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

[Lilas Pastia]

And December 20, this has potential to be awesome.  Stephanie Blythe is quite amazing, and I don't recall ever hearing the Sea Pictures live. 

Carnegie Hall
The MET Orchestra
James Levine, Music Director and Conductor
Stephanie Blythe, Mezzo-Soprano

Elgar: Sea Pictures, Op. 37
Mahler: Symphony No. 5

But before that, just decided to go to this one next Tuesday:

Paula Cooper Gallery
S.E.M. Ensemble
Timetable Percussion
Petr Kotik, conductor

Christian Wolff:[ i]Flutist (and) Percussionists[/i] (2003) N.Y. Premiere
Christian Wolff: For John / Material (2007) N.Y. Premiere
Christian Wolff, special guest
Petr Kotik: 3, 6 & 10 for John Cage (2009)  (First public performance)
Performed by TimeTable Percussion
Lejaren Hiller: String Quartet No. 5 (1962)
J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in B-Minor for flute and continuo (circa 1720)

--Bruce

It wouldn't have taken much imagination (or performer fee) to add Mahler's Rückert Lied # 3 (Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen) as a preface to the symphony - ending part one of the concert, preferably. Not only is this song an absolute masterpiece, but Mahler quotes the song in the Adagietto. Not to take away from the Elgar cycle (lovely), but in terms of programming, I'd feel cheated 

[bhodges]

It wouldn't have taken much imagination (or performer fee) to add Mahler's Rückert Lied # 3 (Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen) as a preface to the symphony - ending part one of the concert, preferably. Not only is this song an absolute masterpiece, but Mahler quotes the song in the Adagietto. Not to take away from the Elgar cycle (lovely), but in terms of programming, I'd feel cheated 

That's a great idea (as a fan of Ich bin der Welt).  I'll drop Jimmy a line to see if he can make a quick addition to the program.   

--Bruce

[Lilas Pastia]

Is this tongue in cheek or for real, Bruce? If you succeed, I'll be duly impressed...

[bhodges]

Is this tongue in cheek or for real, Bruce? If you succeed, I'll be duly impressed...

Nyah, just funnin' with ya.   

--Bruce

[Brahmsian]

Looking forward to both of these ballet concerts:

December 19-29, 2009

The Nutcracker

A Christmas holiday tradition in Winnipeg. 
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Tonight it is!  It is a wonderful production - set in 1913 Winnipeg.  A very Canadiana production, with northern lights and pond hockey scenes. 

[bhodges]

Tonight it is!  It is a wonderful production - set in 1913 Winnipeg.  A very Canadiana production, with northern lights and pond hockey scenes.

Now that sounds very cool--an imaginative adaptation.

Tonight I'll be at the Met for my final time with Elektra--everyone's holiday favorite.   

--Bruce

[Brahmsian]

Now that sounds very cool--an imaginative adaptation.

Indeed, I saw this production a few years ago.  It warmed the cockles of my heart! 

[Novi]

Tonight it is!  It is a wonderful production - set in 1913 Winnipeg.  A very Canadiana production, with northern lights and pond hockey scenes.

Sounds like fun! I saw a Nutcracker in Amsterdam last December replete with canals. Hope you enjoy this one!

Me, I'm going to the Dunedin Consort's Messiah tomorrow. Quite looking forward to it as I've never heard it live before. I'm not doing much by way of celebrations this year so this is probably as seasonal as I'll get.

[Lilas Pastia]

I brought my 2 year old granddaughter to the Ballet for Nutcracker (along with my daughter and son. She was interested, but she much preferred to spend time staring at the giant Christams tree in the Foyer than the fake one on stage. It was back and forth between our seats and that Christmas tree. My 26-year old son was the most interested in our group 

A very colourful, yet utterly traditional, passé production. There were a couple of black dancers in the tropue and I was thinking how nice it would have been to have an all-black troupe, with the action set in the colonial South. Cotton balls dancing instead of snowflakes, etc. Or else, a Pocahontas-like version. Something original, quoi !

[jlaurson]

Ten concerts outside of Washington that I've most enjoyed in 2010 2009:

(Listed chronologically)

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2009/12/top-10-live-at-large-performances-of.html

Holliger & Haydn - Polyptyque & Bach with Röhn & Hengelbrock - MPhil-Mahler-Gatti-Mahvelous! - American Nights @ MusicaViva with Kristjan Järvi and the BRSO - Faust for Schnittke, Schoenberg for Brahms - On the Searing Pain of Our Horrible Best Choices: Barbara Frey's Jenůfa - Elizabeth I and Philip II Horsing Around Early Music - BRSO, Jansons, and Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra - Schubert by way of Webern -  Bel Canto with Buster Keaton

[owlice]

Ten concerts outside of Washington that I've most enjoyed in 2010:

Wow; you've been very busy in the past 35 hours, then, and you knew you'd enjoy them even before you got to them!!

(Sorry.... couldn't resist!!)

~~~

Not a concert, but I'm looking forward to seeing the show "Young Frankenstein" this coming week.

[mahler10th]

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
"Awakening"
Saturday 16 January 2010 7:30 pm
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Bach /Mahler Suite
Rott Scherzo (from Symphony in E)
Mahler Symphony No. 1

Vasily Petrenko conductor

I am looking forward to this one, especially the Hans Rott Scherzo.  Also, I have been in Liverpool for 10 months and I haven't been to a concert yet, so this will be a nice restart.

[Brian]

John, that looks like a great concert. I too am about to hear the Mahler 1!

Sunday, Jan 10
Houston, TX...

BARBER | Symphony No 1
MAHLER | Symphony No 1

Houston Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop, conductor

Excited to see Ms Alsop in action!

[secondwind]

National Symphony Orchestra, Jan. 9

Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Nikolaj Znaider, violin
The Choral Arts Society of Washington

Elgar, Violin Concerto in B Minor, Opus 61
Holst, The Planets, Opus 32

As a side note, Znaider will play the same Guarnerius violin played by Fritz Kreisler in the premier of the violin concerto 100 years ago.  So at least the violin knows the tune!  It is always good to have an instrument with experience.

[bhodges]

This Sunday, one of James Levine's typically eclectic programs:

The MET Chamber Ensemble
James Levine, Artistic Director and Conductor
Judith Bettina, Soprano
Kristin Hoff, Mezzo-Soprano
Evan Hughes, Bass-Baritone

Babbitt: The Head of the Bed
Carter: Syringa
R. Strauss: Der Bürger als Edelmann Suite, Op. 60

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

I remember being underwhelmed by the inaugural recording of the Babbitt;  will be interested in your report on this performance, Bruce!

And, we should talk Partch sometime . . . .

[bhodges]

I remember being underwhelmed by the inaugural recording of the Babbitt;  will be interested in your report on this performance, Bruce!

And, we should talk Partch sometime . . . .

I have that same recording, and was equally underwhelmed.  It's an easy piece to admire, but a tough one to love, I think.  But when I last heard it--by these same forces--in 2007, I actually began to warm up to it (see here). 

I noticed you were listening to that Partch recording!  Do tell...   (Or perhaps in a Partch thread?)

--Bruce

[MishaK]

Tomorrow:

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, conductor
Mathieu Dufour, flute
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
Falk Struckmann, bass-baritone

Ravel -   Le tombeau de Couperin
Dalbavie -   Flute Concerto
Bartók -   Bluebeard’s Castle

[bhodges]

Tomorrow:

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, conductor
Mathieu Dufour, flute
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
Falk Struckmann, bass-baritone

Ravel -   Le tombeau de Couperin
Dalbavie -   Flute Concerto
Bartók -   Bluebeard's Castle

A powerhouse of a concert.  I'm hearing the same one here in a few weeks, and can't wait. 

--Bruce

[mahler10th]

John, that looks like a great concert. I too am about to hear the Mahler 1!

Bach /Mahler Suite
Rott Scherzo (from Symphony in E)
Mahler Symphony No. 1

Thank you Brian.  Thing is, I paid my money to see the little 10 minuite piece sandwiched between.  The other two performances are a bonus.  When I immersed myself in Hans Rott during last Summer, it became a bit of a small ambition to see ANY Hans Rott piece played LIVE.  The opportunity has come up quicker than expected.    

Great to hear Alsop is busy as hell.  She is guest conductor with the HSO?  Last thing I heard was she was at Baltimore.  We really, really must see more, more women conductors, because my belief is that their musical instincts can go beyond what we usually listen to.  Iona Brown and Simone Young spring to mind, but when I hear it's a woman conductor, the first person I think of of course is Alsop.

Hope your concert goes brilliantly.