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

[karlhenning]

What a splendid occasion, on many levels!

[Renfield]

This Thursday:

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Mendelssohn   Elijah (131')

Yannick Nézet-Séguin    Conductor
Lucy Crowe    Soprano
Karen Cargill    Mezzo soprano
Andrew Staples    Tenor
Jonathan Lemalu    Bass baritone
Anne Lewis    Mezzo Soprano II
Libby Crabtree    Soprano II
SCO    Chorus


I've never heard this before and Mendelssohn is a big blank for me so hope I'll like it. Besides, something big and choral is usually a bit of fun for a first listen .

What did you think?

[Brian]

What did you think?

That Nézet-Séguin is really short?

[Renfield]

That Nézet-Séguin is really short?

But he is! I was asking about his take on the performance, though.

[Novi]

That Nézet-Séguin is really short?

LOL, yep . He's like a kid with ADHD on the podium, but having said that, he infuses this energy into the orchestra so it's all very exciting and electrifying.

Renfield, were you there as well? I enjoyed it very much but then again, I'm a sucker for biblical blockbusters .

Being a Padmore fan, I was a little disappointed that he was replaced by Staples, but looking back, I think maybe Padmore may be a little too 'ascetic' for the Mendelssohn role(s). Hmm, I'm not sure if that makes sense but it's kind of why I like his various evangelists but not the Die schöne Müllerin I heard from him a couple of years ago.

Lemalu has a strong voice and gave authority to all the 'show us your stuff, baal' business, but - and this is a matter of preference entirely - I found his vibrato a little too relentless. Strangely enough, I remember being underwhelmed the first time I heard Crowe (Sophie in Rosenkavalier) but ever since, have enjoyed all her appearances up here. I thought Cargill was lovely except that I don't like her upper register as much.

Which might all sound a little critical, except that I really liked it and had a great evening. I thought Nézet-Séguin kept the momentum going while maintaining the drama and overall coherence, what with arias of angels, the odd prophet or two, a king here and there. Mind you, I had to go home and google this Obadiah chap to see who he was . That's a decade of C of E schooling for you .

There might be something to this Mendelssohn feller after all . The programme notes called him a 'racy 19th century Leonard Bernstein' ...

Incidentally, I really liked the Reformation I heard last week with the same forces (again, a first hearing, but didn't like the Schumann PC with Angelich as much).

Would be interested in your opinion when you have a moment Renfield .

[bhodges]

Back in July, my other half bought me a... well, I'm not quite sure what the word is... seat/membership of the Commissioning Circle of the London Sinfonietta.
I'm going to be attending rehearsals for, and the interval celebration of, Woolrich's new work. I'm rather excited.

Elliott Carter: ASKO Concerto
John Woolrich: Between the hammer and the anvil (World premiere)
Interval
Elliott Carter: Reflexions for ensemble
Elliott Carter: Au Quai for bassoon & viola
Elliott Carter: Dialogues

London Sinfonietta
Oliver Knussenconductor
Nicolas Hodges piano

The London Sinfonietta and Oliver Knussen present a major world premiere, supported with funding from the London Sinfonietta Commissioning Friends. John Woolrich's Between the Hammer and the Anvil promises to be as pumped full of pulsating energy as its title suggests.
book tickets

This sounds absolutely great.  When is this concert?  (I don't know Woolrich's work at all.)

--Bruce

[ChamberNut]

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Alexander Mickelthwate - conducting

January 31, 2009

Messiaen - Turangalila Symphony (Pascal Gallet, piano; Jean Laurendeau, ondes martenot)

I've never heard this piece, so it will be a new adventure! 

[bhodges]

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Alexander Mickelthwate - conducting

January 31, 2009

Messiaen - Turangalila Symphony (Pascal Gallet, piano; Jean Laurendeau, ondes martenot)

I've never heard this piece, so it will be a new adventure! 

   

Very exciting!  Do report back!  (You've not heard a recording, either, is that right?)

--Bruce

[ChamberNut]

   

Very exciting!  Do report back!  (You've not heard a recording, either, is that right?)

--Bruce

Nope, I haven't.  Going in cold turkey! 

[bhodges]

Nope, I haven't.  Going in cold turkey! 

0:)

That's the spirit!  Seriously, it is quite an experience live.  Last year I heard it with David Robertson and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, a concert that is going on my "ten best of 2008" list.  (Mr. Tardy expects the list to be done this weekend.)

http://www.musicweb-international.com/sandh/2008/Jan-Jun08/messiaen1502.htm

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

London Sinfonietta
Oliver Knussen conductor
Nicolas Hodges piano

This sounds absolutely great.

Well, any concert with a Hodges, eh, Bruce? 

[ChamberNut]

0:)

That's the spirit!  Seriously, it is quite an experience live.  Last year I heard it with David Robertson and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, a concert that is going on my "ten best of 2008" list.  (Mr. Tardy expects the list to be done this weekend.)

http://www.musicweb-international.com/sandh/2008/Jan-Jun08/messiaen1502.htm

--Bruce

I've read your review Bruce.  Boy, this really sounds like it's going to be quite an experience live.  I'm really looking forward to it now!!

[bhodges]

Well, any concert with a Hodges, eh, Bruce? 

--Bruce

[Renfield]

Renfield, were you there as well? I enjoyed it very much but then again, I'm a sucker for biblical blockbusters .

Being a Padmore fan, I was a little disappointed that he was replaced by Staples, but looking back, I think maybe Padmore may be a little too 'ascetic' for the Mendelssohn role(s). Hmm, I'm not sure if that makes sense but it's kind of why I like his various evangelists but not the Die schöne Müllerin I heard from him a couple of years ago.

Lemalu has a strong voice and gave authority to all the 'show us your stuff, baal' business, but - and this is a matter of preference entirely - I found his vibrato a little too relentless. Strangely enough, I remember being underwhelmed the first time I heard Crowe (Sophie in Rosenkavalier) but ever since, have enjoyed all her appearances up here. I thought Cargill was lovely except that I don't like her upper register as much.

Which might all sound a little critical, except that I really liked it and had a great evening. I thought Nézet-Séguin kept the momentum going while maintaining the drama and overall coherence, what with arias of angels, the odd prophet or two, a king here and there. Mind you, I had to go home and google this Obadiah chap to see who he was . That's a decade of C of E schooling for you .

There might be something to this Mendelssohn feller after all . The programme notes called him a 'racy 19th century Leonard Bernstein' ...

Incidentally, I really liked the Reformation I heard last week with the same forces (again, a first hearing, but didn't like the Schumann PC with Angelich as much).

Would be interested in your opinion when you have a moment Renfield .

I was indeed. In fact, I'd have said so here if I'd spotted your comment about looking forward to "Elijah" earlier than I did!

As far as the work goes, my opinion is summed up quite well by what I noted in Facebook (along with Nézet-Séguin being shockingly short, as Brian already mentioned ): Old Testament machismo aplenty. I didn't dislike it, but my previous live oratorio experience having been the Bach St. John's Passion (in the Proms last summer via Gardiner, no less), I can't say it even remotely compares.


However, there's a lot of nice music in Elijah, I'll grant Mendelssohn that. Somewhat hodgepodge stylistically, compared to other works of his I've heard, but it was good; and in some places, like the quiet interlude of Elijah's despair in the second half, quite superb.

In fact, I think part 2 was stronger than part 1, throughout. As for the story itself, well, quoting a retired NHS consultant in front of me commenting to a couple he obviously knew well, "Wasn't God quite drastic about ridding us of Baal? Somewhat like Israel invading Gaza."


Performance-wise, I was very happy with all the singers, including Lemalu, although he did occasionally sound a tiny little bit self-conscious. But not often, and he certainly has a great, full voice. I loved Staples as Obadiah, and slightly preferred Cargill to Crowe, but both were good.

The chorus was outstanding, I think.


My one gripe was the orchestra, or rather the conducting. I can see Nézet-Séguin is a good conductor. But I do not see (yet) that he is a conductor who can fully come to grips with the sort of sustained orchestral "conviction" that this sort of oratorio needs.

What I registered was a solid, excitable autopilot performance by the SCO with a few inspired moments, but no consistency! I haven't heard his Bruckner 9th, yet the comments I'd read about it being good enough, excellent in certain instances but not making overall sense, sound familiar.


(Of course, my standards for conducting accomplishment are very high, but Nézet-Séguin's hype is also very high, and I was not entirely convinced that he deserves it right now. But he does come off as someone with impressive potential indeed, no doubt of that from me.

Just a bit too early for this sort of thing, methinks. Or at least for a great performance of a work of this scale, by N-S.)



And I missed the "Reformation" on Saturday, which might perhaps have been more well-rounded a success, relatively speaking.

[Novi]

In fact, I think part 2 was stronger than part 1, throughout. As for the story itself, well, quoting a retired NHS consultant in front of me commenting to a couple he obviously knew well, "Wasn't God quite drastic about ridding us of Baal? Somewhat like Israel invading Gaza."

A lot of the OT seems rather like a pissing contest, doesn't it?

The chorus was outstanding, I think.

Absolutely! A couple of friends were singing the other night and I have to confess to spending quite some time squinting at the stage playing spot X and Y.

My one gripe was the orchestra, or rather the conducting. I can see Nézet-Séguin is a good conductor. But I do not see (yet) that he is a conductor who can fully come to grips with the sort of sustained orchestral "conviction" that this sort of oratorio needs.

What I registered was a solid, excitable autopilot performance by the SCO with a few inspired moments, but no consistency! I haven't heard his Bruckner 9th, yet the comments I'd read about it being good enough, excellent in certain instances but not making overall sense, sound familiar.

See, I sometimes get the autopilot feel with the SCO with their 'fall back' standards, like the post-interval Beethoven 2nd - that kind of thing: competent readings with a 'day in the office' impression. I didn't really get the sense of that the other night though. Having said that, I'm more familiar with standard repertoire and gauge performances more critically perhaps.

With N-S, I feel that excitement isn't lacking and this is what propels the piece to the end; what I had a problem with from the first concert was that there was only the excitement (or it seemed to me anyway): in the Schumann, i didn't hear any of the loving and the Schumann PC for me is all about the lovin' 0:) . I almost fell off my chair with Angelich's opening 'ba DUM.'

It's good to have someone to bounce ideas off, by the way . I usually only get to chat to little old ladies on the way out .

[Renfield]

A lot of the OT seems rather like a pissing contest, doesn't it?

Absolutely.

With N-S, I feel that excitement isn't lacking and this is what propels the piece to the end; what I had a problem with from the first concert was that there was only the excitement (or it seemed to me anyway): in the Schumann, i didn't hear any of the loving and the Schumann PC for me is all about the lovin' 0:) . I almost fell off my chair with Angelich's opening 'ba DUM.'

No, I don't disagree at all about the excitement!

It was more the frisson that I found lacking, when it wasn't VERY OBVIOUSLY (/capsclock!11!) present. See my point about inconsistency?

It's good to have someone to bounce ideas off, by the way . I usually only get to chat to little old ladies on the way out .

Ditto. Although the old ladies can offer surprisingly insightful comments...

I still remember a (very) old lady sitting next to me in the Athens Megaron, derisively announcing (with some measure of shock) upon Kurt Masur's arrival on the podium, "But the man has Parkinson's!" Still, next time we coincide in a concert, we should trade opinions in person!

[Lilas Pastia]

Nézet-Séguin is indeed an interesting podium personality. He sometimes 'nails' a work to impressive effect, and sometimes gives the impression he's mightily trying to force the square peg in that round hole. But there's no denying the energy and cuteness factor. He's also very articulate and likes to give lectures on his views of the music he performs. His players seem to like him a lot, which no doubt will help him achieve enthusiastic performances.

I was at the concert from which the Bruckner 9th was taped, and the degree of concentration and commitment from all involved was indeed impressive.  Watching Nagano and the MSO perform is an instructive and sobering contrast: it's all business, and you'd be hard-pressed to catch any particular expression on the players' faces - a dead giveaway of terminal ennui.

[donaldopato]

Speaking of large scale, but not often heard Mendelssohn February 14th Mendelssohn Symphony # 2 "Lobgesang" with the Kansas City Symphony, Nicolas Mc Gegan conducting, Dominique Labelle among the soloists. First half consists of Labelle and chorus in excerpts and arias from Beethoven's "Leonore".

I am not a big Mendelssohn fan and have heard "Lobgesang" only on recording. Like most of Mendelssohn's music, it is kind of foursquare but quite melodic. Should be interesting.

[Novi]

Ditto. Although the old ladies can offer surprisingly insightful comments...

I still remember a (very) old lady sitting next to me in the Athens Megaron, derisively announcing (with some measure of shock) upon Kurt Masur's arrival on the podium, "But the man has Parkinson's!"

Teehee . I get, 'Isn't Paul Lewis just wonderful? Doesn't he look like Beethoven?' You know you've made it when you're matinee idol to the blue rise brigade .

Still, next time we coincide in a concert, we should trade opinions in person!

Good idea. We can have a cup of tea or something after .

[MDL]

This sounds absolutely great.  When is this concert?  (I don't know Woolrich's work at all.)

--Bruce

The concert was on the 28th. I really enjoyed the whole evening. There was a nice contrast between Carter's fidgety, intricate, string-dominated works and the more blocky, Stravinsky-like wind-and-percussion writing of Woolrich. I didn't get to speak to the composer at the interval - not that I would have had anything intelligent to say! - but the London Sinfonietta staff were lovely and attentive. Watching the rehearsals conducted by Oliver Knussen was fascinating too.