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

[king ubu]

My line of reasoning is pretty similar to yours.

Wang/Petrenko, Nono/Messiaen and Stockhausen definitely. I'm bit weary of Schubert's C-Major with chamber orchestra, could sound malnourished...and then it's a long piece.

Strauss/Beethoven one is warhorses but Petrenko is such a huge talent that personally I'd love to hear his take on those. And Don Juan and Beethoven's 7th are so beautiful pieces.

Bruckner/Welser-Most will probably be much more upholstered affair but hearing the VPO in Bruckner would be worth it for me.

The Kremer one doesn't look particularly enticing to me, but Gražinytė-Tyla is pretty hyped in British press these days so if you have time and ticket money maybe it's worth seeing if the hype is true.

Thanks! I saw Welser-Möst do Bruckner w/Tonhalle recently and that was amazing ... but I guess a reason to skip this, although its Vienna Phil and I've never caught them. I also saw Blomstedt do Beethoven 7 (and 8!) w/Tonhalle last season and am somewhat unwilling to travel to Lucerne (train fare is about the same as the cheapest tickets) ... so I guess ultimately I'll stick to the three you mentioned with COE/Haitink the next addition (and rather skipping Kremer). Will have to check my calendar. Last year, for some concerts I failed catching cheap tickets even though I was online the minute the sale started. But I don't think Nono/Messiaen/Stockhausen will sell out fast, Haitink and Berlin Phil will be the more "critical" ones.

[Mahlerian]

Saw the Parker Quartet at Harvard this afternoon playing music by Harvard faculty.

Tutschku: behind the light
Czernowin: String Quartet
Iyer: Time, Place, Action

Relatively well attended (it was free, after all), though at least the two old ladies in front of me were not prepared for or interested in listening to avant-garde music for string quartet (and electronics or piano), and left at the intermission.

[André]

This coming Wednesday, a recital by David Fray:

- Mozart c minor Fantasia and sonata, K 475/457
- Mozart a minor Rondo, K. 511
- Schubert sonata in A major D. 959

It's nice that he'll play my favourite Mozart and Schubert piano works. What more could I ask?

[king ubu]

Zürich, Tonhalle-Maag – 04.03.2018
 
Julia Fischer Violine
Yulianna Avdeeva Klavier
 
Johannes Brahms Violinsonate Nr. 2 A-Dur op. 100 ,,Thuner Sonate"
Karol Szymanowski ,,Mythen" op. 30 für Violine und Klavier
—
Dmitri Schostakowitsch Violinsonate G-Dur op. 134
encore: Johannes Brahms  F-A-E-Sonate: Scherzo

Julia Fischer/Yulianna Avdeeva last night: Brahms 2, Szymanowski's "Mythes" (all three of 'em) and after the break the Shostakovich sonata ... and then the F-A-E Scherzo by Brahms as an encore. Very, very good this was! And a nice closer to three days of intensive live music (Friday: "Idomeneo" w/Antonini, Saturday: "Parsifal" w/Simone Young and an outstanding Nina Stemme) ...

The Brahms was very romantic, a full-blooded performance that had lots of body, at least as far as Fischer was concerned, very physical. The Szymanowski then was terrific ... Avdeeva was only able to put a smile on her face once it was over (after the Brahms, she had a look so stern I was worried if she was annoyed at something, though she played well). Then break, and then Shostakokvich ... holy holy! They kinda got into it without you really noticing, and by the second movement, it was extremely intense. The final Passacaglia just about gave me the rest. Playing the Brahms scherzo was quite a genial idea - it sounded like Brahms à la russe after that rollercoaster ride, very intense, at times harsh and almost ugly.

I have revised my judgement of Fischer (the "nice" and "polite" player of earlier years) a while ago (when I saw her do Bartók 2 w/Dutoit the latest), and this reconfirmed it. That Shostakovitch was at the same time cold to the point of freezing, and yet it was so hot it almost burned you up.

--

Re Lucerne Festival, here's what I've just bought tickets for (overpaying for the Wang/Berlin/Petrenko, I was online the second it started and got #160 in the online queue  ) - so I'm skipping the Mendelssohn concerto/Schubert "grosse" w/COE/Haitink as well as the other Petrenko concerts (and Chailly doing Bruckner, as I'll be at Météo Festival in Mulhouse listening to improvised music and free jazz at that time, I presume), but I've added this most enticing concert with Holliger, Schiff et al. (first one):


Mo. 30.8., 19:30 – KKL, Konzertsaal

Chamber Orchestra of Europe     
LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI     
Heinz Holliger    Dirigent
Sir András Schiff    Klavier
Miklós Perényi    Violoncello

Arnold Schönberg (1874–1951)
Kammersinfonie Nr. 1 E-Dur für fünfzehn Soloinstrumente op. 9 
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Klaviersonate Es-Dur op. 27 Nr. 1 Sonata quasi una fantasia 
Klaviersonate cis-Moll op. 27 Nr. 2 Sonata quasi una fantasia
György Kurtág  (*1926)
... quasi una fantasia ... für Klavier und im Raum verteilte Instrumentalgruppen op. 27 Nr. 1 
Doppelkonzert für Klavier, Violoncello und zwei im Raum verteilte Kammerensembles op. 27 Nr. 2 
Heinz Holliger (*1939)
COncErto? Certo! cOn soli pEr tutti (... perduti? ...)! für Orchester

---

Do. 30.8., 19:30 – KKL, Konzertsaal

Berliner Philharmoniker   
Kirill Petrenko  Dirigent
Yuja Wang  Klavier

60. Luzerner Bühnenjubiläum der Berliner Philharmoniker

Paul Dukas (1865–1935)
La Péri ou La Fleur d'immortalité
Sergej Prokofjew (1891–1953)
Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr. 3 C-Dur op. 26
Franz Schmidt (1874–1939)
Sinfonie Nr. 4 C-Dur

---

So 9.9., 11:00 – Kirchensaal MaiHof

Pierre-Laurent Aimard    Klavier

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007)
Klavierstücke I-XI

So 9.9., 19:30 – KKL, Konzertsaal

Orchester der LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY   
Matthias Pintscher  Dirigent
(Nono)
London Symphony Orchestra   
Sir Simon Rattle  Dirigent
(Messiaen)

Luigi Nono (1924–1990)
No hay caminos, hay que caminar ... Andrej Tarkowskij für sieben Orchestergruppen
Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992)
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum für Bläser und Schlagzeug

https://www.lucernefestival.ch/de/programm/orchester-der-lucerne-festival-academy-pintscher-london-symphony-orchestra-rattle/775


So 9.9., 21:00 – KKL, Konzertsaal

London Symphony Orchestra   
Orchester der LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY   
Sir Simon Rattle  Dirigent
Matthias Pintscher  Dirigent
Duncan Ward  Dirigent

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007)
Gruppen für drei Orchester

https://www.lucernefestival.ch/de/programm/london-symphony-orchestra-orchester-der-lucerne-festival-academy-rattle-pintscher-ward/793

---

Actually, "Gruppen" will be performed twice and I've got tickets for both. 18:30 and 21:00 ... sandwiching the Messiaen/Nono concert - very cool! So that Sunday will be a looong day of 20c music. Never had so much of it in concert, and Stockhausen is almost entirely new to me.

[Obradovic]

Αt the Athens Megaron

7 MAR
C. Debussy: Symphony in  B min.
S. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2 in C min. op.18
J. Sibelius: Symphony No.3 in C maj. op.52
Soloist: Khatia Buniatishvili

8 MAR
H. Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict: Overture
M. Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand
C. Franck: Symphony in D min.
Soloist: George-Emmanuel Lazaridis

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Mikko Franck

16 MAR
W.A. Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A maj. KV622
D. Shostakovich: Symphony No.10 in E min. op.93
Soloist: Spyros Mourikis

Athens State Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenzy

Busy schedule but my record is 5 concerts in 6 days 

[pjme]

Friday March 16th / Brussels / BOZAR / "Mysterium" by Scriabin/Nemtin.

Stanislav Kochanovsky, conductor – The Hungarian Radio Choir – Alexander Ghindin piano – Nadezhda Gulitskaya soprano and the Belgian National Orchestra (incl. the restaured concert organ  of the Salle Henri Leboeuf !.).

Almost 3 hours...of extasy?



P.

[André]

This coming Wednesday, a recital by David Fray:

- Mozart c minor Fantasia and sonata, K 475/457
- Mozart a minor Rondo, K. 511
- Schubert sonata in A major D. 959

It's nice that he'll play my favourite Mozart and Schubert piano works. What more could I ask?

......................................

Back from the concert. Deeply felt performances, a program entirely made up of extremely 'serious' works. After the concert Fray signed programs and discs. He was in good spirits,  generous of his time and posed with his fans (young ladies mostly).  Fray made his debut in Montreal almost 20 years ago and obviously likes coming back here. I bought this disc, which includes some of my favourite Schubert works, the G major sonata (D. 894) as well as the famous f minor Fantaisie and Lebensstürme for piano, 4 hands.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Last night was opening night of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (with the Choir of Trinity College, Melbourne) were conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. The soloists were Stuart Skelton, Nathan Berg and Catherine Wyn-Rogers.

I would say it was a bit more passionate and interesting than Davis' CD release from a few years ago. The semi-chorus had a very blended, pure sound that contrasted wonderfully with the rest of the choir. The orchestra was magnificent. I was singing a couple of rows behind the horns and percussion, so some of those fortissimo moments I could really feel shake me up.

The soloists were great. The best Gerontius and Angel I have heard. Nathan Berg somehow seemed a bit more operatic (imagine a very emotional Wotan) than I expected from his role, but it was good fun and made his entrance towards the end of part 1 all the more thrilling.

[André]

What an experience !    .

Maybe a recording will be made of these performances ?

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

What an experience !    .

Maybe a recording will be made of these performances ?

Not sure. Maybe Saturday afternoon's concert will be recorded for radio broadcast. If so, someone might be able to get a copy of it I guess.....

However there will be a CD release of a concert in June of L'enfance du Christ by Berlioz. Release on Chandos at some point in the future.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

What an experience !    .

Maybe a recording will be made of these performances ?

Not sure. Maybe Saturday afternoon's concert will be recorded for radio broadcast. If so, someone might be able to get a copy of it I guess.....

However there will be a CD release of a concert in June of L'enfance du Christ by Berlioz. Release on Chandos at some point in the future.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

What an experience !    .

Maybe a recording will be made of these performances ?

Not sure. Maybe Saturday afternoon's concert will be recorded for radio broadcast. If so, someone might be able to get a copy of it I guess.....

However there will be a CD release of a concert in June of L'enfance du Christ by Berlioz. Release on Chandos at some point in the future.

[EddieRUKiddingVarese]

Cool good to hear

[André]

Not sure. Maybe Saturday afternoon's concert will be recorded for radio broadcast. If so, someone might be able to get a copy of it I guess.....

However there will be a CD release of a concert in June of L'enfance du Christ by Berlioz. Release on Chandos at some point in the future.

If a broadcast of the Elgar surfaces I hope I can catch it !

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

If a broadcast of the Elgar surfaces I hope I can catch it !

There will be one, and I can provide the link to hear it when it is broadcast on Sunday week at 12pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. In Quebec that would be 9pm on Saturday.

In the meantime here is a tweet with photos from opening night. Andrew Davis is in the way but in the first photo you can see my left half (dark curly hair) just next to the maestro's left shoulder.

https://twitter.com/OperaChaser/status/971731355280203776

On Friday we went down to Geelong (about 75 kilometres southeast of Melbourne) to do our second performance and our third one was this Saturday afternoon. The Saturday one was definitely the best.

[Wanderer]

Friday, 16 March 2018

Semperoper Dresden

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le nozze di Figaro

Il Conte d'Almaviva Sebastian Wartig
La Contessa d'Almaviva Gabriela Scherer
Susanna Carolina Ullrich
Figaro Zachary Nelson
Cherubino Christina Bock
Marcellina Sabine Brohm
Bartolo Martin-Jan Nijhof
Don Basilio Dan Karlström
Barbarina Tuuli Takala
Don Curzio Gerald Hupach
Antonio Alexandros Stavrakakis

Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden
Staatskapelle Dresden
Ido Arad



Saturday, 17 March 2018

Grosser Saal, Konzerthaus Berlin

Franz Schreker "Vorspiel zu einem Drama"
Richard Strauss Burleske für Klavier und Orchester d-Moll
Ferruccio Busoni "Berceuse élegiaque" op. 42
Alexander Skrjabin ,,Poème de l'extase" op. 54

Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Markus Stenz Conductor
Herbert Schuch Piano



Sunday, 18 March 2018

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Das Wunder der Heliane

Sara Jakubiak
Josef Wagner
Brian Jagde

Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Marc Albrecht

[Christo]

Friday March 16th / Brussels / BOZAR / "Mysterium" by Scriabin/Nemtin.

Stanislav Kochanovsky, conductor – The Hungarian Radio Choir – Alexander Ghindin piano – Nadezhda Gulitskaya soprano and the Belgian National Orchestra (incl. the restaured concert organ  of the Salle Henri Leboeuf !.).

Almost 3 hours...of extasy?



P.

Please report us back! 

[Mandryka]

I've just bought a ticket to hear Obrecht's Missa Maria Zart in Antwerp in August. Capella Pratensis singing.  I'm very much looking forward to going to Antwerp, which I haven't seen for years and which I used to love, partly because of people I knew there of course. -- I saw a French TV program last month about contemporary artists and designers working there, and it seems to be a very happening place.

I'm also tempted to hear it in Leipzig in May -- I'll be in Berlin at the time of the concert and Leipzig is only an hour away. I've never been to Leipzig, and it is, of course, covered with mystique for me.

I really thought I'd never get the chance to hear this mass played in my lifetime, and this year two opportunities present themselves.

[bhodges]

Saw the Parker Quartet at Harvard this afternoon playing music by Harvard faculty.

Tutschku: behind the light
Czernowin: String Quartet
Iyer: Time, Place, Action

Relatively well attended (it was free, after all), though at least the two old ladies in front of me were not prepared for or interested in listening to avant-garde music for string quartet (and electronics or piano), and left at the intermission.

I saw the announcement for this, and would have loved to hear this. Sorry the two ladies weren't impressed, but how did you like it? (I know some of Czernowin and Iyer, but the first name is new to me.)

Tonight at Carnegie:

Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Janine Jansen, violin

Michel van der Aa: Violin Concerto (2014, NY premiere)
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2

--Bruce

[Mahlerian]

I saw the announcement for this, and would have loved to hear this. Sorry the two ladies weren't impressed, but how did you like it? (I know some of Czernowin and Iyer, but the first name is new to me.)

I enjoyed it a good bit.  The Parker Quartet played like a finely-tuned machine, with the proper ferocity and precision (and restraint, when required).  The composers each provided very brief introductions to their works from the stage.  Although I had checked out each of the pieces beforehand to know what to expect, it was still quite unfamiliar to me overall, and it was good to experience something different from the normal concert.

I should mention that the majority of the audience seemed quite appreciative.

Hans Tutschku is a German composer who works extensively in electroacoustic music; he heads Harvard's electronic music department.