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

[Que]

Attending a concert by Dionysos Now! tomorrow at the Early Music Festival in Utrecht, that has started today:

https://oudemuziek.nl/en/concert-calendar/alle-concerten-20252026/fom25-32-dionysos-now/31-aug-domkerk-1700/


I also booked concerts on Wednesday and Friday - watch this space...

[brewski]

Attending a concert by Dionysos Now! tomorrow at the Early Music Festival in Utrecht, that has started today:

https://oudemuziek.nl/en/concert-calendar/alle-concerten-20252026/fom25-32-dionysos-now/31-aug-domkerk-1700/


I also booked concerts on Wednesday and Friday - watch this space...

That looks fantastic. Love the venue!

[André]

The Met (Opera House) held some kind of annual singing contest recently (« Laffont Grand Finals Concert »), which I caught on the wings in the car today. I was impressed with what I've heard. All kinds of voices from different places, most of them from the USA. I missed the intro to the program, so it may have been a mostly American thing. In any case, what counts is that i got to hear some quite fine voices - and some 'aspiring' but likely not to go any further ones. My favourite was a powerful, deep mezzo/almost contralto singer named Lauren Randolph. She sang Handel (Dejanira's aria) and Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos, the Composer's aria). She did win some kind of prize, but not the mot prestigious ones. Among the latter was a tenor who thought it was a good idea to sing 'Asile héréditaire' (Rossini's Guillaume tell) and 'Ah mes amis, quel jour de fête' (Donizetti's La Fille du régiment)  in full chest voice - which of course tinged his high Cs with a definitely baritonal resonance. He'll be lucky if he can last as a fish market seller 10 years from now. Sorry for the clumped paragraph, my 'tab' separator doesn't respond to my increasingly annoyed  commands. Time to reboot.

[brewski]

Today at 4 pm (EDT), the three string quartet finalists at Banff will present their own 45-minute programs. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during those discussions.

Arete Quartet (Seoul)
Britten: Three Divertimenti for String Quartet
Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K 465 – Adagio - Allegro
Janáček: String Quartet No. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata"

Quartet KAIRI (Salzburg)
Mozart: String Quartet No. 21 in D Major, K. 575 – Allegretto, Allegretto
Takemitsu: Landscape
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110

Poiesis Quartet (Cincinnati)
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate: Pisachi (Reveal) for String Quartet
Brian Raphael Nabors: String Quartet
Joe Hisaishi: String Quartet No. 1 – Phosphorescent Sea
Kevin Lau: String Quartet No. 7, Surfacing

Livestream on the Violin Channel here.

[Brian]

Whoa at the boldness of that third program.

[brewski]

Right? Zero usual suspects. All week, the group has impressed, and I'm glad they made it to the final round.

[Florestan]

While strolling along the pedestrian main street of Saint-Jean-de-Luz on the French Basque Coast this evening, I noticed that the town's (charming) church was closed  for a concert (Thomas Adès conducting his own music and works by Ravel, with the Paris Opera Orchestra).

It turns out this was part of a Ravel festival in the region, and as I'll be around again on Monday evening (on my way back home from the Bordeaux area), I've just bought tickets for an all-Ravel programme to be performed at the 17th-century church of the small town of Urrugne. Mezzo Fleur Barron, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, violinist Clara-Jumi Kang, flautist Aliya Vodovozava, and pianists Bertrand Chamayou and Kirill Gerstein will perform Histoires naturelles, Chansons Madécasses, the two violin sonatas , and the piano duo version of La Valse.

This is where the concert will be held:

Crackerjack!

[Que]

Wednesday evening another Pierre de la Rue concert, this time by Cappella Pratensis

https://oudemuziek.nl/en/concert-calendar/alle-concerten-20252026/fom25-62-cappella-pratensis/3-sep-domkerk-1700/



Later in the evening, a harpsichord recital by Jean Rondeau playing Louis Couperin:

https://oudemuziek.nl/en/concert-calendar/alle-concerten-20252026/fom25-65-jean-rondeau/3-sep-lutherse-kerk-2000/

[Florestan]

Wednesday evening another Pierre de la Rue concert, this time by Cappella Pratensis

https://oudemuziek.nl/en/concert-calendar/alle-concerten-20252026/fom25-62-cappella-pratensis/3-sep-domkerk-1700/



Later in the evening, a harpsichord recital by Jean Rondeau playing Louis Couperin:

https://oudemuziek.nl/en/concert-calendar/alle-concerten-20252026/fom25-65-jean-rondeau/3-sep-lutherse-kerk-2000/

Looks like you'll have a great time on both occasions.

[Wanderer]

Next month, at the always worthwhile Piraeus St. annex of the Benaki Museum:

Scriabin: Préludes Op. 11, Nos. 13-24
Scriabin: Fantaisie in B minor, Op. 28
Chopin: Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49
Brahms: Piano Sonata in F minor, No. 3, Op. 5

Łukasz Krupiński, piano
Μουσείο Μπενάκη - Πολιτιστικό Κέντρο οδού Πειραιώς

[ritter]

...I've just bought tickets for an all-Ravel programme to be performed at the 17th-century church of the small town of Urrugne. Mezzo Fleur Barron, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, violinist Clara-Jumi Kang, flautist Aliya Vodovozava, and pianists Bertrand Chamayou and Kirill Gerstein will perform Histoires naturelles, Chansons Madécasses, the two violin sonatas , and the piano duo version of La Valse.

A quick note to say that the concert in Urrugne (next to Saint-Jean-de-Luz) on Monday evening was quite magical. I was completely won over by Clara-Jumi Kang in the two violin sonatas. She has such a soft, at times almost whispering tone, and it suits the music like a glove. I've always had a sort of (inexplicable) aversion to the violin sonata as a genre, but Ravel's are now clearly works I love (particularly the posthumous one).

A nice meta-musical touch was that when the Sonata No. 2 was being played, from our seats in the second gallery of the church, we could see through the narrow window on the wall opposite from us how dusk fell on the town outside and the hills in the distance, with the sky adopting gradually darker shades of blue. Very fitting with the Blues second movement ; L'heure bleue turning into an heure exquise.

The chamber music component of the Chansons madécasses becomes much more apparent in live performance, with the voice (the seductive Fleur Barron) and the instrumentalists (all of them superb, but Queyras being in a class of his own) interacting as a quartet of equals.

The piano parts in the whole pieces in the programme were performed by Kirill Gerstein, who was joined by Chamayou only for La Valse to close the evening. I must admit that I much prefer the orchestral version of La Valse to the two-piano reduction. Where the former is mysterious and phantasmagorical, the latter is more grotesque and aggressive. But even in this "black and white" version, La Valse it remains a great composition.

Chamayou is the director of the festival, and his brief appearance in the concert on Tuesday evening is justified by the fact that on the following afternoon he was giving a concert of the (almost) complete solo piano music of Ravel (joined by a soloist of the Ravel Academy, Hyunji Kim, in the earlier and shorter pieces), along with some pieces in homage to the composer he included in his recent CD.

The two works absent from that afternoon concert were Miroirs and Gaspard de la nuit, because later that evening none other than Pierre-Laurent Aimard repeated the Ravel / Boulez programme I saw him perform in Madrid earlier this year. Unfortunately, we had other engagements and could not attend either session (these were held in the church of Ravel's birthplace Ciboure).

[Florestan]

A nice meta-musical touch was that when the Second Sonata was being played, from our seats in the second gallery of the church, we could see through the narrow window on the wall opposed from us how dusk fell on the town outside and the hills in the distance, with the sky adopting gradually darker shades of blue. Very fitting with the Blues second movement; L'heure bleue turning into an heure exquise.

Ô temps, suspends ton vol! et vous, heures propices,
Suspendez votre cours!
Laissez-nous savourer les rapides délices
Des plus beaux de nos jours!

[Que]

Tonight a concert by the Huelgas Ensemble:

https://oudemuziek.nl/en/concert-calendar/alle-concerten-20252026/fom25-84-huelgas-ensemble/5-sep-domkerk-1700/

[Iota]

A quick note to say that the concert in Urrugne (next to Saint-Jean-de-Luz) on Monday evening was quite magical. I was completely won over by Clara-Jumi Kang in the two violin sonatas. She has such a soft, at times almost whispering tone, and it suits the music like a glove. I've always had a sort of (inexplicable) aversion to the violin sonata as a genre, but Ravel's are now clearly works I love (particularly the posthumous one).

A nice meta-musical touch was that when the Sonata No. 2 was being played, from our seats in the second gallery of the church, we could see through the narrow window on the wall opposite from us how dusk fell on the town outside and the hills in the distance, with the sky adopting gradually darker shades of blue. Very fitting with the Blues second movement ; L'heure bleue turning into an heure exquise.

The chamber music component of the Chansons madécasses becomes much more apparent in live performance, with the voice (the seductive Fleur Barron) and the instrumentalists (all of them superb, but Queyras being in a class of his own) interacting as a quartet of equals.

The piano parts in the whole pieces in the programme were performed by Kirill Gerstein, who was joined by Chamayou only for La Valse to close the evening. I must admit that I much prefer the orchestral version of La Valse to the two-piano reduction. Where the former is mysterious and phantasmagorical, the latter is more grotesque and aggressive. But even in this "black and white" version, La Valse it remains a great composition.

Chamayou is the director of the festival, and his brief appearance in the concert on Tuesday evening is justified by the fact that on the following afternoon he was giving a concert of the (almost) complete solo piano music of Ravel (joined by a soloist of the Ravel Academy, Hyunji Kim, in the earlier and shorter pieces), along with some pieces in homage to the composer he included in his recent CD.

The two works absent from that afternoon concert were Miroirs and Gaspard de la nuit, because later that evening none other than Pierre-Laurent Aimard repeated the Ravel / Boulez programme I saw him perform in Madrid earlier this year. Unfortunately, we had other engagements and could not attend either session (these were held in the church of Ravel's birthplace Ciboure).

Great review, thanks! Totally agree about La valse too.

[Brian]

Tomorrow at the Dallas Symphony, with former GMGer Greta:

Barber | School for Scandal overture
Beethoven | Piano Concerto No. 3
Adams | Harmonielehre

David Robertson
Emanuel Ax
Dallas Symphony

My first time seeing Harmonielehre live, and its Dallas premiere. (Greta's actually attending two of the weekend's concerts, to see it twice!)

[brewski]

Tomorrow at the Dallas Symphony, with former GMGer Greta:

Barber | School for Scandal overture
Beethoven | Piano Concerto No. 3
Adams | Harmonielehre

David Robertson
Emanuel Ax
Dallas Symphony

My first time seeing Harmonielehre live, and its Dallas premiere. (Greta's actually attending two of the weekend's concerts, to see it twice!)

Have fun, and tell Greta hello!

[Ganondorf]

On 27th, at Finnish National Opera, Elektra. I have actually seen this production before but it has been almost 10 years so my memory is a bit hazy.

[Brian]

Tomorrow at the Dallas Symphony, with former GMGer Greta:

Barber | School for Scandal overture
Beethoven | Piano Concerto No. 3
Adams | Harmonielehre

David Robertson
Emanuel Ax
Dallas Symphony

My first time seeing Harmonielehre live, and its Dallas premiere. (Greta's actually attending two of the weekend's concerts, to see it twice!)

Was a wonderful experience! Harmonielehre really is very impressive live, and so is the DSO, which handled this incredibly tough piece in its season premiere with 6 new musicians in the orchestra, including a new principal oboe. (I did see some string players flexing their wrists after the finale.) David Robertson conducted a soulful, romantic interpretation; Greta tells me it's a little slow compared to MTT, but it's still thrilling in all the right places. Although the second movement is often described in terms of Sibelius' Fourth, which it directly quotes, I was struck this time by how much the finale seems to take from Sibelius' Fifth.

In the Beethoven, Emanuel Ax was steady, precise, and mature - except one very funny joke. In the finale's cadenza, when it was time to shift to C major and bring the orchestra back for the coda, he started playing the finale of Beethoven's First Symphony instead! He got about a bar and a half in, just enough for the musicians to start laughing, before cutting it off and returning to the correct piece. 

[Senta]

Was a wonderful experience! Harmonielehre really is very impressive live, and so is the DSO, which handled this incredibly tough piece in its season premiere with 6 new musicians in the orchestra, including a new principal oboe. (I did see some string players flexing their wrists after the finale.) David Robertson conducted a soulful, romantic interpretation; Greta tells me it's a little slow compared to MTT, but it's still thrilling in all the right places. Although the second movement is often described in terms of Sibelius' Fourth, which it directly quotes, I was struck this time by how much the finale seems to take from Sibelius' Fifth.

Well, it's been a bit since I've been over to the forum, but us talking about it Sunday brought me back here and I found this ha! I mean, I HAD to come say something about hearing one of my "soul works" live, twice. It was really special to experience it with a whole group of us Sunday too, also including friends from Houston who are massive John Adams fans.

Honestly, it was everything I dreamed of and more. Definitely teared up in the 3rd movement – just sublimely gorgeous, transcendent music.

I have Robertson's wonderful 2008 live recording with SLSO, it has more expansive tempi but is a favorite due to its detail. Last weekend he took it a tick faster than that recording, and since Sunday, I checked out the John Adams/Berlin Phil recording and can say the performance was very close to the composer's own tempi.

I always figured I'd have to fly somewhere to ever hear this piece live!! When DSO announced their season and I saw it, led by one of my fave Adams' specialists no less, I was over the moon.

Extremely impressed by the orchestra. DSO was truly firing on all cylinders, incredible execution of all the technical and emotional demands of the piece. Divine.

And a delight to finally see David Robertson live – such joy, energy and communication with the musicians, clear direction and sooo much detail throughout, not just in the Adams. I have the score to Harmonielehre and have enjoyed delving into it over the years, they totally nailed its often very specific dynamic ebb and flows, and struck that balance between power and beauty that the piece needs.

I really hope DSO releases this one on their YouTube Digital Concert Series (and made sure to say so in my post-concert survey!)

In the Beethoven, Emanuel Ax was steady, precise, and mature - except one very funny joke. In the finale's cadenza, when it was time to shift to C major and bring the orchestra back for the coda, he started playing the finale of Beethoven's First Symphony instead! He got about a bar and a half in, just enough for the musicians to start laughing, before cutting it off and returning to the correct piece. 

Thanks for catching that and alerting me to this clever joke    I thought the musicians seemed extra amused! Everyone was clearly enjoying themselves during the Beethoven, and Manny was of course, superb. We also loved that Robertson went and sat at the celesta to hear his awesome encore!

I'm just now checking out concerts around here this coming season and am thrilled to see HSO is having John Adams here in April with his new piano concerto + another new work, and Ives' Unanswered Question and Copland's Appalachian Spring. Looking forward to that!

[Brian]

Hey, good to see ya, stranger!!