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

[king ubu]

^^^
When I was in my twenties I had the opportunity to attend the premiere of Prometeo - the revised/final version - in Milan, but unfortunately I don't remember a lot of that. I was with my girlfriend who had almost no interest in classical/contemporary music so that evening turned out to be quite a problematic one...What a mistake to take her to that performance...

Ha ha, I know that feeling ... it's more about jazz concerts though. I only started exploring classical in 2012 and have been with my girlfriend for much longer ... and she did quite enjoy Levit last week but I would not drag her to any classical concert at home, but I do try now and then with jazz concerts, and I find it quite impossible to tell in advance what she might enjoy and what not.

... Scala

You're in Milan, right? I'll be there (for a jazz concert) end of January and will stay for a few days, most likely ... and I see they have "Don Carlo" at La Scala then. Sales start in November - need I be online the second sales start to get a ticket at a sane rate (like, less than 100€)?

[Florestan]

Last evening, at the Radio Concert Hall, Bucharest, a traditional "aristocratic" concert. 

ORCHESTRA  DE  CAMERĂ RADIO
Dirijor:CRISTIAN BRÂNCUŞI

CORUL ACADEMIC RADIO
Dirijor:CIPRIAN ȚUȚU

Soliști:
          ADRIAN JOJATU– fagot
          EMIL LANCEA – clarinet
          CRISTINA OLTEAN – soprană
          GEANINA MUNTEANU – alto
          TONY BARDON – tenor
          CRISTIAN HODREA – bas

C. M. von Weber: Andante şi Rondo ungarese în do minor, op. 35, J.158 pentru fagot şi orchestră
Franz Danzi:  Concertino în Si bemol major pentru clarinet, fagot şi orchestră, op. 47
J. Haydn: Missa nr. 9 în Do major ,,In Tempore Belli – Paukenmesse", Hob. XXII:9

It´s in Romanian but I´m sure you´ll understand everything except "dirijor" which means "conductor" and "fagot" which means "bassoon".

My first listen to Paukenmesse and I am quite impressed, particularly by the "Miserere nobis" for bass and cello obbligato, the "Benedictus" quartet and the final choral supplication "Dona nobis pacem", which in the context of the premiere must have been especially moving. And the timpani were indeed prominent. I loved it.

[GioCar]

How was the Britten Turn Of The Screw with Bostridge, GioCar?

Hi Simon
Well I think he was just perfect for Quint's part. I mean, not only vocally.
I have his recording in the role, with Daniel Harding conducting the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, but I'd say that seeing him live makes the difference. A truly disturbing Peter Quint
Generally speaking I enjoyed that performance very much. I've never seen The Turn of the Screw live before. Maybe a smaller theatre would have suited better (the few instrumentalists were a bit lost in the large orchestra pit) but the singing, the staging and the few elements of the orchestra were all outstanding.

[GioCar]

You're in Milan, right? I'll be there (for a jazz concert) end of January and will stay for a few days, most likely ... and I see they have "Don Carlo" at La Scala then. Sales start in November - need I be online the second sales start to get a ticket at a sane rate (like, less than 100€)?

Oh yes, you have to be faster than lightning to get one of those Gallery tickets  ,
Anyway, have you checked if a ScalAperta date for Don Carlo has been programmed in that period? Tickets for the ScalAperta performances are sold at half their nominal prices.

Will your jazz concert be at the Blue Note? My office is just around the corner...

[king ubu]

Oh yes, you have to be faster than lightning to get one of those Gallery tickets  ,
Anyway, have you checked if a ScalAperta date for Don Carlo has been programmed in that period? Tickets for the ScalAperta performances are sold at half their nominal prices.

Will your jazz concert be at the Blue Note? My office is just around the corner...

The jazz concert is this here - special enough for making the trip:
http://www.aperitivoinconcerto.it/evento/2017-01-29/roscoe-mitchell-sextet
They have some other good concerts this season (Alexander Hawkins, Wadada Leo Smith/Vijay Iyer Trio, Joe Daley) - too bad there's no train connection from Zurich that I can get there in time without staying over night.

Alas, there's just one date where "Don Carlo" would suit my plans (Feb 1) - will try and be ready to book online then, on the day the sales start (no "Don Carlo" show on the entire ScalAperta list, btw, but thanks for letting me know, was unaware of this). They also have "Don Carlo" in Zurich, even with Anja Harteros, but I reckon it would be cool to go to La Scala if I'm there already ... and I don't need to see it twice (they have a four act version here, alas ...)

My plan is then to spend the full week in Milano/Torino and on Saturday on to Novara, to catch another concert by Bobby Bradford there:
http://www.novarajazz.org/eventi/bobby-bradford-quartet
And then back home on Sunday.

[Kontrapunctus]

Mahler 9th with the LA Phil and Dudamel in my town next week (11/2), then I go to LA on 12/1 to hear them play Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 with Daniil Trifonov plus Prokofiev's Scythian Suite and Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy. On December 8th, pianist  Konstantin Lifschitz plays all six of Bach's Partitas in Menlo Park, CA. Good times await!

[king ubu]

...

FR 28.10.16
ORCHESTERMAGIE
19:30 Uhr, Grosser Saal

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Donald Runnicles Leitung
Anja Harteros Sopran

Anton Webern: "Im Sommerwind" Idylle für grosses Orchester
Richard Strauss: Ausgewählte Orchesterlieder
Richard Wagner: Auszüge aus "Götterdämmerung"

This was last night ... Harteros was as wonderful as I had hoped, repeating "Morgen" as an encore and performing an even more haunting take of it than before. The songs she performed, in order (I think, hope memory doesn't play tricks on me - it wasn't the order given in the printed programme):

Die heiligen drei Könige aus dem Morgenland Op. 56/6
Meinem Kinde Op. 37/3
Waldseligkeit Op. 49/1
Ruhe, meine Seele Op. 27/1
Morgen! Op. 27/4
Zueignung Op. 10/1

encore: Morgen! Op. 27/4

The Webern was a nice opener, catchy and easy on the ears, the Wagner was heavier of course - wonderful music, I guess, but a bit on the ponderous side, not performed with the depth and cold-blooded decision it was given by the likes of Szell (in order, it was Siegfried's rhine journey, then his death seguing into the final scene of the third act).

Glad I went to catch Harteros, though I should have invested more and got a good seat front/center ... alas Tonhalle wasn't nearly full, no idea why the people of Zurich don't want to hear her. Acoustically, the room is perfect for stuff like that, but hearing the soloist from the gallery on the side isn't always that easy ... either way, the low passages were of such tenderness, it was amazing. On "Meinem Kinde", I think, she was accompanied just by a string quartet, Andreas Janke on solo violin was a perfect musical partner.

Btw, in the newspaper review (NZZ) it is being mentioned that they did a false start with Webern on the first night (I went on the second night) and had to re-start - guess it would have been fun to be there, never saw that happen in a concert, I think.

[vandermolen]

I'm hoping to hear Vaughan Williams's Five Mystical Songs on 12th November locally at a church in Eastbourne.

[king ubu]

... and I just bought tickets for pretty decent seats (cost a pretty indecent amount, will invite my mother) to catch Harteros again in early December, singing Elisabetta in "Don Carlo" - they do the 1884 4 act Milan version, with Ramon Vargas in the title role, René Pape as Filippo II, cond. Fabio Luisi ... not too big on what I saw (only on TV) so far by Sven-Erik Bechtolf, but after the gorgeous Strauss lieder, I just feel like catching Harteros in person again.

[jochanaan]

...(and could hear him take deep breaths on some of the ... what's the word, "starts"? "Auftakt" in German)....

In English the word is "upbeat."  And I wish I could have been there!

[mahler10th]

Tomorrow night @ City Halls, Glasgow...     

Donald Runnicles - Conductor Emeritus  BBCSSO
Carolyn Sampson - Soprano

Works
    Mozart: Voi avete un cor fedele* (c.7 mins)
    Mahler: Symphony No.4* (c.57 mins)
    Mozart: Exsultate jubilate* (c.17 mins)
    Mozart: Symphony in D major (c.9 mins)

[king ubu]

@jochanaan: belated thanks for the language help ... had seen that as a suggested translation but as I never heard/read it in context, wasn't sure.

@Scots John: Runnicles was somewhat bland here in Zurich a few days ago, I found ... but he provided good accompaniment to the great Anja Harteros. I hope he'll do the same for Sampson - envious, would love to hear her in concert, with the Mozart's wonderful Exsultate, jubilate, at that!

[mahler10th]

@Scots John: Runnicles was somewhat bland here in Zurich a few days ago, I found ... but he provided good accompaniment to the great Anja Harteros. I hope he'll do the same for Sampson - envious, would love to hear her in concert, with the Mozart's wonderful Exsultate, jubilate, at that!

I'll report back.  I hope he isn't bland tomorrow - he did Mahler 9 a couple of years ago here, which was a bit blary here and there, but that was probably because I was in the cheap seats...behind the Orchestra.  It wasn't bland at all.  I am not too hot on Mahler 4 because there are no Trombones, and it's my least listened to Mahler piece, so it's principally the Mozart I'm going for, and I hope the live Mahler 4 will change my mind aboot it. 

[Drasko]

Tonight:

D.Adzic - Thallus (premiere, Bgf comission)
W.A.Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 24 in c-minor K491
L.v.Beethoven - Symphony No.5 in c-minor op.67

Stephen Kovacevich (piano)
Belgrade Philharmonic
Eiji Oue (cond.)

[mahler10th]

I'll report back.  I hope he isn't bland tomorrow - he did Mahler 9 a couple of years ago here, which was a bit blary here and there, but that was probably because I was in the cheap seats...behind the Orchestra.  It wasn't bland at all.  I am not too hot on Mahler 4 because there are no Trombones, and it's my least listened to Mahler piece, so it's principally the Mozart I'm going for, and I hope the live Mahler 4 will change my mind aboot it. 

Well, it was OK, but to be honest I was a bit disappointed.  No wonder I rarely listen to Mahler 4.  Runnicles did do a few good things, but on the whole the performance was uneven, uninspiring, and only saved in the end by Carolyn Sampsons fabulous singing.  It was broadcast live on Radio 3, so I will listen to it again to figure out why it did not hit home with me.  This is the first concert I ever attended where I've felt there was so much more could have been done, and so much better.  Still, it was beautiful from a radiant Sampson, who was the only saving grace.  Disappointed me, though the audience around me seemed to love it...

[Mookalafalas]

San Fran Sym with Michael Tilson Thomas are coming to Southern Taiwan.  Bought tickets naturally--and then found Yujia Wang will be the pianist.  What a delightful surprise!!

[Christo]

I'm hoping to hear Vaughan Williams's Five Mystical Songs on 12th November locally at a church in Eastbourne.

I heard them once, live, though they're not my favourite RVW. Will hear the Fourth - coupled with the Lark and Debussy's La Mer and Faune - in Rotterdam in March, In Windsor Forest in a local church in April and the Tallis Fantasia somewhat later in Spring. 

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Der Ring des Nibelungen  (dress rehearsals happening this week)

[GioCar]

Der Ring des Nibelungen  (dress rehearsals happening this week)

The Melbourne ring cycle of 2013?
I heard quite a few good things about that production.

[SimonNZ]

Did you end up getting to any of the Grisey concerts, GioCar?