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

[Sergeant Rock]

Super! I'll totally be there. Let me know what date you chose and whether you wish to meet or avoid me. In the former case, do you know a local third person that would care to attend on my second ticket? (I assume you will be traveling with your lady wife and in any case don't care for "Parkett-plaetze".

Other than her parents and brother, no, we know no one who likes classical concerts. Our last friend who enjoyed classical music left the area some time ago. Actually, Mrs. Rock prefers Parkett seating, close to the front. I'll talk to her tonight, see which day is best for her. I'll pm you.

Sarge

[jlaurson]

Other than her parents and brother, no, we know no one who likes classical concerts. Our last friend who enjoyed classical music left the area some time ago. Actually, Mrs. Rock prefers Parkett seating, close to the front. I'll talk to her tonight, see which day is best for her. I'll pm you.

Sarge

Oh, I know!  I'll bring my lovely (American) editor from Deutsche Welle. It'll be so cute... like a double-date spread over two continents and three generations. 

[Brahmsian]

Very much looking forward to this WSO concert on Saturday night!!  This will be a first listen to the Kodaly number 

Kodály: Háry János Suite
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Andreas Boyde, piano

[karlhenning]

Lovely program, Ray!

[Brahmsian]

Lovely program, Ray!

Thanks Karl.  I am noticing a trend within my own self, lately.  I find that I am getting much more excited about concerts that are more 'unfamiliar', not as routine as I am about concerts that would show more tried and true works that I do love (ie. Beethoven, Mozart).

[bhodges]

Very much looking forward to this WSO concert on Saturday night!!  This will be a first listen to the Kodaly number 

Kodály: Háry János Suite
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Andreas Boyde, piano

I agree, great program.  You don't see the Kodály all that often in concert these days, and...there's a reason the Rimsky-Korsakov is so popular.  Like most everything, it's really fun live.

Thanks Karl.  I am noticing a trend within my own self, lately.  I find that I am getting much more excited about concerts that are more 'unfamiliar', not as routine as I am about concerts that would show more tried and true works that I do love (ie. Beethoven, Mozart).

Quoted for emphasis.  I don't need to hear the Beethoven piano concertos, great as they are, in live performance again for a long time.  But that Kodály would be a strong draw.

--Bruce

[jlaurson]

3rd July at Covent Garden:

STRAUSS  Salome  with Angela Denoke in the title role, Hartmut Haenchen conducting.

Lucky you. She has a habit of baring all, in that role!

[jlaurson]

Hmm.  Not sure how much of an incentive that is.  

You're quite picky with your nude sopranos, my friend.

Just imagine Jane Eaglen or Alessandra Marc in the nude for one second, and you will salivate at the opportunity of resting them on Fraeulein Denoke.

[Sergeant Rock]

On Monday at Carnegie Hall:
Minnesota Orchestra
Beethoven: Große Fuge, Op. 133 (arr. Michael Steinberg)
Sibelius: Kullervo, Op. 7
--Bruce

Did you attend, Bruce? Mrs. Rock and I should have crossed the Atlantic for this concert. Here's the Hurwitzer's review.

Sarge

[Drasko]

Just imagine Jane Eaglen or Alessandra Marc in the nude for one second ...

Ain't you bit over speculating on our friend's tastes, maybe he likes his sopranos plump? After all, more fat, more soap.

[bhodges]

Did you attend, Bruce? Mrs. Rock and I should have crossed the Atlantic for this concert. Here's the Hurwitzer's review.

Sarge

Yes, and it was terrific.  (And about 6 friends went, also.)  The Beethoven was excellent--very fast and vigorous--but the Kullervo was the highlight, especially with this amazing YL Male Voice Choir.  Their precision and sheer volume level (at times) were most impressive.  The two soloists were all right; I didn't like them as much as others seemed to.

I realized later that (probably) the reason this piece isn't done more often is because...you have to find a chorus who can do Finnish!  And everyone was delighted when they all remained onstage for the encore, an inspiring arrangement of Finlandia that brought tears to our eyes.  Quite an evening.

--Bruce 

[karlhenning]

Finnish shouldn't be too tough a language to teach a choir to sing.  (Just saying.)

[Renfield]

I probably should have made a post earlier, but this week has suddenly turned into something of a concert-athon.

Firstly, I remembered that Richard Egarr was in town, just in time to catch him on the following programme with (a portion of) the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in St. Cuthbert's, yesterday:

Handel: Concerto Grosso in B-flat Op 3 No 2
Handel: Concerto Grosso in A minor Op 6 No 4
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No 3
Handel: Organ Concerto No 13 in F 'The Cuckoo and the Nightingale'

On the strength of this concert, incidentally, his set of the Brandenburgs is on my shopping list; the Handel concerto was also a delightful new find (for me), though I suspect Egarr's excellent improvisation might have a lot to do with that.

Then I realised he's staying until tomorrow, to conduct the SCO again - I only hope I'll find a ticket:

Mozart: Symphony No 1 in E flat major, K16
Haydn: Piano Concerto in D
Beethoven: Overture, The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43
Beethoven: Symphony No 8


Last but not least, leaving the St. Cuthbert concert, I was passed a leaflet about some BBC3 live broadcasts from Glasgow, and almost didn't catch the name of a certain Mark-Andre Hamelin scheduled to play this Friday. Twice!

Frantically-booked train and concert tickets later, I will be in Glasgow on Friday to hear him in:

a) Mozart: Piano Sonata in a minor, K310
Hamelin: Etude No.11 'Minuetto' (2008) from 'Twelve Etudes In All The Minor Keys'
Liszt Piano Sonata No.1 in b minor, S178 (1853)

Then, following a one-hour break,

b) Berg: Sonata, Op.1 (1907-8)
Liszt: Venezia e Napoli (supplement to 'Années de Pélerinage', second year) (1859)
Debussy: Préludes, book 2 (excerpts) (1911-13)
Hamelin: Twelve Etudes In All The Minor Keys (excerpts)

[bhodges]

Last but not least, leaving the St. Cuthbert concert, I was passed a leaflet about some BBC3 live broadcasts from Glasgow, and almost didn't catch the name of a certain Mark-Andre Hamelin scheduled to play this Friday. Twice!

Frantically-booked train and concert tickets later, I will be in Glasgow on Friday to hear him in:

a) Mozart: Piano Sonata in a minor, K310
Hamelin: Etude No.11 'Minuetto' (2008) from 'Twelve Etudes In All The Minor Keys'
Liszt Piano Sonata No.1 in b minor, S178 (1853)

Then, following a one-hour break,

b) Berg: Sonata, Op.1 (1907-8)
Liszt: Venezia e Napoli (supplement to 'Années de Pélerinage', second year) (1859)
Debussy: Préludes, book 2 (excerpts) (1911-13)
Hamelin: Twelve Etudes In All The Minor Keys (excerpts)

The SCO concerts look wonderful, but the Hamelin programs look terrific--especially featuring some of those etudes.  In that bravura pianistic tradition, he turns out to be quite accomplished in writing showy (and often hilarious) works for himself.  All the ones I've heard have been gems. 

--Bruce

[Renfield]

The SCO concerts look wonderful, but the Hamelin programs look terrific--especially featuring some of those etudes.  In that bravura pianistic tradition, he turns out to be quite accomplished in writing showy (and often hilarious) works for himself.  All the ones I've heard have been gems. 

--Bruce

Indeed, I'm quite looking forward to his own works, as well as the Liszt and Berg sonatas.

[jlaurson]

I was looking forward to Pollini / Thielemann in Brahms (b minor) and Beethoven. Now it's changed to a Mozart concerto (no harm in that, even though Thielemann-Pollini-Brahms would have been more interesting, on paper). And I can't free up an evening for it, either.

Meanwhile Washington & B'more Audiences have Jean-Guihen Queyras to look forward to.

Here is an interview with Queyras, previewing the Library of Congress performance. Queyras on performing contemporary music, how it is playing with Alexandre Tharaud, how he came to found his music festival, and how his name should be pronounced:

Between Boulez and Bach: Interview with Jean-Guihen Queyras
http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=1653


Between Boulez and Bach: Interview with Jean-Guihen Queyras – The B Side
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/03/between-boulez-and-bach-interview-with.html

[listener]

tonight:  Vancouver Symphony      Bramwell Tovey, cond.      Janina Fialkowska, piano
LISZT: Legend of St. Francis Preaching to the Birds,  orch. Mottl*.    Mottl I know only from a suite of dances from Gluck operas.     I suspect the wrong version may have been sent from the rental source, but it is a short work, and the orchestra had no problems with it.    It sounds a bit more like something from Respighi than Liszt in this version.   At least it was something new.
CHOPIN  PIANO CONCERTOS 1 AND 2 Beautifully played, the orchestra and soloist seemed to disappear and there was just the  music.   Fialkowska was a protegé of Rubinstein and has been playing these concertos for decades ( played no.1 here in 1978) and knows them intimately.   These were recorded for broadcast April 25 an I'll try to remember to post a reminder.  And a 2-CD set is in progress as well.
and BERLIOZ   Roman Carnival Overture after intermission gave the soloist a chance for a quick change after signing autographed CD's in the lobby

coming up on Saturday:  Wieniawski Violin Concerto 2 and Holst  The Planets.  A women's chorus is booked, but whether the WurlitZer or electric organ, bass oboe or bass clarinet will be used I'll have to go see.

*Mottl conducted the 100th performance of Tristan und Isolde the night before he died, and Liszt died the day after hearing Mottl conduct the same work.

[Brahmsian]

Swan Lake

Saturday March 13th

Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Going with my wife.  Really looking forward to it.  My first time attending a live performance of Swan Lake.   

[karlhenning]

Wonderful, Ray!

[Valentino]

Tannhäuser

Den norske Opera

Friday March 12th.

And even more so after critics all over Europe have praised the Herheim staging.