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

Started by Siedler, April 20, 2007, 05:34:10 PM

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ritter

Quote from: Florestan on January 30, 2023, 04:54:49 AMThen again, I expect Calixto Bieito's Carmen to be a horror show.  ;D

I don't particularly care for Carmen, but have that Bieito production on DVD (from the Liceo in Barcelona), and it is stunning theatre...

Florestan

Quote from: ritter on January 30, 2023, 07:02:13 AMit is stunning theatre...

Good to know. I was afraid it was actually stunning Regietheater...  ;D
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

brewski

With his reputation in mind, I watched my first Bieito production over the holidays—his version of Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel from Madrid. Perhaps the opera's subject matter is lurid enough on its own, but I found the production perfectly fine—plausible and gripping. If anything, the finale might have been slightly anticlimactic. He returned to a metaphor that appeared in the opera's opening scenes (without giving anything away), but when it returned, it didn't have quite the same impact.

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

ritter

Quote from: brewski on January 30, 2023, 08:09:11 AMWith his reputation in mind, I watched my first Bieito production over the holidays—his version of Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel from Madrid. Perhaps the opera's subject matter is lurid enough on its own, but I found the production perfectly fine—plausible and gripping. If anything, the finale might have been slightly anticlimactic. He returned to a metaphor that appeared in the opera's opening scenes (without giving anything away), but when it returned, it didn't have quite the same impact.

-Bruce
I missed that production, because I was out of town during the whole run of performances. A pity, because you don't that often get the chance to see The Fiery Angel live. But well, the trip to Rome, Ischia and Naples was worth it.  ;) 

TBH, the only production by Bieito I've seen in the theatre (IIRC) is his Wozzeck. I found it effective, but wasn't all that impressed.

The Carmen I've seen on DVD really makes the story alive, and somehow manages to turn the opera's picture postcard Spain into "the real thing".

I don't want to dampen Tassos' expectations, but whenever I see that a production is by Alex Ollé (he's directing Il Trovatore) or any other member of La Fura dels Baus, I avoid it if I can (which sometimes isn't easy, as it's pieces you don't see programmed that often —e.g. Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher last season here in Madrid). It's always the same thing: people dressed in rags, rubbish bags strewn across the stage, a dystopian atmosphere. It's as if you were watching Mad Max to a soundtrack by Verdi, Wagner, or whomever.  ;D

brewski

Quote from: ritter on January 30, 2023, 09:06:41 AMI missed that production, because I was out of town during the whole run of performances. A pity, because you don't that often get the chance to see The Fiery Angel live. But well, the trip to Rome, Ischia and Naples was worth it.  ;) 

TBH, the only production by Bieito I've seen in the theatre (IIRC) is his Wozzeck. I found it effective, but wasn't all that impressed.

The Carmen I've seen on DVD really makes the story alive, and somehow manages to turn the opera's picture postcard Spain into "the real thing".

Thanks for those comments! PS, if you want to check out the Prokofiev, Arte has it through April 5. (At the moment, I plan to watch it once more, mostly because the musical virtues were plentiful—what a score!) And THAT said, I also note a few other full productions on YouTube, which I'd like to investigate, too.

https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/108551-000-A/prokofiev-s-the-fiery-angel-at-the-teatro-real-in-madrid/

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

Florestan

Quote from: ritter on January 30, 2023, 09:06:41 AMThe Carmen I've seen on DVD really makes the story alive, and somehow manages to turn the opera's picture postcard Spain into "the real thing".

Actually, Rafael, I somehow don't quite get this whole "picture postcard Spain vs the real thing" stuff. What do you mean by it? Is Merimee's original novella, or the libretto, implausible in real early 19th-century (Southern) Spain? Has the music no connection whatsoever with real Spanish music? I'm really (pun) puzzled.

That being said, for me the best Carmen on film is the 1984 Francesco Rossi version. (I'm a philistine, I know --- and proud of it.  :D )
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

brewski

Tomorrow night (Jan. 31), Voices of Ascension—a New York City-based chorus—is joining the explosions of livestreams with the fascinating program below. (Dolly Parton! ;D ) It's free, but they welcome contributions.

https://www.voicesofascension.org/livestreams

MELISSA DUNPHY: O Oriens
ORLANDO GIBBONS: O clap your hands
CAROLINE SHAW: and the swallow
ANDREW BALFOUR: Vision Chant
LAURA JOBIN-ACOSTA: Te Alabaré, Señor
HAI-TING CHINN: Pale Blue Dot
DOLLY PARTON: Light of a clear blue morning
REENA ESMAIL: TaReKiTa
GIOVANNI DA PALESTRINA: Super flumina Babylonis
HANNAH SELIN: and we fly away (World Premiere, Commissioned by Voices of The New)
MARQUES GARRETT: We Shall Walk through the Valley

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

brewski

On Wednesday night, pianist Richard Goode in an all-Beethoven evening, again at Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (no livestream, alas): https://www.pcmsconcerts.org/concerts/richard-goode-piano-2023/

Beethoven: Bagatelles, Op. 119 [Sel.]
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in E Major, Op. 109
Beethoven: 33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op. 120

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

Wanderer

Quote from: ritter on January 29, 2023, 01:54:50 AMQuite an operatic week, Tassos! Enjoy!  :)

I saw the Peter Sellars / Bill Viola production of Tristan here in Madrid some seasons ago, and it was certainly a great experience, and a very valid approach to the work.

Thanks, Rafael! I saw clips of the production; it appeared to be very evocative and it looks, as you said, valid. In any case, I find the recent excessive theatralisation of opera brought in by regietheatre utterly misguided. As far as I'm concerned, it's the music that counts most and in this case I'm mostly excited to listen to Dudamel's conducting.




Wanderer

Quote from: ritter on January 30, 2023, 09:06:41 AMI don't want to dampen Tassos' expectations, but whenever I see that a production is by Alex Ollé (he's directing Il Trovatore) or any other member of La Fura dels Baus, I avoid it if I can (which sometimes isn't easy, as it's pieces you don't see programmed that often —e.g. Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher last season here in Madrid). It's always the same thing: people dressed in rags, rubbish bags strewn across the stage, a dystopian atmosphere. It's as if you were watching Mad Max to a soundtrack by Verdi, Wagner, or whomever.  ;D

For me, it's Warlikowski's productions that I find totally cringe. In his latest crime list, I will not forgive him the atrocities he committed to Les contes d'Hoffmann that I saw in Athens a couple of months back. And, inversely, speaking of not going to the opera exclusively to avoid some idiot's wet-dream production, I did refrain from going to La Scala's Salome while I was in Italy recently due to Michieletto's atrocious treatment of the work.
In comparison, I have no problem with Ollé (and I very much enjoyed the Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher we saw in Madrid). Clips from the upcoming Il Trovatore look very atmospheric.

Wanderer

Quote from: Florestan on January 30, 2023, 04:54:49 AMThen again, I expect Calixto Bieito's Carmen to be a horror show.  ;D


From what I can surmise, it's still set in Spain, soldiers are still soldiers and Carmen is still a gypsy (and a woman!). And she's killed in the end with a knife. I think we'll be fine here. 🤷😉

Florestan

Quote from: Wanderer on January 31, 2023, 11:01:18 PMFrom what I can surmise, it's still set in Spain, soldiers are still soldiers and Carmen is still a gypsy (and a woman!). And she's killed in the end with a knife. I think we'll be fine here. 🤷😉

Excellent. As Rafael would say, "picture postcard Carmen".  :D
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

brewski

Tomorrow night, conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, pianist/composer Gabriela Montero, and the Minnesota Orchestra:

Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole
Montero: Piano Concerto No. 1, Latin
Chávez: Symphony No. 2, Sinfonía India
Falla: Suite from The Three-Cornered Hat

https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/tickets/calendar/classical/rapsodie-espagnole/

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

Brian

Quote from: brewski on February 02, 2023, 02:35:25 PMTomorrow night, conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, pianist/composer Gabriela Montero, and the Minnesota Orchestra:

Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole
Montero: Piano Concerto No. 1, Latin
Chávez: Symphony No. 2, Sinfonía India
Falla: Suite from The Three-Cornered Hat

https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/tickets/calendar/classical/rapsodie-espagnole/

-Bruce

Oh, wow, that is a cool program! And I am seeing Montero do her concerto soon as well, live in Dallas:

Gabriela Ortiz: Antrópolis (apparently this has an at least partially soloistic timpani part)
Gabriela Montero: Piano Concerto No. 1, Latin
and then, well, it's Scheherazade

with Marin Alsop. Feb. 24

I owed you a report on last week's DSO concert with Randall Goosby by the way. But it was so good I decided to go long and write a thousand words about it. Oops!  ;D  ;D

brewski

Quote from: Brian on February 02, 2023, 05:08:13 PMI owed you a report on last week's DSO concert with Randall Goosby by the way. But it was so good I decided to go long and write a thousand words about it. Oops!  ;D  ;D

"We want our ears to be pinned back."

Yessir.

(Makes me wish I had been there, and please tell me you're going to the Shostakovich.)

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

Brian

Quote from: brewski on February 02, 2023, 06:03:22 PM(Makes me wish I had been there, and please tell me you're going to the Shostakovich.)

-Bruce
I'll give it another listen at home first. Believe it or not I've only heard the piece once before. The gf would hate it but I bet I could score a single media pass. (She loves loves loves the Lutoslawski though.)

The DSCH Fourth is with Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the tiny opener is Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina prelude "Dawn on the Moscow River," one of my favorite little tidbits.

brewski

Quote from: Brian on February 02, 2023, 06:39:31 PMI'll give it another listen at home first. Believe it or not I've only heard the piece once before. The gf would hate it but I bet I could score a single media pass. (She loves loves loves the Lutoslawski though.)

The DSCH Fourth is with Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the tiny opener is Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina prelude "Dawn on the Moscow River," one of my favorite little tidbits.

The Fourth is a knockout. IIRC, in the Gergiev documentary Shostakovich Against Stalin: The War Symphonies, the composer thought that No. 4 might be his best symphony—which of course, is saying something. It's not performed nearly as often as it should be. And that Mussorgsky is tasty, too.

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

brewski

Next Saturday, Feb. 11, Daniel Harding and the Berlin Philharmonic in this excellent program on the orchestra's digital concert hall. (PS, you can try out the service free for a week. If you've never dipped in, the Berlin crew do outstanding technical work on these broadcasts.)

https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/54501

Sibelius: The Oceanides
Ligeti: Lontano
Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Ligeti: Atmosphères
Debussy: La Mer

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

brewski

Quote from: ultralinear on February 06, 2023, 04:12:48 AMOn Friday:

Bacewicz  Symphony No.4
Mozart  Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for Violin and Viola
Szymanowski  Symphony No.3 "Song of the Night"

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo  conductor
Johan Dalene  violin
Timothy Ridout  viola

Broadcast here.


Thanks! Making a note, going to try to tune in.

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

brewski

On Saturday, Feb. 18, conductor Matthias Pintscher is stepping in for the previously scheduled Simon Rattle, for this excellent program on the Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall (thankfully, for those of us not able to attend live). I have never heard any of these works in concert, and don't know the first two at all.

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Matthias Pintscher
Amihai Grosz, viola
Makeda Monnet, soprano
Donatienne Michel-Dansac, mezzo-soprano
Berlin Radio Choir

Zimmermann: Musique pour les soupers du Roi Ubu
Martinu: Rhapsody Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
Ligeti: Requiem

https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/54502

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)