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

[hildegard]

Smetana's Má Vlast

April 30th, Bohemian National Hall, NYC

"The Aaron Copland School of Music Orchestra under the direction of Maurice Peress presents a rare performance of Bedrich Smetana's Má Vlast (My Country).

"Smetana, 'the father of Czechish music,' set out to create a body of works that celebrated the natural landscapes, history, native language, as well as the folk legends of Bohemia and Moravia and the people's struggle for independence. In 1874, just as he was becoming deaf, Smetana began work on what would become a monumental cycle of six symphonic poems; Vyšehrad  Vltava, Šárka, Z ceských luhu a háju (From Bohemian Woods and Groves), Tábor and Blaník.  Heard as a whole for the first time in 1882, Má Vlast was immediately acclaimed by the native musical public as representative of Czech National style. Smetana dedicated the cycle to the city of Prague where Maestro Peress had the honor of conducting the work with the Brno Orchestra." dvoraknyc.org


karadar.com

Smetana's MáVlast takes on new meaning when experienced as a live performance. Violins become water, horns become hunters and the sound and movement of every other instrument conjure up layers of vision and symbolism.     

Conductor Maurice Peress, well-versed in his understanding of Smetana and Dvorak and their musical influences, gave a passionate reading and wrenched every ounce of commitment from his young students who make up the Queens College Orchestra of the Aaron Copland School of Music.    
 
New York's recently renovated Bohemia National Hall, which was the focus of social events for New York's Czech and Slovak communities more than 100 years ago, and the soft murmur of accented voices from those sitting behind me completed this fantastic journey. 

[hildegard]

Concerts to look forward too in & around Washington DC:

http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=529

And the DC premier of Zwilich's Septet for Piano Trio and String Quartet by the Kalechstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Miami String Quartet at the Kennedy Center on May 5th.

[Senta]

I found out I am going to a concert tomorrow! I am really excited - first time to see Leonard Slatkin. 

Houston Symphony
Leonard Slatkin, conductor

Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano
Nathaniel Webster, baritone
Houston Symphony Chorus

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Roberto Sierra: Missa Latina

I am also stoked about the Sierra piece, heard a lot of good things about it - have held off looking up a recording so I can be surprised.

[Brian]

I found out I am going to a concert tomorrow! I am really excited - first time to see Leonard Slatkin. 

Houston Symphony
Leonard Slatkin, conductor

Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano
Nathaniel Webster, baritone
Houston Symphony Chorus

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Roberto Sierra: Missa Latina

I am also stoked about the Sierra piece, heard a lot of good things about it - have held off looking up a recording so I can be surprised.

Heh, the premier recording comes out in a couple weeks. My thoughts from an advance listen are in the listening thread (as you know). The Sierra piece is awesome! And for what it's worth, Heidi Murphy and Nathaniel Webster are the soloists who sang at the work's premiere performance last December 10, so they really know the music. 

[Daverz]

After joining our local classical meetup group, I've discovered that there are a lot of free (or "suggested donation of $5") concerts in the area (unfortunately not discovered until the tail end of the season).  Coming up are the Jung Trio and the California String Quartet.

http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/pdf/090408concertmay10pr.pdf
http://www.srfol.org/srfol-music.htm

I also have tickets to see the San Diego Symphony playing the Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2.  But it's a "concert" in their "Symphony Exposed" series.  I didn't realize what I was getting with that until I went to the "Symphony Exposed" Elgar 2nd "concert", which featured an actor in Edwardian costume, moustache, and sporting a (fake?) English accent reading some dubious script.  Really obnoxious.   That reminds me that I need to try to exchange my tickets for the "real" concert.

[jlaurson]

I found out I am going to a concert tomorrow! I am really excited - first time to see Leonard Slatkin. 

Ha!! Seriously: Ha!!!

It's a trade-off. Hear him in concert or keep that excitement. (To be fair: I think he has actually in himself to work really well with second-tier American orchestras that he's not married to... and I've heard good concerts under him, as well. Except so few, so very few out of so very many...)

I am also stoked about the Sierra piece, heard a lot of good things about it - have held off looking up a recording so I can be surprised.

I had more fun reviewing the (world premiere, coincidentally of the) Missa Latina than listening to it. One of the slightly-above-mediocre reviews on _ionarts_, possibly worth reading after (or even before?) you go to the concert.

[Senta]

Ouch LOL!  Funny how some posts look a lot different in hindsight than foresight...

Ha!! Seriously: Ha!!!

It's a trade-off. Hear him in concert or keep that excitement. (To be fair: I think he has actually in himself to work really well with second-tier American orchestras that he's not married to... and I've heard good concerts under him, as well. Except so few, so very few out of so very many...)

I have many very good Slatkin recordings, but live, meh...I wish I gotten to see him in different rep, maybe the English stuff since he seems to specialize in that. We joked that his baton work reminded us of Zorro - he has this left-to-right slash that seemed to be a favorite thing. The performance of the Sierra was so much better than the LvB 8, I almost forgot I had heard it too by the end of evening. The Beethoven was just very competently conducted, with no real new insights, and the playing was kind of lazy and lackluster. I just remember them doing a LvB 7 last year under Kwame Ryan that was so good and fresh...lol guess this was an off night!

The Sierra mass, if anything, seemed to be pretty involved for the orchestra and chorus, and they dispatched it with plenty of fire in the belly - Slatkin also just looked a lot more interested in conducting it than the Beethoven LOL! We had seats way up close this time and got to see some good communication from the podium and some much better playing through this long slough of a work.

I had more fun reviewing the (world premiere, coincidentally of the) Missa Latina than listening to it. One of the slightly-above-mediocre reviews on _ionarts_, possibly worth reading after (or even before?) you go to the concert.

Jens, I agree largely with your review of the Sierra...I did actually really enjoy the performance as a whole, and especially certain moments of the piece, but the work I feel doesn't hang together so well compositionally. There were many moments of feeling like phrases were traveling somewhere they never got to go, orchestral outbursts appeared and disappeared (for what aim?), and when he hit on something really nice he never quite stayed with it long enough. The sudden gear shifts into the Latin-American dancy type music often left us scratching our heads - me and my friend exchanged frank eyebrow raises at the point in the last third or so where he launches into cartoonish music seemingly out of nowhere, with no relation to what came before. It just seemed like a major trim and rearrange of the work would be much to its benefit, because the writing is quite nice at times. Especially the choral writing is often superb...as well his use of the wind colors (bass clarinet comes to mind) is striking.

Vocally, we didn't get to see Nathaniel Webster, but a late replacement, Nicholas Meglioranza, who I thought an able partner and complement to Grant-Murphy. Both sung with passion and also delicacy, and her voice, her purity of tone, were really divine floating above all the orchestral trappings.  Roberto Sierra was actually there at the performance too to make an appearance at the end, which was nice, and of course it's always good to see us get any interesting new music performed down this way.

I wouldn't mind hearing some bits of Missa Latina again, but it just wasn't the strong reaction I hoped for that I had when I saw for example, Steven Stucky's new oratorio in Dallas last fall, which sped by at 70 min and I could have heard immediately again. This Sierra does seem a piece that would be likely fare for Gustavo Dudamel in L.A though...won't be surprised if it makes an appearance.

[Brian]

the work I feel doesn't hang together so well compositionally. There were many moments of feeling like phrases were traveling somewhere they never got to go, orchestral outbursts appeared and disappeared (for what aim?), and when he hit on something really nice he never quite stayed with it long enough.

What are obstructions to and detractions from the music may be highlights to someone else... but there was, despite much beautiful music, another quibble I had. The constant regular musical eruptions and swooping mini-climaxes that lacked – unlike in Bruckner – the grand design of overarching ideas and structure or – as in Mahler – the cumulative power of neurotic outbursts left one with the feeling of impotence, after a while.

Advice: you guys should never, ever listen to music by Peteris Vasks. I came to the Sierra after a few days of listening to Vasks' symphonies and concertos, and it's no exaggeration to say that the Latvian's orchestral style makes Sierra sound, structurally, like Bach in comparison. The aimlessness of Vasks was so infuriating that I was very happy to accept the aimlessness of Sierra for at least being of a piece and enjoyable.

[Senta]

I did enjoy listening to the Sierra overall...but it is kind of frustrating when you feel like a work has the ingredients to be good, but isn't quite there yet. I'd like to hear some of Sierra's other shorter pieces.

I do like Vasks myself though, in particular the Violin and Cello Concerto, not very familiar with the symphonies.

[ChamberNut]

In 11 days, on May 15th, one of the most highly anticipated concerts for me since I started attending:

MAHLER's 6th

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Mickelthwate

[bhodges]

In 11 days, on May 15th, one of the most highly anticipated concerts for me since I started attending:

MAHLER's 6th

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Mickelthwate

   

A full report, please!

--Bruce

[Wilhelm Richard]

In about a month I briefly return to the West Coast and cannot wait to see Porgy & Bess in San Francisco on the ninth!

http://sfopera.com/o/274.asp

[secondwind]

May 7

Oliver Knussen, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
National Symphony Orchestra

Anderson, Imagin'd Corners
Knussen, Violin Concerto
Thomas, Helios Choros I
Schuller, Of Reminiscences and Reflections

This is hubby's pick (he thinks Josefowicz is hot!), but it looks interesting.  Does anyone have thoughts/info on Knussen?

[bhodges]

In about a month I briefly return to the West Coast and cannot wait to see Porgy & Bess in San Francisco on the ninth!

http://sfopera.com/o/274.asp

Heard the piece a few years back in an excellent production by the Opera Company of Philadelphia.  Such a beautiful score...

May 7

Oliver Knussen, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
National Symphony Orchestra

Anderson, Imagin'd Corners
Knussen, Violin Concerto
Thomas, Helios Choros I
Schuller, Of Reminiscences and Reflections

This is hubby's pick (he thinks Josefowicz is hot!), but it looks interesting.  Does anyone have thoughts/info on Knussen?

What an imaginative program!  Don't know most of the program at all, but I did hear the Knussen a few months ago, and wrote about it here.  I definitely wanted to hear it again.  Josefowicz should do a very good job with it.

--Bruce

[Brian]

In about a month I briefly return to the West Coast and cannot wait to see Porgy & Bess in San Francisco on the ninth!

http://sfopera.com/o/274.asp

Jealous!

[MishaK]

Tomorrow:

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Bernard Haitink, conductor
Ian Bostridge, tenor

Purcell -   Funeral Music for Queen Mary (Arr. Stucky)
Britten -   Les illuminations
Shostakovich -   Symphony No. 15

My favorite Shostakovich symphony.

[bhodges]

Tomorrow:

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Bernard Haitink, conductor
Ian Bostridge, tenor

Purcell -   Funeral Music for Queen Mary (Arr. Stucky)
Britten -   Les illuminations
Shostakovich -   Symphony No. 15

My favorite Shostakovich symphony.

   

Just heard two concerts by Haitink and your fab band; both were splendid but the Bruckner Eighth just sent us into orbit.  Haitink was using a cane and sitting to conduct, but once he began I completely forgot about all that.  The ensemble playing was really stellar.

--Bruce

[MishaK]

   

Just heard two concerts by Haitink and your fab band; both were splendid but the Bruckner Eighth just sent us into orbit.  Haitink was using a cane and sitting to conduct, but once he began I completely forgot about all that.  The ensemble playing was really stellar.

--Bruce

Yes, I heard the Bruckner 8 here a few weeks ago before they took it on tour. I missed the Schubert but heard the alternate program with Brahms 1 substituted for the Schubert. Haitink is doing Bruckner 9 here next season and a complete Beethoven cycle to wrap up his term. Unfortunately no more Shosty from him next season.

[bhodges]

Tonight, the first of ten Mahler concerts at Carnegie with the Staatskapelle Berlin--all the symphonies in sequence, with some of the song cycles--with Barenboim and Boulez alternating conducting duties. 

Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim, Music Director and Conductor
Thomas Quasthoff, Bass-Baritone

Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 

--Bruce

[DavidRoss]

Tonight, the first of ten Mahler concerts at Carnegie with the Staatskapelle Berlin--all the symphonies in sequence, with some of the song cycles--with Barenboim and Boulez alternating conducting duties. 

Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim, Music Director and Conductor
Thomas Quasthoff, Bass-Baritone

Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 

--Bruce

Can you spell E N V Y ?