jansons enormously.  Can't wait to hear what he does with #7  - and with the BRSO! - in the Musikverein!  We are in sell-a-kidney territory here.

[Drasko]

Actually the concert which excites me the most is the BRSO / Jansons Bruckner #7.  If this were anyone else then I wouldn't bother - I really don't need yet another B7 - but I saw Jansons conduct the Concertgebouw in B3 this February - and for a piece that I thought I knew well, it was astounding.  Not just the best Bruckner #3 I've heard - or even the best Bruckner I've heard - but damn near the best anything I've heard.  I admire Jansons enormously.  Can't wait to hear what he does with #7  - and with the BRSO! - in the Musikverein!  We are in sell-a-kidney territory here.

Then here's something for an appetiser:

Anton Bruckner: Symphonie Nr. 4 Es-dur
Aufnahme am 2. April 2004 beim Luzerner Osterfestival im Kultur- und
Kongresszentrum
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Mariss Jansons
Digital Satellite broadcast
http://rapidshare.com/files/34614490/Jansons_Bru4.zip.001
http://rapidshare.com/files/34620769/Jansons_Bru4.zip.002.

[Choo Choo]

Thank you for that.  I'm onto it.

[MishaK]

Then here's something for an appetiser:

Anton Bruckner: Symphonie Nr. 4 Es-dur
Aufnahme am 2. April 2004 beim Luzerner Osterfestival im Kultur- und
Kongresszentrum
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Mariss Jansons
Digital Satellite broadcast
http://rapidshare.com/files/34614490/Jansons_Bru4.zip.001
http://rapidshare.com/files/34620769/Jansons_Bru4.zip.002.

Thank you! Hvala! Danke!

[Steve]

CSO, Beethoven's 9th (June 23rd)

Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Annalena Persson, soprano
Ingeborg Danz, mezzo-soprano
Robert Künzl, tenor
Matthias Goerne, bass
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, chorus director

[Brewski]

We are in sell-a-kidney territory here.

I'll be using that quote...

Seriously, that line-up of concerts sounds amazing.  (I guess we don't have a "jealous" icon.)  I am becoming a big fan of Welser-Möst, based on the orchestra's appearances at Carnegie the last few years.  And I heard Jansons in three concerts with the BRSO last fall in three concerts, all excellent.

--Bruce

[Solitary Wanderer]

Okay, had this concert last night:

NZSO
DVORÁK Cello Concerto
NIELSEN Helios Overture
NIELSEN Symphony No 4 The Inextinguishable

FEATURED ARTISTS
ARVO VOLMER Conductor
GAUTIER CAPUÇON Cello

It was a less than full town hall; maybe the Nielsen scared them off

They opened with the Helios Overture which I was unfamiliar with but this didn't hinder my enjoyment of this wonderful piece. The opening deep cellos and basses with the horn calls reminded me of Wagner. The build in the middle with the whole orchestra was spine tingleling stuff and the contrapuntal section with the strings was fascinating.

Next up was the featured soloist with Dvoraks beautiful cello concerto. Capucon looks very young [25] and I wondered if he had the [life] experience to bring the piece to life. Turned out he was an exceptional player and interpreter bringing lots of nuance and power to what at times is a difficult work to play. The ending was suitably uplifting and inspiring. He did a brief encore of a humorous piece featuring lots of pizzicatto and 'hammer-on' technique. It was quite slight really. Note: Hes grown his hair quite long and had to keep sweeping it out of his eyes during the performance. When he was given his bouquet at the end he made a big effort to struggle through the orchestra to present the flowers to the pretty, young flautist

After interval we were treated to the NZSO's first ever performance of Neilsen's epic Symphony #4. I found I enjoyed 'seeing' this work more than just 'hearing' it. I could appreciate the grinding dissonances of the opposing keys and the call and response of the flute and horn and of course the titantic timpani 'duel' in the final section. The duel was very exciting with both players thwacking the heck out of their instruments and creating a massive feeling of power or 'life-force'.

Overall another thrilling live performance from the NZSO. Bravo!

[Sergeant Rock]

The only thing I'm not totally happy about is Welser-Möst...

I am becoming a big fan of Welser-Möst, based on the orchestra's appearances at Carnegie the last few years.

I haven't heard W-M live very often but did hear him conduct a Bruckner Seventh (with the LPO). Although he played it faster than I normally like, he won me over by the end--and the coda was thrilling...probably better than I've ever heard it before. On that basis, I'm having no second thoughts about that Bruckner Ninth.

Sarge

[Steve]

Okay, had this concert last night:

NZSO
DVORÁK Cello Concerto
NIELSEN Helios Overture
NIELSEN Symphony No 4 The Inextinguishable

FEATURED ARTISTS
ARVO VOLMER Conductor
GAUTIER CAPUÇON Cello

It was a less than full town hall; maybe the Nielsen scared them off

They opened with the Helios Overture which I was unfamiliar with but this didn't hinder my enjoyment of this wonderful piece. The opening deep cellos and basses with the horn calls reminded me of Wagner. The build in the middle with the whole orchestra was spine tingleling stuff and the contrapuntal section with the strings was fascinating.

Next up was the featured soloist with Dvoraks beautiful cello concerto. Capucon looks very young [25] and I wondered if he had the [life] experience to bring the piece to life. Turned out he was an exceptional player and interpreter bringing lots of nuance and power to what at times is a difficult work to play. The ending was suitably uplifting and inspiring. He did a brief encore of a humorous piece featuring lots of pizzicatto and 'hammer-on' technique. It was quite slight really. Note: Hes grown his hair quite long and had to keep sweeping it out of his eyes during the performance. When he was given his bouquet at the end he made a big effort to struggle through the orchestra to present the flowers to the pretty, young flautist

After interval we were treated to the NZSO's first ever performance of Neilsen's epic Symphony #4. I found I enjoyed 'seeing' this work more than just 'hearing' it. I could appreciate the grinding dissonances of the opposing keys and the call and response of the flute and horn and of course the titantic timpani 'duel' in the final section. The duel was very exciting with both players thwacking the heck out of their instruments and creating a massive feeling of power or 'life-force'.

Overall another thrilling live performance from the NZSO. Bravo!

So you're expectations were met? Preparing for this concert by listening to Rostropovich certainly must have created some truly high expectations, indeed.

[Solitary Wanderer]

So you're expectations were met? Preparing for this concert by listening to Rostropovich certainly must have created some truly high expectations, indeed.

Well, the Dvorak wasn't quite as engaging as it could have been but it was still excellent The Neilsen was the highlight for me

[Brewski]

Okay, had this concert last night:

NZSO
DVORÁK Cello Concerto
NIELSEN Helios Overture
NIELSEN Symphony No 4 The Inextinguishable

FEATURED ARTISTS
ARVO VOLMER Conductor
GAUTIER CAPUÇON Cello

It was a less than full town hall; maybe the Nielsen scared them off

I hope people were energized by the Nielsen and want to hear more!  He seems very underplayed in the United States: I've heard the Helios once, I think, and the symphony maybe once, too.  (And that symphony is the most popular of the six.)

Thanks for that great report.

--Bruce

[toledobass]

I haven't heard W-M live very often but did hear him conduct a Bruckner Seventh (with the LPO). Although he played it faster than I normally like, he won me over by the end--and the coda was thrilling...probably better than I've ever heard it before. On that basis, I'm having no second thoughts about that Bruckner Ninth.

Sarge

He always seems to take swifter tempos than most.  I've enjoyed lots of his stuff this year but he just butchered Rosenkavalier.  I'll be trying to hear the Bruckner and Mahler here in Cleveland though. 

Allan