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

[bhodges]

Just found out about this livestream tomorrow, with Yuja Wang, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, and Alan Gilbert. Program is not quite my thing, but I like her a lot, and she's persuasive even in repertoire I'm not crazy about. Plus it would be fun to see the interior of that spectacular hall.

https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/mediatheque/benefizkonzert-des-bundesprasidenten/692

Beethoven - Ouvertüre zu »Fidelio« op. 72
Liszt - Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr. 1 Es-Dur S 124
Beethoven - Sinfonie Nr. 5 c-Moll op. 67

--Bruce

[Iota]

Tomorrow at London's Southbank Centre, 20 piano sonatas played by Tamara Stefanovich:

3 pm	Bach	Sonata in A minor, BWV.965 (after Reincken)
	Soler	Sonata in C minor, R.100
	Busoni	Sonatina seconda
	D Scarlatti	Sonata in C minor, Kk.158
	D Scarlatti	Sonata in G, Kk.13
	CPE Bach	Sonata in G minor, Wq.65/17
	Ives	Three-Page Sonata
5 pm	D Scarlatti	Sonata in C, Kk.406
	Bartók	Sonata, Sz.80
	D Scarlatti	Sonata in G minor, Kk.450
	Eisler	Sonata No.1, Op.1
	Soler	Sonata in D flat, R.110
	Hindemith	Sonata No.3 in B flat
7 pm	Soler	Sonata in G minor
	Scriabin	Sonata No.9 in F, Op.68 (Black Mass)
	D Scarlatti	Sonata in G minor, Kk.8
	Roslavets	Sonata No.2
	D Scarlatti	Sonata in B minor, Kk.87
	Janáček	Sonata in E flat minor, 1.X.1905 (From the Street)
	Ustvolskaya	Sonata No.6

That looks an interesting looking undertaking! Hope it's a good one.

Great comment.

--Bruce

+1

[Iota]

Managed to get down to the 3.00 gig from the Stefanovich above, happily breaking my pandemic concert drought in the process.

Really liked the way it was done - no pause between pieces, suggesting to me a desire to allow the pieces to speak to each other, and thereby creating a kind of tangible genetic connection and interaction between them. But I felt that she declaimed all the Baroque pieces with such unbroken, almost Hammerklavier-like intensity, that subtleties were lost in the flurry and it was ultimately a bit wearing.

The highlights for me were the Busoni and the closing Ives, the latter where she let rip with her unquestionably fine technique, and caught the manic energy of the typical Ivesian outbursts very well. The problem was that the energy had been so high for much of the previous fifty minutes, that some of the impact was muted.

All IMHO of course, and I imagine she could be extraordinary in some of the pieces coming up later, but I had to leave. But anyway very much hope you enjoyed it and the following concerts, and didn't have any of my issues with it, Ultralinear. 

I will just add that it was great being back at the South Bank, which I love! And all bathed in glorious sunshine today!

Wow! Quite the marathon, and with many off-the-radar choices, too. Would love to get a glimpse of her thoughts behind this programming. Do feel free to share your impressions.

--Bruce

Re her thinking, I found this on the Southbank Centre website:

Stefanovich begins a trilogy of recitals that explores the myriad ways that the piano sonata was embraced by different composers.

In this first recital, she shows how the sonata has been interpreted through the ages, demonstrating our deep connection to the form.

Stefanovich conjures up the sparkle of Scarlatti and his pupil Soler, written at the Spanish court, and the elegant, improvisation-like music of CPE Bach.

His father JS Bach's substantial Sonata in A minor after Reincken is a transcription of a work by that older contemporary: its contrasting sections showcase styles that often inspired Bach in the decades ahead.

The 20th century brings vivid contrast.

First there is Busoni's experimental, forward-thinking language in his Sonatina Secunda of 1912, and then Charles Ives' concentrated and groundbreaking take on the same form in his rarely heard Three-Page Sonata.

Performers
Tamara Stefanovich piano
Repertoire
Bach: Sonata in A minor, BWV.965 (after Reincken)
Soler: Sonata in C minor, R.100
Busoni: Sonatina seconda
D Scarlatti: Sonata in C minor, Kk.158; Sonata in G, Kk.13
CPE Bach: Sonata in G minor, Wq.65/17
Ives: Three-Page Sonata

[Karl Henning]

.

[bhodges]

Managed to get down to the 3.00 gig from the Stefanovich above, happily breaking my pandemic concert drought in the process.

The Ustvolskaya was pretty brutal.  First time I've seen someone put on gloves to play the piano.

Thank you both for your comments. (And yes, Ustvolskaya is like no one else.)

--Bruce

[Wanderer]

Tonight, at the Greek National Opera:

Verdi: Otello

Otello
Aleksandrs Antoņenko

Desdemona
Cellia Costea

Iago
Tassis Christoyannis

Cassio
Dimitris Paksoglou

Roderigo
Yannis Kalyvas

Lodovico
Petros Magoulas

Montano
Marinos Tarnanas

A Herald
Pavlos Sampsakis

Emilia
Violetta Lousta


Chorus master
Agathangelos Georgakatos


With the GNO Orchestra & Chorus


Conductor
Stathis Soulis

Director, design, lighting
Robert Wilson

[bhodges]

Tonight, at the Greek National Opera:

Verdi: Otello

[interesting cast aside for the moment]

Director, design, lighting
Robert Wilson

Though the Otello looks familiar, what caught my eye is the director! His Lohengrin production at the Met, booed on its opening night but later loudly cheered, was one of the greatest things I've seen. Do feel free to report!

--Bruce

[bhodges]

On Sunday, March 20, 4pm (PDT, 7pm EDT), this fascinating concert, which will be livestreamed:

Seattle Symphony
Kahchun Wong, conductor
Kala Ramnath, Hindustani violin
Ko-ichiro Yamamoto, trombone

Toshio Hosokawa: Meditation
Tan Dun: Trombone Concerto: Three Muses in Video Game (Seattle Symphony Co-commission & U.S. Premiere)
Reena Esmail/Kala Ramnath: Violin Concerto (Seattle Symphony Commission & World Premiere)
Debussy: La mer

https://www.seattlesymphony.org/en/concerttickets/calendar/2021-2022/celebrate-asia-streaming

--Bruce

[Brian]

Wow, double concerto action!

[TheGSMoeller]

Tonight, at the Greek National Opera:

Verdi: Otello

Director, design, lighting
Robert Wilson

Though the Otello looks familiar, what caught my eye is the director! His Lohengrin production at the Met, booed on its opening night but later loudly cheered, was one of the greatest things I've seen. Do feel free to report!

--Bruce

I'd be so interested to see more Robert Wilson productions, his take on Monteverdi's L'Orfeo is amazing.

[listener]

NEXT sUNDAY  (March 20)
Jakub Jozef Orlinski  (counter-tenor)
selections from Vivaldi to Copland
https://vanrecital.com/concert/jakub-jozef-orlinski/

[Judith]

Last weekend saw local orchestra

Leeds Haydn Players 

performing

 The Ukrainian National Anthem
 Vaughan Williams  English Folk Song Suite
 Vaughan Williams  Fantasia on "Greensleeves
 Brahms  Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn
 Vaughan Williams  Prelude Founded on the Welsh Hymn Tune Rosymedre
 Haydn     Symphony No 99 in E flat major

Conductor
Melvyn Tay

Wonderful concert given by all and lovely to have a chat with the conductor afterwards

[Judith]

Another wonderful local orchestra concert yesterday evening.

Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Performing

Hebrides Overture   Mendelssohn
Prokofiev  Piano Concerto no 3
Tchaikovsky   Symphony no 6  (Pathetique)

Soloist.  William Green
Conductor    John Anderson

[Iota]

NEXT sUNDAY  (March 20)
Jakub Jozef Orlinski  (counter-tenor)
selections from Vivaldi to Copland
https://vanrecital.com/concert/jakub-jozef-orlinski/

If you felt at all disposed to mention your impressions of this, I'd be very interested. I'd certainly grab a chance to see him in recital if it came around.

[bhodges]

Last weekend saw local orchestra

Leeds Haydn Players

performing

The Ukrainian National Anthem
Vaughan Williams  English Folk Song Suite
Vaughan Williams  Fantasia on "Greensleeves
Brahms  Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn
Vaughan Williams  Prelude Founded on the Welsh Hymn Tune Rosymedre
Haydn     Symphony No 99 in E flat major

Conductor
Melvyn Tay

Wonderful concert given by all and lovely to have a chat with the conductor afterwards

Another wonderful local orchestra concert yesterday evening.

Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Performing

Hebrides Overture   Mendelssohn
Prokofiev  Piano Concerto no 3
Tchaikovsky   Symphony no 6  (Pathetique)

Soloist.  William Green
Conductor    John Anderson

Just wanted to acknowledge these two concerts! The second sounds especially good. I just heard the Tchaikovsky recently with the Minnesota Orchestra, and sort of forgot (well, not really) how effective it is live.

--Bruce

[Mirror Image]

Over the next three nights at London's Southbank Centre, the Emerson Quartet will be performing the first nine of Shostakovich's string quartets.  No confirmation yet of dates for the remainder.

Oh, this looks enticing. I wish I lived in London, which is a mecca for the classical fan.

[Mirror Image]

Well things aren't quite back as they were.  There was a time when I could have found something interesting to go to pretty much every night through most of the year.  I doubt those days will ever return.   And costs have risen significantly, so one has be more selective anyway.  But there are still some things coming up that look promising.

I was particularly interested in the Emersons, because theirs is one disc set that I don't have.  Plus it's some years since the last complete cycle I heard.  It's arguable whether three quartets a night, three nights running, is the best way to experience the music, but it's certainly intense.  With the musicians working away just a few feet in front of you, you get a sense of the music being spun from the air moment by moment.

I believe they will return, but it's going to take more time and the political landscape must change significantly for this to happen.

[bhodges]

Looking forward to this, later in the week. Dudamel was originally scheduled, in his debut with the ensemble (!), but I'm not complaining with having Yannick instead.

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conductor
Sergio Tiempo, Piano

Gabriela Lena Frank - Selections from Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout
Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5

--Bruce

[Mirror Image]

On Thursday we have this one:

Gubaidulina A Fairytale Poem
Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death (arr. Shostakovich)
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5

BBC Symphony Orchestra
John Storgårds conductor
Kostas Smoriginas baritone

Storgårds is a late substitute for the original conductor, Eva Ollikainen, who has had to withdraw through injury.  I have no idea what his Shostakovich will be like, but am hoping for the best.  I am confident Yannick's will be a rewarding experience.

What a fantastic program! The inclusion of Gubaidulina is a brilliant choice. As for Storgårds, he's an excellent conductor and does well in modern repertoire.

[bhodges]

Ha! 

On Thursday we have this one:

Gubaidulina A Fairytale Poem
Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death (arr. Shostakovich)
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5

BBC Symphony Orchestra
John Storgårds conductor
Kostas Smoriginas baritone

Storgårds is a late substitute for the original conductor, Eva Ollikainen, who has had to withdraw through injury.  I have no idea what his Shostakovich will be like, but am hoping for the best.  I am confident Yannick's will be a rewarding experience.

What a fantastic program! The inclusion of Gubaidulina is a brilliant choice. As for Storgårds, he's an excellent conductor and does well in modern repertoire.

Well, I like your program better! (I love Chopin's solo works, but not a big fan of the piano concertos.) And that Gubaidulina is a real rarity. Have only heard Storgårds via a few recordings, but recall being enthusiastic.

--Bruce