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

[Mirror Image]

But there was a silver lining - the girlfriend, who made her first Lutoslawski encounter with trepidation about its reported dissonance, decided it was her favorite thing the DSO has played this year. Good taste!

You better hang onto her, Brian. She definitely sounds like a keeper.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Piemontesi was excellent in the Mozart, though the woodwinds had balance issues (conducting hint: the melody should usually be louder than the accompanying harmony!),

...I'm not entirely sure I agree with that. A total equivalence in balance would presumably lead to a situation where, especially with known works, the ears would still pick out the melody as dominant, while wandering ears could pick up details they otherwise miss, when buried under the 'obvious lede.' That can be overdone and become gimmicky, and I wouldn't want to make it an iron-clad rule either way...

Meanwhile looking forward to:

Krenek Violin Concerto & Mahler, Das Klagende Lied (ORF RSO)

and St.Paul CO w/Kopatchinskaja in this:

Gideon Klein
Partita. Streichtrio (Bearbeitung für Streichorchester: Vojtěch Saudek) (1944/1990)

Tigran Mansurjan
Konzert für Violine und Streicher Nr. 2. Vier ernste Gesänge (2006)

***
Anonymus
Psalm 140. Byzantinischer Kirchengesang (Bearbeitung für Streichorchester: Patricia Kopatchinskaja)

Franz Schubert
Streichquartett d-moll D 810 «Der Tod und das Mädchen» (1. Satz: Allegro in Bearbeitung für Streicherensemble von Patricia Kopatchinskaja) (1824)

Der Tod und das Mädchen D 531 (Bearbeitung für Streichorchester: Michi Wiancko) (1817)
Streichquartett d-moll D 810 «Der Tod und das Mädchen» (2. Satz: Andante con moto in Bearbeitung für Streicherensemble von Patricia Kopatchinskaja) (1824)

John Dowland
Lachrimae Antiquae Novae Pavan (Lachrimae or Seven Teares) (1604))

Franz Schubert
Streichquartett d-moll D 810 «Der Tod und das Mädchen» (3. Satz: Scherzo. Allegro molto in Bearbeitung für Streicherensemble von Patricia Kopatchinskaja) (1824)

György Kurtág
The Answered Unanswered Question op. 31b «Ligatura – Message-Hommage à Frances Marie Uitti» (1989)
Kafka-Fragmente op. 24 für Sopran und Violine (Ruhelos) (1985-1986)

Franz Schubert
Streichquartett d-moll D 810 «Der Tod und das Mädchen» (4. Satz: Presto in Bearbeitung für Streicherensemble von Patricia Kopatchinskaja) (1824)

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Upcoming concert (6/12/16) presented by Plexus, a local ensemble for new music.

'Propulsion'

Hue Blanes
New work

Ross Irwin
New work

Stephen Magnusson
New work

James Mustafa
New work

Niko Schauble
New work

Also hopefully going to a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert a few days before that:

Wagner Parsifal: Excerpts from Act II
Bruckner Symphony No.9

Simone Young conductor
Michelle de Young mezzo-soprano
Stuart Skelton tenor

[Mirror Image]

Also hopefully going to a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert a few days before that:

Wagner Parsifal: Excerpts from Act II
Bruckner Symphony No.9

Simone Young conductor
Michelle de Young mezzo-soprano
Stuart Skelton tenor

This looks like an excellent program. Michelle DeYoung is an excellent vocalist. Simon Young is an excellent Brucknerian. It's a win/win for everybody.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

This looks like an excellent program. Michelle DeYoung is an excellent vocalist. Simon Young is an excellent Brucknerian. It's a win/win for everybody.

Tickets are so expensive.....I will see if i can get a last minute 'student rush' ticket cheap if they have any available

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Next Monday, Wagner's Holländer in Finnish National Opera. Never seen it live before.

[ritter]

Next Monday, Wagner's Holländer in Finnish National Opera. Never seen it live before.

"Mit Gewitter und Sturm aus fernem Meer..."  Hope you enjoy it, Alberich. I'll be seeing it here in Madrid in December...

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Next Monday, Wagner's Holländer in Finnish National Opera. Never seen it live before.

oooo what's the cast like and who is the conductor? In Melbourne our Ring was conducted by Inkinen, one of my favourite Finnish conductors.

[ritter]

Confirmed...just bought tickets (for me and my children) for the Dutchman at the Teatro Real here in Madrid for January 2. The conductor is Pablo Heras-Casado, and the director Alex Olié (form La Fura dels Baus). I'll have Samuel Yuon in the title rôle (which he performed several years in Bayreuth) and Ricarda Merbeth will be Senta (she was a superb one at the beginning of this year--in concert with the Spanish National Orchestra under David Afkham). 

[TheGSMoeller]

November 5th
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Robert Spano

ELGAR - Sea Pictures*
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - A Sea Symphony

Jamie Barton - Mezzo-Soprano*
Tamara Wilson - Soprano
Brian Mulligan - Baritone

I am so excited for this concert, Sea Symphony has been a personal favorite of mine for many years. ASO had scheduled this a few years ago but had a musician strike which resulted in the cancellation of that concert, so I'm glad to see they re-programmed it this year. This will be my first time seeing both pieces performed live in concert.

A very good concert, although I can't seem to get over the Hall the ASO perform in. My wife has likened it to being inside a large white cinder block, which is what it seems like to me too. And I've never thought the voices carry very well in the hall. The Sea Symphony performance was very well done, perhaps a little too light on the dramatics that I've come to prefer, but the orchestra sounded tight and lively, and the chorus was powerfully pristine. Spano did a fine job of pacing the movements and keeping a proper balance between the orchestra and chorus. Exciting to finally experience this large work live in concert.

[ritter]

More Wagner in ritter's calendar. 

As I have to be in Berlin next Monday morning, I've just bought tickets for Lohengrin at the Deutsche Oper on Sunday evening (Dec. 4). The conducter is Axel Kober, the producer Kaspar Holten, and Peter Seiffert, Annette Dasch, Wolfgang Koch and Elisabete Matos are the vocal leads...

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Upcoming concert (6/12/16) presented by Plexus, a local ensemble for new music.

'Propulsion'

Hue Blanes
New work

Ross Irwin
New work

Stephen Magnusson
New work

James Mustafa
New work

Niko Schauble
New work

Also hopefully going to a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert a few days before that:

Wagner Parsifal: Excerpts from Act II
Bruckner Symphony No.9

Simone Young conductor
Michelle de Young mezzo-soprano
Stuart Skelton tenor

Yep, definitely going to see this Simone Young concert. After reading this review in the paper it confirmed my choice to pay extra for good seats.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

oooo what's the cast like and who is the conductor?

The conductor is John Fiore. Holländer is sung either by Olafur Sigurdarson or Johan Reuter, Senta by Pauliina Linnosaari or Camilla Nylund, Daland is Jyrki Korhonen or Gregory Frank, Erik is Mika Pohjonen or Christian Juslin, Mary by Sari Nordqvist or Anu Ontronen and Steersman is Tuomas Katajala.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

"Mit Gewitter und Sturm aus fernem Meer..."  Hope you enjoy it, Alberich. I'll be seeing it here in Madrid in December...

Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy your Holländer and Lohengrin.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Meanwhile looking forward to:

Krenek Violin Concerto & Mahler, Das Klagende Lied (ORF RSO)

Krenek, Mahler Rarity, Knock-Out Trebles And Velvet Suits

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/12/04/krenek-mahler-rarity-knock-out-trebles-and-velvet-suits/#5c7746fb62f5

[GioCar]

Петр Чайковский: Щелкунчик

with Mrs GioCar, on the 3rd of January.

What else?

[king ubu]

Yesterday at Zurich Opera:

Don Carlo
Oper von Giuseppe Verdi (Mailänder Fassung in vier Akten von 1884)

Musikalische Leitung    Fabio Luisi
Inszenierung    Sven-Eric Bechtolf
Bühne    Rolf Glittenberg
Kostüme    Marianne Glittenberg
Lichtgestaltung    Jürgen Hoffmann
Choreinstudierung    Ernst Raffelsberger
Janko Kastelic

Elisabetta di Valois    Anja Harteros
Filippo II    René Pape
Don Carlo    Ramon Vargas
Rodrigo, marchese di Posa    Peter Mattei
La principessa d'Eboli    Marina Prudenskaya
Il grande inquisitore    Rafal Siwek
Un frate    Ildo Song
Tebaldo    Soyoung Lee
Voce dal cielo    Sen Guo
Il conte di Lerma    Otar Jorjikia
Deputati fiamminghi    Andrzej Filonczyk
Dmytro Kalmuchyn
Huw Montague Rendall
Dimitri Pkhaladze
Stanislav Vorobyov
Ildo Song

   Philharmonia Zürich
   Chor der Oper Zürich
Zusatzchor der Oper Zürich
SoprAlti
   Statistenverein am Opernhaus Zürich
Solo-Cello    Bruno Weinmeister

Yowzah! Wonderful indeed, though the stage direction wasn't there at all (the setting and costumes though were pretty sharp indeed). The only - somewhat - weaker spot was Vargas as Carlo, everyone else was amazing to outstanding - what a joy to hear so many exceptional voices on the same stage, and add to that an orchestra playing with guts and fire (the brass!) - Prudenskaya was wonderful as Eboli (though in the terzetto - in the second act of this version, I think - she went under in the two male voices - in the quartet with Elisabetta later on, she was perfectly fine again, and her arias and other solo stuff, wow!), Mattei's Posa was amazing as well, and obviously it doesn't get any better than Harteros - her range, her pianissimo, her sustain ... Pape was wonderful, his opening of act three was great. And Siwek as inquisitor was just as good. And Song's frate too ... plenty of outstanding singing from everyone, and I guess Vargas was fine, just not quite up to the others here and there.

Too bad the first act was missing, it's muscally wonderful and helps making the plot understandable ... either way, a dark, dark opera - but I guess amongst my top five by now.

Now looking forward to catch it again - in its five act version that time - at La Scala in a few weeks! But before that, will hear the (probably) botched new staging of "Die Entführung aus dem Serail", as well as catching Bartoli and Jaroussky in "Alcina" ...


As far as concerts go, these are the next ones coming up for which I have tickets - both at Tonhalle Zürich:

FR 09.12.16 - ORCHESTERMAGIE - 19:30 Uhr, Grosser Saal

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Bernard Haitink Leitung
Sir András Schiff Klavier

Ludwig van Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 5 Es-Dur op. 73
Anton Bruckner: Sinfonie Nr. 9 d-Moll


FR 16.12.16 - ORCHESTERMAGIE - 19:30 Uhr, Grosser Saal

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Paavo Järvi Leitung
Steven Isserlis Violoncello

Sergej Prokofjew: Cellokonzert e-Moll op. 58
György Kurtág: Aus: "Signs, Games and Messages" für Violoncello solo
Robert Schumann: Sinfonie Nr. 3 Es-Dur op. 97 "Rheinische"

[king ubu]

Having my own private Opera festival, it seems ... got tickets for the controversely discussed "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" (had a ticket in October but fell ill), for "Alcina" (with no less than Bartoli and Jaroussky!), and my mom just phoned me to ask if she should get me a ticket for Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" (first category seat for comparatively little money - in between the two cheapest categories, which are otherwise the only two I'll ever consider anyway - they call that "Volksvorstellung" and they usually sell out very fast). So, with "Don Carlo" on Wednesday and at La Scala in a few weeks, that makes five operas in two months, add "Anna Karenina" to that, Christoph Spuck's ballet after Tolstoi (music by Rachmaninov and Lutoslawski, as well as by two unknown to me composers: Sulkhan Tsintsadze und Josef Bardanashvili).

But tonight will be my very first encounter with Bruckner, ever, the ninth by Tonhalle/Haitink, preceded by Schiff playing Beethoven's "emperor" concerto. Looking forward quite some - in fact got the Beethoven sonatas box by Schiff yesterday and was pretty pleased by Vol. I. (Not familiar with Schiff much, so far.)

[GioCar]

...
But tonight will be my very first encounter with Bruckner, ever, the ninth by Tonhalle/Haitink,...

and...did you enjoyed it? Was it love at first sight? 
I had a very hot Brucknerian phase in my life - Haitink was to blame...

[bob_cart]

Well, this concert was a month or two ago, but I listened to Jordi Savall in Varaždin, Croatia. It was a solo recital on the viola da gamba. In a word; it was magical.