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

[Lilas Pastia]

Thanks, it's something I'll definitely look for when it's issued commercially.

I also read with great interest your blog entry on ranking orchestras. I couldn't agree more. Such polls make no sense at all.

[bhodges]

A great program! How was the concert? Levine has been performing lots of Boulez recently. A couple of week earlier I heard him in Boston give Notations I/IV, matched with Messiaen's Et Exspecto and Berlioz's Harold in Italy. Wondrous stuff. I hope the Maestro will give us a Boulez CD: it would help further his acceptance by the general public (Messiaen and Schoenberg recordings by James Levine would be interesting too).

The concert was quite good, even if Levine's typically diverse programming seemed more scattered than usual.  My review is here.

I am very much looking forward to this concert by the chamber ensemble Orpheus on Saturday night, as Carter's big birthday week approaches.  (And I don't know the Haydn overture at all.)

Carnegie Hall
Orpheus
Jonathan Biss, Piano

Haydn: Overture to L'infedeltà delusa 
Mozart:  Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482 
Ives: The Unanswered Question 
Elliott Carter: Symphony No.1

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Tonight, at Miller Theatre:

International Contemporary Ensemble

Marc-André Dalbavie: Palimpseste (2002)
Marc-André Dalbavie: Diadèmes (1986)
Marc-André Dalbavie: Cello Concerto (2008, world premiere)

--Bruce

[Drasko]

Earlier this evening, one of the better concerts this season, orchestra was really on good form tonight.

Faure - Pelleas et Melisande
Roussel - Bacchus et Ariane (suite 2)
Berio - Sinfonia

Swingle Singers
Belgrade Philharmonic
Fabrice Bollon

[bhodges]

Earlier this evening, one of the better concerts this season, orchestra was really on good form tonight.

Faure - Pelleas et Melisande
Roussel - Bacchus et Ariane (suite 2)
Berio - Sinfonia

Swingle Singers
Belgrade Philharmonic
Fabrice Bollon

Oh wow, do expound a little if you like!  That's a great, unusual program on its own, but performances of the Sinfonia aren't all that common.

--Bruce

[ezodisy]

Oh wow, do expound a little if you like!  That's a great, unusual program on its own, but performances of the Sinfonia aren't all that common.

--Bruce

Sure makes you want to ditch the Big Apple for Beograd, eh?

[bhodges]

Sure makes you want to ditch the Big Apple for Beograd, eh?

For a long weekend, sure! 

--Bruce

[Drasko]

Oh wow, do expound a little if you like!  That's a great, unusual program on its own, but performances of the Sinfonia aren't all that common.

--Bruce

Well, can't go into too much detail, was more concentrating on enjoying myself than on taking any mental notes. Faure was stylistically aptly hovered by Bollon and orchestra somewhere between late romanticism and impressionism with pastel colors, subdued dynamics and elegance in phrasing. Roussel was strongly contrasted with sharply etched rhythms, punchy, with quite full sound from orchestra but at the same time very precise and crucially transparent, I had some doubts there a priori, Belgrade Philharmonic is quite decent band but no Cleveland and with less able conductor sound can get opaque at times, but as already said they were on top form tonight. Really exciting performance of Roussel that was.
As for Berio, it sounded great to me, but couldn't really tell if there was some note missed here or there, one of the essentials imo, miking of the singers was well done, so neither orchestra drowned them nor vice versa. Swingle Singers were very good, (n-th generation) and did two encores: Mozart's Turkish march and as a surprise one beautiful old Serbian folk song in their arrangement (which predictably brought the house down). French 40 something year old conductor of whom I never heard before was truly excellent, good feel both for color, rhythm and for keeping all those busy passages clear. I'd like if he'd come back, currently he is MD of some German opera (Freiburg?).
To my surprise, given the repertoire, the house was completely full.

[bhodges]

Tonight, Elliott Carter's 100th birthday party at Carnegie Hall!  It's going to be a memorable night.

Boston Symphony Orchestra
James Levine, Music Director, Conductor, and Piano
Daniel Barenboim, Piano

Schubert: Fantasie in F Minor for Piano Four Hands, D.940 
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 
Carter: Interventions for Piano and Orchestra (NY Premiere) 
Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps 

--Bruce

[Sef]

Tonight - Shostakovich VC (Julia Fischer) and Tchaikovsky Symphony 1.

Sort of looking forward to it, but my department got a 30% head count reduction this week so I'm a little depressed.

[ezodisy]

Well, can't go into too much detail, was more concentrating on enjoying myself than on taking any mental notes.

Faure was stylistically aptly hovered by Bollon and orchestra somewhere between late romanticism and impressionism with pastel colors, subdued dynamics and elegance in phrasing. Roussel was strongly contrasted with sharply etched rhythms, punchy, with quite full sound from orchestra but at the same time very precise and crucially transparent, I had some doubts there a priori, Belgrade Philharmonic is quite decent band but no Cleveland and with less able conductor sound can get opaque at times, but as already said they were on top form tonight. Really exciting performance of Roussel that was.
As for Berio, it sounded great to me, but couldn't really tell if there was some note missed here or there, one of the essentials imo, miking of the singers was well done, so neither orchestra drowned them nor vice versa. Swingle Singers were very good, (n-th generation) and did two encores: Mozart's Turkish march and as a surprise one beautiful old Serbian folk song in their arrangement (which predictably brought the house down). French 40 something year old conductor of whom I never heard before was truly excellent, good feel both for color, rhythm and for keeping all those busy passages clear. I'd like if he'd come back, currently he is MD of some German opera (Freiburg?).
To my surprise, given the repertoire, the house was completely full.

lol! What happens when you pay attention then? A dissertation?

[Drasko]

lol! What happens when you pay attention then? A dissertation?

No, just more specific details.

[Sef]

Tonight - Shostakovich VC (Julia Fischer) and Tchaikovsky Symphony 1.

Sort of looking forward to it, but my department got a 30% head count reduction this week so I'm a little depressed.

Nevertheless it was quite a superb performance of the Shotakovich. Had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Julia Fischer played it with a technical brilliance I have not heard before in any of the recordings I own. The clarity was just breathtaking, as was the speed she eventually achieved in both the Scherzo and the Cadenza.

http://chicago.metromix.com/home/review/mature-well-beyond-her/833156/content

[hildegard]

Fun Messiah Sing-In at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center last night.

This event is in its 41st season, and despite the icy weather, still managed to draw out 1500 hundred voices and 17 conductors.  

Hallelujah!  

[Sef]

What happened: was your department infiltrated by Jivaro Indians?

Ha - Apologies. That's American speak and I should know better. Brain atrophy would be far more welcome than having to tell a third of your department that they no longer have jobs.

[MishaK]

Tomorrow:

CSO
Mathieu Dufour, flute
Fabio Luisi, conductor

Nielsen Flute Concerto
Belioz Symphonie fantastique

[Brian]

Tomorrow:

CSO
Mathieu Dufour, flute
Fabio Luisi, conductor

Nielsen Flute Concerto
Belioz Symphonie fantastique

That's a cool program.

[MishaK]

I forgot to add: Weber's Oberon Overture opens the program.

[Brian]

I forgot to add: Weber's Oberon Overture opens the program.

Hmm, with that program I'd have done a different overture. Maybe Helios, or a tone-poem by Berwald - or something Latin, by Revueltas (Sensemaya) or Villa-Lobos!

[Renfield]

Hmm, with that program I'd have done a different overture. Maybe Helios

I had a highly-stereotypic (not to mention horrifying) mental image of the CSO roaring through Helios with Soltian aplomb, just now.