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

[brewski]

Dallas Symphony this weekend has a now-rare all Sibelius program:

En Saga
Violin Concerto
Symphony No. 5

Alexi Kenney, violin
Donald Runnicles

Never heard of Kenney; the internet tells me he's just 29 and a rising chamber music star.

I've heard Kenney a few times in chamber music; he's wonderful. Would love to hear him in the Sibelius—along with the rest of the concert, of course! (Big Runnicles fan, here, too.)

-Bruce

[brewski]

Really, really looking forward to this concert, accompanied by some friends I haven't seen in decades. The Lutosławski is a favorite, and ten years ago Soltani played it and won a major cello prize in Finland. The Shostakovich Eleventh is also a longtime fave, to my ears often overlooked in favor of Nos. 5, 7, and 10 (no slight against any of those). And I don't recall hearing Mǎcelaru live, though he has appeared in some streams over the past few years.

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cristian Mǎcelaru, conductor
Kian Soltani, cello

Lutosławski: Cello Concerto
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11, The Year 1905

-Bruce

[Brian]

Last time I saw Macelaru live, we were at the same university and he was conducting the student orchestra! A night of student compositions, I recall. That program is mouthwatering. 11 can be absolutely terrifying live.

[brewski]

Also, speaking of Shostakovich, WCRB in Boston is rebroadcasting the Saturday, Jan. 27 performance of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk on Monday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 pm EST.

https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2023-09-25/opolais-sings-shostakovichs-lady-macbeth-of-mtsensk-with-the-bso

-Bruce

[Wanderer]

When in Rome:

1)
Luigi Boccherini 
Duo per due violini in sol maggiore op. 3 n. 1 G56
Trio per violino, viola e violoncello in re maggiore op. 14 n. 4 G98
Trio per due violini e violoncello in do maggiore op. 6 n. 6 G94
Quintetto per archi e chitarra in re maggiore "Fandango" G448
Quintetto n. 7 in mi minore per due violini, viola, violoncello e chitarra G 541
Variazioni su "La ritirata di Madrid" in do maggiore per quintetto

Fabio Biondi violino
Europa Galante


2)
Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem

Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
conductor Antonio Pappano
soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha
mezzosoprano Elīna Garanča
tenor SeokJong Baek
bass Giorgi Manoshvili
chorus master Andrea Secchi


3)
Berlioz Le Carnaval romain ouverture
Martinů Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca
Berlioz Harold en Italie

Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
conductor Jakub Hrůša
viola Pinchas Zukerman

[Brian]

Wow, what fortune! I'd happily go to all three of those.

[Florestan]

Wow, what fortune! I'd happily go to all three of those.

+ 1.

[Brian]

Dallas Symphony this weekend has a now-rare all Sibelius program:

En Saga
Violin Concerto
Symphony No. 5

Alexi Kenney, violin
Donald Runnicles

Never heard of Kenney; the internet tells me he's just 29 and a rising chamber music star.

This program was even rarer than I thought! This was the orchestra's first performance of Symphony No. 5 in 12 years, and its first En Saga ever. It was a terrific program. Kenney indulges in some artistic flamboyance in the way he chooses to emphasize certain things, or put a little "sauce" on a phrase, and also in the way he dresses - a formal red dress shirt and black MC Hammer pants! His encore sounded like a Paganini caprice, but wasn't.

Throughout, the orchestra was on very good form and Runnicles kept things orderly with very sensible, sharp tempos. He really whipped up a frenzy at the end of the first movement of the Symphony and at the climax of En Saga. But we also got good quiet playing - the clarinet solo at the end of En Saga, the desolate, intricate string textures behind the symphony's bassoon solo. It was really fun to watch the string players' elbows bob up and down at the start of En Saga - half up, half down on any given beat - and it was also a delight to watch Runnicles conduct, since he keeps time with minimal funny business, and is very clear to follow with his technique.

The most memorable touch, to me, were the unison strings at the glorious ending of the Fifth's finale. Runnicles had them very gently disengage and re-engage every time they reached the end of the bow (up/down/up/down), so rather than a "smooth" long continuous sound, the E flat was gently reaffirmed and reasserted over and over while the brass rang out overhead. Wonderful.

Apparently at Thursday night's concert, a fire alarm went off midway through the Violin Concerto's finale and they didn't resume playing it, just went straight to intermission!

[brewski]

Really, really looking forward to this concert, accompanied by some friends I haven't seen in decades. The Lutosławski is a favorite, and ten years ago Soltani played it and won a major cello prize in Finland. The Shostakovich Eleventh is also a longtime fave, to my ears often overlooked in favor of Nos. 5, 7, and 10 (no slight against any of those). And I don't recall hearing Mǎcelaru live, though he has appeared in some streams over the past few years.

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cristian Mǎcelaru, conductor
Kian Soltani, cello

Lutosławski: Cello Concerto
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11, The Year 1905

-Bruce

This concert was absolutely sensational, held in Cincinnati's beautiful hall, which was completely renovated in 2018. If I had been in town on my own, and not catching up with a dear college friend, I would have gone to both of the performances. Kian Soltani gave cogent, illuminating remarks before the Lutosławski concerto, highlighting in his words, the "struggle for dominance" between the soloist and the orchestra. While it is certainly not the only way to approach the piece, my friends said afterward that his comments helped them enormously to make sense of it. It was exciting to see the Cincinnati audience go wild for Lutosławski, and as an encore, Soltani performed one of his own compositions, "Persian Fire Dance."

After intermission, with a considerably enlarged orchestra, Mǎcelaru led a beautiful, agonizing reading of the Shostakovich, which he has called a masterpiece. (I agree.) The orchestra sounded as magnificent as any I have heard in the last few years, with clarity, focus, and enormous dynamic contrasts. Highlights: great woodwinds, a fabulous principal trumpet, and a battery of percussionists having a field day.

Later we wondered if Mǎcelaru is being considered as the orchestra's next conductor, given that Louis Langrée is leaving at the end of May. Based on their smiles and obvious commitment, the musicians seemed to relish working with him. (And you can often tell when musicians are not having a good time.)

The rest of the weekend was filled with other delights—excellent food, some glorious architecture (e.g., Union Terminal and the Netherlands Plaza Hotel, both Art Deco), and a ton of conversation—but I will recall the concert for years.

-Bruce

[Brian]

Friday will be my first time ever seeing or hearing this one! (I've heard orchestral excerpts from the suite by Manfred Honeck, only.)

ELEKTRA
Marjorie Owens, Elektra
Jill Grove, Klytämnestra
Angela Meade, Chrysothemis
Alfred Walker, Orest

The Dallas Opera
Emmanuel Villaume, conductor
Sir David McVicar, director

[Karl Henning]

Friday will be my first time ever seeing or hearing this one! (I've heard orchestral excerpts from the suite by Manfred Honeck, only.)

ELEKTRA
Marjorie Owens, Elektra
Jill Grove, Klytämnestra
Angela Meade, Chrysothemis
Alfred Walker, Orest

The Dallas Opera
Emmanuel Villaume, conductor
Sir David McVicar, director

Excellent!

[Cato]

This concert was absolutely sensational, held in Cincinnati's beautiful hall, which was completely renovated in 2018. If I had been in town on my own, and not catching up with a dear college friend, I would have gone to both of the performances. Kian Soltani gave cogent, illuminating remarks before the Lutosławski concerto, highlighting in his words, the "struggle for dominance" between the soloist and the orchestra. While it is certainly not the only way to approach the piece, my friends said afterward that his comments helped them enormously to make sense of it. It was exciting to see the Cincinnati audience go wild for Lutosławski, and as an encore, Soltani performed one of his own compositions, "Persian Fire Dance."

After intermission, with a considerably enlarged orchestra, Mǎcelaru led a beautiful, agonizing reading of the Shostakovich, which he has called a masterpiece. (I agree.) The orchestra sounded as magnificent as any I have heard in the last few years, with clarity, focus, and enormous dynamic contrasts. Highlights: great woodwinds, a fabulous principal trumpet, and a battery of percussionists having a field day.
 

The rest of the weekend was filled with other delights—excellent food, some glorious architecture (e.g., Union Terminal and the Netherlands Plaza Hotel, both Art Deco), and a ton of conversation—but I will recall the concert for years.

-Bruce

Mrs. Cato and I were there in June for James Conlon who was conducting Mahler's Symphony VIII, in a glorious performance!


Yes, those buildings are exquisite and have been kept in good shape: when I was in college over 50 years ago, I attended an international conference of classicists and archaeologists at the Netherlands Plaza Hotel.  I recall waiting for an elevator, and then being shocked, when the door opened, by a man wearing a kilt!      

Obviously Scotland was represented at the conference!   


Anyway, yes again, the Cincinnati Symphony is an excellent orchestra!

[Florestan]

Later we wondered if Mǎcelaru is being considered as the orchestra's next conductor, given that Louis Langrée is leaving at the end of May. Based on their smiles and obvious commitment, the musicians seemed to relish working with him. (And you can often tell when musicians are not having a good time.)

Cristian Mǎcelaru is currently the musical manager of the Orchestre National de France, his contract extended to 2027. I don't think he'll have time for Cincinnati as well.

[brewski]

Cristian Mǎcelaru is currently the musical manager of the Orchestre National de France, his contract extended to 2027. I don't think he'll have time for Cincinnati as well.

Ah, thanks, so that likely answers the question. (Though in the age of globetrotting conductors, who knows.)

But good for Orchestre National; they are lucky to have him.

-Bruce

[brewski]

Friday will be my first time ever seeing or hearing this one! (I've heard orchestral excerpts from the suite by Manfred Honeck, only.)

ELEKTRA
Marjorie Owens, Elektra
Jill Grove, Klytämnestra
Angela Meade, Chrysothemis
Alfred Walker, Orest

The Dallas Opera
Emmanuel Villaume, conductor
Sir David McVicar, director

At the risk of being overenthusiastic, I won't go on and on, but I do hope you enjoy. It is quite a score. The set looks very cool!

-Bruce

[Brian]

At the risk of being overenthusiastic, I won't go on and on, but I do hope you enjoy. It is quite a score. The set looks very cool!

-Bruce

Well, your Cincy review was very enthusiastic and only made me more excited for/envious of you!

They are doing an Elektra performance on Valentine's Day itself, which I think is just perfect   

[brewski]

Well, your Cincy review was very enthusiastic and only made me more excited for/envious of you!

They are doing an Elektra performance on Valentine's Day itself, which I think is just perfect   

Hahahaha, I love it.

Reminds me years ago of a memorable Met Opera outing on Christmas Day. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like seeing Janáček's Katya Kabanova, about a woman having an affair and committing suicide. Happy Holidays!   

-Bruce

[brewski]

In a few hours, more Shostakovich! Also looking forward to the Britten, which I played in high school. (It will likely sound a bit different here.      )

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Tugan Sokhiev Conductor

Gabrieli Canzon septimi toni, No. 2, from Sacrae symphoniae
Britten Simple Symphony
Shostakovich Symphony No. 4

-Bruce

[LKB]

Earlier this week my friends presented me with two SFS tickets for June 22nd.

They'll be travelling, so I'll grab my friend from last year's VPO concert and enjoy the Schumann Piano Concerto in A Minor and ( drumroll... ) Bruckner's Fourth.

I've already forgotten the scheduled pianist, but Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct.

[brewski]

That should be good.   Some years ago I saw Sokhiev conduct the Philharmonia in an excellent Shostakovich 5th - strong and clear, with by far the most sarcastic Finale I ever heard.

FWIW there's a Guardian review of it here, though the symphony gets only a passing mention compared with Pogorelich's Tchaikovsky (!) ... which was exactly as described.

Wow. "...trying to keep in touch with his soloist's increasingly unpredictable playing." I heard Pogorelich a few times years ago, early in his career, and he was idiosyncratic, but this sounds disastrous. I'm all for musicians (and artists in general) breaking rules and stretching boundaries, but if you're in a collaborative situation—in this case, working with scores of other artists and a conductor—it seems like working with them is the right thing to do.

Thanks, a most interesting (and short!) review.

-Bruce