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

[Opus106]

Wednesday, December 7

Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest

Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI

Istanbul. Dimitrie Cantemir: "La livre de la science de la musique" et les traditions musicales sepharades et armeniennes

How I wish I could fly to Budapest Bucharest for the concert.

[Florestan]

How I wish I could fly to Budapest Bucharest for the concert.

Naughty, naughty, Nav!   

I can hardly wait for it. I have the CD but I am eager to hear it live.

[Opus106]

Naughty, naughty, Nav!   

I can hardly wait for it. I have the CD but I am eager to hear it live.

I'm a fan of that CD as well.

[springrite]

On Friday at the National Art Center by Tiananmen Square:

Czech Philharmonic doing the Mahler 6!

I just came home from the worst concert performance I have ever experienced, including high school and community orchestras. Claus Peter Flor obviously either did not care or had no clue whatsoever. The orchestra had little or no rehearsal. During the ninety minutes with no focus, purpose, direction, cohesiveness or conviction, the conductor danced around like a buffoon while members of the orchestra played either tentatively or hurriedly, each trying to find their place with varying degrees of success. Sometimes entire sections miss their entrance such as the brass in the coda of the first movement! The beginning of the last movement everyone was so tentative it became bad chamber music with percussion. How can the great name of The Czech Philharmonics be allowed to be ruined like this? It was ridiculous, sickening, disgusting, embarrassing and bordering on criminal!

[Opus106]

Oh, my!

[Karl Henning]

Woof!

[madaboutmahler]

I just came home from the worst concert performance I have ever experienced, including high school and community orchestras. Claus Peter Flor obviously either did not care or had no clue whatsoever. The orchestra had little or no rehearsal. During the ninety minutes with no focus, purpose, direction, cohesiveness or conviction, the conductor danced around like a buffoon while members of the orchestra played either tentatively or hurriedly, each trying to find their place with varying degrees of success. Sometimes entire sections miss their entrance such as the brass in the coda of the first movement! The beginning of the last movement everyone was so tentative it became bad chamber music with percussion. How can the great name of The Czech Philharmonics be allowed to be ruined like this? It was ridiculous, sickening, disgusting, embarrassing and bordering on criminal!

Oh dear....

I imagine if I had been there, hearing my favourite piece of all time being tortured like you describe, I would have jumped onto the stage, grabbed the hammer, and hit every single musician with it.... Nothing beats seeing the hammer live - surely that was ok?!

[springrite]

Oh dear....

I imagine if I had been there, hearing my favourite piece of all time being tortured like you describe, I would have jumped onto the stage, grabbed the hammer, and hit every single musician with it.... Nothing beats seeing the hammer live - surely that was ok?!

Please just hit the conductor, and do so multiple times.

Btw, the hammer was the only instrument that entered properly each time.

[madaboutmahler]

Please just hit the conductor, and do so multiple times.

Btw, the hammer was the only instrument that entered properly each time.

Shall do.

Btw, the hammer was the only instrument that entered properly each time.

[Karl Henning]

Btw, the hammer was the only instrument that entered properly each time.

The laborers know when to clock in . . . .

[jlaurson]

Alexandre Tharaud: A Case of Perpetual Puppy
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2011/12/tharaud-case-of-perpetual-puppy.html

[bhodges]

Alexandre Tharaud: A Case of Perpetual Puppy
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2011/12/tharaud-case-of-perpetual-puppy.html

Nice work, Jens! Never heard Tharaud (and I guess unless I get back to the Netherlands or France, it'll be awhile).

--Bruce

[ibanezmonster]

We went with a movie director friend. The following is a conversation between him and the producer at a meeting in the after before the concert:

Producer: Why are you always looking at your watch? What can be more important than making our movie???

Director: Mahler 9. Mahler 9 is more important than making any movie.

Producer: (...speechless...)

It's the truth. 

[bhodges]

Tonight at Baryshnikov Arts Center, the debut of a new contemporary music group, Ensemble Moto Perpetuo:

Philippe Manoury: Instants Pluriels
Anna Thorvaldsdottir: Hrím
Jason Eckardt: Trespass

--Bruce

[Papy Oli]

and more Beethoven SQ in December :

Belcea Quartet - Beethoven Cycle

Quartet Op.95 in F minor
Quartet Op.18 No.6 in B flat
Quartet Op.127 in E flat

Bit disappointed by this one. It felt just like a run through the motions and nothing more. I don't know if that's because the performance was recorded for their ongoing SQ cycle and they held back a bit, but it was not very engaging. I have a ticket for another of their concert in March (Op.18/1, Op.59/3, Op.132) - not sure I will take the plunge on tickets for their other concerts next year.

Maybe they have suffered from the great impression Quatuor Mosaiques had on me a couple of months back as well.

[Papy Oli]

And a couple more bookings for April :

Britten–Pears Orchestra and Soloists
Aldeburgh Voices · London Voices
Ben Parry music director
Antonello Manacorda conductor

Schoenberg - Friede auf Erden
Beethoven - Symphony No.9


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Elisabeth Leonskaja piano

Beethoven - Piano Sonata in E Op.109; Piano Sonata in A flat Op.110; Piano Sonata in C minor Op.111

------------

English Touring Opera: The Barber of Seville
Thomas Guthrie director
Paul McGrath conductor

Rossini - The Barber of Seville (in English)

1st live Beethoven symphony, 1st live Beethoven sonatas and for good measure 1st live Opera too....

[listener]

an odd combination for a Mahler festival
A 4-concert festival at the Orpheum culminating in a performance of Mahler's masterpiece Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection' on Monday, January 23rd.

Concert 1: Friday, January 20, 8pm, Orpheum
A chamber music concert featuring Bramwell Tovey, soprano Marquita Lister, and members of the VSO, performing music by Bruckner, Mahler, Strauss and Schonberg.

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Concert 2: Saturday, January 21, 8pm, Orpheum
Music from the City of Vienna

Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Melody Yua Yuan, violin

    Von Suppe Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna
    Brahms Hungarian Dances No. 4, 1, 5
    Mahler Symphony No. 1: Blumine
    Sarasate Zigeunerweisen
    Strauss II Roses from the South
    Lehar Gold and Silver Waltz
    Strauss Pizzicato Polka
    E. Strauss Alpine Rose Mazurka
    Strauss II Perpetuum Mobile
    Strauss II Champagne Polka
    Strauss II The Beautiful Blue Danube

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Concert 3: Sunday, January 22, 8pm, Orpheum
A performance of chamber music featuring members of the VSO. This concert also includes a one-act a capella opera by VSO Composer-in-Residence Edward Top.

Mahler Ruckert Lieder
    Sarah Fryer, soprano
    Bramwell Tovey, piano

Brahms Clarinet Quintet
    Jennifer Jonquil, clarinet
    Dale Barltrop, violin
    Nicholas Wright, violin
    Neil Miskey, viola
    Joseph Elworthy, cello

Top Love Thy Neighbour (a capella opera with libretto by Tom Cone)
    Siri Olesen, soprano
    Melanie Adams, mezzo soprano
    CD Saint, tenor
    Joel Klein, bass

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Concert 4: Monday, January 23, 8pm, Orpheum
Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Resurrection
    Bramwell Tovey, conductor
    Marquita Lister, soprano
    Sarah Fryer, mezzo soprano
    Vancouver Bach Choir

[jlaurson]

Ionarts-at-Large: Weinberg Lured Me to the Castle
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2011/12/ionarts-at-large-weinberg-lured-me-to.html

[Florestan]

Wednesday, December 7

Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest

Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI

Istanbul. Dimitrie Cantemir: "La livre de la science de la musique" et les traditions musicales sepharades et armeniennes

That was absolutely fabulous. They performed other pieces than those on the homonymous CD, but with the same infectious enthusiasm and virtuosity.

The most moving moments, though, were at the end of each of the two parts, when two lullabies sang by the late Montserrat Figuerras were played in the loudspeakers, all lights off. Truly heart-wrenching.

[Karl Henning]

Lovely!