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

[Brian]

Think I can convince the girlfriend to fly to Colmar for this doubleheader?

July 8
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3, Bagatelles Op. 119
Brahms: Pieces Opp. 118, 119
Grigory Sokolov

July 9
Mahler: Blumine
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No 1
Dvorak: Symphony No 8 (which apparently in France is subtitled the "Czechoslovak" Symphony)
Viktoria Mullova
Russian National Philharmonic (whatever this is)
Andrey Boreyko

[Brian]

This past Saturday:

Stravinsky: Fireworks
Bernstein: The Age of Anxiety
Stravinsky: The Firebird (complete)

Orli Shaham, piano
Dallas SO
David Robertson

For such a long piece, The Firebird flies by when you're seeing it live! Must be all that bass drum.

Wednesday night:

Verdi: Falstaff

Dallas Opera production feat. Mark Delavan, Mojca Erdmann, etc. under director Riccardo Frizza

[bhodges]

Tonight, the Attacca Quartet in six works by Caroline Shaw, featured on their new album, Orange. A singer with Roomful of Teeth, Shaw is also a violinist, and writes strongly and engagingly for string quartet. The actual recording is getting very good reviews.

--Bruce

[ritter]

I'll be seeing Verdi's Falstaff tonight at the Teatro Real here in Madrid. The conductor is Daniele Rustioni (principal conductor of the Lyons opera) and the staging is by Laurent Pelly. The cast (mostly young singers) is led by Georgian baritone Misha Kiria.



I've never been much of an  admirer of Verdi, but do think Falstaff is one of the greatest operas ever written. I last saw it many years ago at La Scala, staged by Giorgio Strehler and conducted by Riccardo Muti. A memorable occasion.

[Brian]

I'll be seeing Verdi's Falstaff tonight at the Teatro Real here in Madrid.

Funny that we are both seeing Falstaff on the same day! I agree with you - younger Verdi is not my favorite; but Falstaff is my personal favorite of all operas (perhaps because I enjoy any story with a lot of good food and wine...).

[André]

Thursday, 21 March 2019

Maison de la Radio - Auditorium de Radio France, Paris

Sergueï Rachmaninov
Trio élégiaque n°1
Rhapsodie sur un thème de Paganini

Richard Strauss
Don Quichotte

Makoto Ozone piano
Edgar Moreau, violoncelle
Jean-Philippe Kuzma violon
Catherine De Vençay violoncelle

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Lahav Shani piano et direction

Was it good ?

Edgar Moreau will be playing the Dutilleux concerto Tout un monde lointain next week here in Montreal. I look forward to this concert.

[ritter]

Funny that we are both seeing Falstaff on the same day! I agree with you - younger Verdi is not my favorite; but Falstaff is my personal favorite of all operas (perhaps because I enjoy any story with a lot of good food and wine...).

Well, my Falstaff last night was fun. The ensemble of mostly young singers worked well together, which is paramount in this opera. ConductorDaniele Rustioni's cheerful manner on the podium didn't completely spill over to the orchestra. Laurent Pelly's staging was clever and coherent, but perhaps a bit dark for this comedy. A good night at the opera, but not much more than that. How was your Falstaff, Brian?

[Brian]

Well, my Falstaff last night was fun. The ensemble of mostly young singers worked well together, which is paramount in this opera. ConductorDaniele Rustioni's cheerful manner on the podium didn't completely spill over to the orchestra. Laurent Pelly's staging was clever and coherent, but perhaps a bit dark for this comedy. A good night at the opera, but not much more than that. How was your Falstaff, Brian?

Ours was rather the opposite! Originally a Los Angeles production (sets built by CBS!), ours was squarely set in the original time period - when Falstaff dresses up to impress Alice in Act I, he wears a Henry VIII costume. But where your production occasionally got too dark, ours got too light; there was a lot of vaudeville type slapstick, including buttocks getting slapped and an unfortunate, long sequence where Falstaff and his friends pretend to be American football players. But except for a Bardolfo who struggled to project over the orchestra, the singing was uniformly good, Mark Delavan had fun as Falstaff, Mojca Erdmann was a lovely Nanetta, and it was a thoroughly charming night at the opera. Half the delight of this work, to me, is hearing all the detailing of the orchestral score and how it often seems to be a completely different score from the one the singers are using, but somehow matched perfectly. The orchestra did well.

This was my girlfriend's second-ever opera experience; she says she preferred Don Giovanni...

[Florestan]

This was my girlfriend's second-ever opera experience; she says she preferred Don Giovanni...

Music or setting?

Anyway, next time take her to The Barber of Seville but hush! don't tell Scarpia!... 

[Brian]

Music or setting?

Anyway, next time take her to The Barber of Seville but hush! don't tell Scarpia!... 

She said she likes dramas better than comedies.

Next season they ARE doing Barber of Seville, but it's the finale, so it will be the 5th opera she sees after Rimsky's Le coq d'or and a double bill of Pulcinella and La voix humaine.

[Florestan]

She said she likes dramas better than comedies.

Not my type of woman --- good luck with her, pal! 

[springrite]

She said she likes dramas better than comedies.

Next season they ARE doing Barber of Seville, but it's the finale, so it will be the 5th opera she sees after Rimsky's Le coq d'or and a double bill of Pulcinella and La voix humaine.

She'd love Salome then!

[Wanderer]

Was it good ?

Edgar Moreau will be playing the Dutilleux concerto Tout un monde lointain next week here in Montreal. I look forward to this concert.

It was excellent! He performed the part beautifully, with fire and passion when needed, wistfulness and restraint when necessary. Beautiful tone and excellent rapport with the orchestra, who also performed their parts superbly. The work's effects were vividly rendered, but always in the context of the narrative arc. Coherence and a clear path in a work such as this is the ultimate triumph. The violist was also superb.

I think Moreau would do well in the Dutilleux. Never heard it in concert. If you go, let us know how it went!

[André]

Thanks for your feedback!

The concert is May 9 and I have tickets  . I booked it especially to hear the Dutilleux. I also bought tickets for next November to hear Lutoslawski's 4th symphony. These are works one can wait 15-20 years before they come to town again .

[listener]

The Strauss this Saturday and the van der Aa next month will be new so I've sprung for balcony seats knowing that there are no seats sold in the five rows further down that I can move into
This Saturday  Wagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod  R. Strauss: Duet Concertino for Clarinet & Bassoon  (1st performance here I think)   Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet: Suite (Suite curated by Otto Tausk)
June 7    Schubert: Rosamunde: Overture  Michel van der Aa: akin for solo violin, solo cello and orchestra (North American première)
R. Strauss  Also sprach Zarathustra

[bhodges]

Tonight, back to the Crypt (!) for Ekmeles, the 6-person virtuoso vocal ensemble, in an interesting program of recent works:

Forrest Pierce – Tighten to Nothing (2012)
Taylor Brook – Motorman Sextet (2013) Ekmeles commission
Lucia Ronchetti – Anatra al sal (2004) U.S. Premiere
Agata Zubel – Alphabet of the Ars Brevis (2016)
Evan Johnson – Three in, ad abundantiam (2012)
Evan Johnson – vo mesurando (2012)

http://ekmeles.com/wp/2018/10/mystical-paths/

--Bruce

[Brian]

Next weekend:

Brahms: Violin Concerto
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Unfortunately Renaud Capuçon bowed out due to illness today and was replaced by someone named Blake Pouliot. Appears to be a Canadian young prodigy. Huh. Bummer - Capuçon is a star with a big Brahms affinity.

Anyway... Dallas SO/Pablo Heras-Casado

[André]

Next weekend:

Brahms: Violin Concerto
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Unfortunately Renaud Capuçon bowed out due to illness today and was replaced by someone named Blake Pouliot. Appears to be a Canadian young prodigy. Huh. Bummer - Capuçon is a star with a big Brahms affinity.

Anyway... Dallas SO/Pablo Heras-Casado

Let me know what you think. I heard him conduct the Montreal Symphony yesterday in Debussy (Nocturnes), Dutilleux (cello cto) and Tchaikovsky (symph no 1). The orchestra made a fine noise but there is something in his conducting that failed to convince me.

[Obradovic]

Coming Wednesday, Greek National Opera

D. Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District

Y. Yannissis, S. Sozdateleva, S. Semishkur / Vassilis Christopoulos

Dir: Fanny Ardant

20/5 at The Athens Megaron

W. A. Mozart: Violin Concertos No.2 K211, 3 K.216, 5 K.219
                    Symphony No.1 K16

Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Wien-Berlin Kammerorchester

[Papy Oli]

Continuing the Mahler live cycle off the bucket list :

In October :

BBC Philarmonic / Bridgewater Hall
Jeffrey Mumford within diffuse echoes ... softly spreading  (BBC commission: world premiere)
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1
Mahler Symphony No.5

In November :

The Hallé / Bridgewater Hall - Alexander Joel conductor | Kristóf Baráti violin
Korngold Violin Concerto
Mahler Symphony No.1

in May 2020 :

The Hallé / Sir Mark Elder conductor | Alice Coote mezzo-soprano  Ladies of the Hallé Choir | Hallé Children's Choir
Mahler Symphony No.3


With the 2nd and the 8th already booked and forthcoming, that will only leave the 4th and 7th to complete the cycle.