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

[bhodges]

Thursday night: Shostakovich's The Nose at the Met, with production design by the South African artist, William Kentridge.  And since I don't know the opera at all, I'm going again next week.

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

Thursday night: Shostakovich's The Nose at the Met, with production design by the South African artist, William Kentridge.  And since I don't know the opera at all, I'm going again next week.

Regardless of merits of the stage production (which we hope are copious), the opera itself will win you readily, Bruce!

[bhodges]

Would be interested in hearing feedback about that.  Who's conducting?

The reviews have already started coming in, and they are quite positive.  At the moment I hope to write it up, but we'll see how much time that takes!  Valery Gergiev is conducting (all but the final performance, which will be with Pavel Smelkov).

Regardless of merits of the stage production (which we hope are copious), the opera itself will win you readily, Bruce!

Kentridge has already gotten kudos; The New York Times said something to the effect that the Met should be working with him more often.  And the reports on the score are even more effusive.  (PS, it is hard for me to imagine that he wrote this when he was 22!)  As a fan of early Shostakovich, I can't wait.

--Bruce

[Brahmsian]

Hi All,

Here is a link to the broadcast of the concert of Feb. 19th for the WSO and Andrey Boreyko performing Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10.  For you to listen and enjoy, my friends!   

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20100219russi#readReviews

[bhodges]

Hi All,

Here is a link to the broadcast of the concert of Feb. 19th for the WSO and Andrey Boreyko performing Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10.  For you to listen and enjoy, my friends!   

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20100219russi#readReviews

Thanks a lot for this link.  For the zillionth time, is it great to be in the age of the Internet, or what?

--Bruce

[Valentino]

Damn right, Bruce.

And thanks for the Queyras-links, jlaurson.

[listener]

Thursday night: Shostakovich's The Nose at the Met, with production design by the South African artist, William Kentridge.  And since I don't know the opera at all, I'm going again next week.

--Bruce

N Y Times discussion of the production at
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/arts/music/11nose.html?ref=arts

[SonicMan46]

This afternoon, the local Winston Salem Symphony is presenting the concert below:

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F Major
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C Major, op. 48 (Waltz and Finale)
Thile: Concerto for Mandolin

Obviously, a couple of familiar works for starters, both of which I enjoy; but the 'new' item is a 'Mandolin Concerto' commissioned by the performer, Chris Thile, a member of 'Nickel Creek' and other groups - so looking forward to seeing him on the mandolin! 

 

[listener]

Vancouver Symphony     Sat  March  13
A program more like an adventurous pops concert, rounded off with Holst's The Planets.  FULL Orchestra, the bass oboe part is cued in the score for bass clarinet and cor anglais, women's chorus, and the house Wurlitzer.  Right at the start the sound of the violins playing col  legno confirmed that hearing this work live was worth the effort.
  Also John Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine ("wish it had been longer" was a comment from younger audience members behind me), Joseph Strauss Music of the Spheres (when was a Strauss waltz included in a regular concert that you can remember?), and a premiere of a new 5-minute piece by Ryan Trew, Starlike that the orchestra felt should play in tandem with The Planets after its rehearsal.  It is pleasant, sparkling planetarium stgyle music.
AND Wieniawski Violin Concerto 2, once a staple but pushed aside by more recent concertos, played by Adrian Anantawan in a booking that coincided with the Special Olympics. He was born without a right hand, but has mastered bowing using mainly shoulder muscles.  He's not the loudest I've ever heard, but the left hand was astonishingly accurate, he brought out the folk elements and the orchestra kept its sound down to a comfortable level.  It actually sounded like a major work.
Bramwell Tovey introduced the works and there was a pre-recorded video interview with Anatawan during the change in seating for the concerto.    Tovey's contract has been extended here for another five years.
   

[offbeat]

March 13 - Canterbury Cathedral
Two disadvantages for this venue - the chilly atmosphere and the hard seats - also the really loud bits tend to distort - Strauss Death and Transfiguration although well played suffered from this distortion
Much better was Ravels Pavane - so sad and best for me an eerie and magic performance of Szymanowski's Stabat Mater . Rounded off with Poulencs Gloria i enjoyed this concert very much 

[SonicMan46]

This afternoon, the local Winston Salem Symphony is presenting the concert below:

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F Major
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C Major, op. 48 (Waltz and Finale)
Thile: Concerto for Mandolin

Obviously, a couple of familiar works for starters, both of which I enjoy; but the 'new' item is a 'Mandolin Concerto' commissioned by the performer, Chris Thile, a member of 'Nickel Creek' and other groups - so looking forward to seeing him on the mandolin! 

 

Well, just returned from the concert above - of course, the main reason to attend was to see Chris Thile - his Mandolin Concerto was quirky and maintained attention - he blended his playing well w/ the orchestra, which was standard (including a piano & 3 percussion players w/ kettle drums!) - I'm not sure 'how much' of the orchestration he did himself, but he is MUCH MORE than if you've only heard him in a few discs, such as those w/ Nickel Creek!

After performance of the concerto in which he was just outstanding as a mandolin instrumentalist, converting it into a virtuosity experience, he had several encores - starting w/ one of Bach's solo violin Partitas (just the beginning) which was absolutely astounding!  This was followed by him going back to bluegrass, playing & singing a Bill Monroe song from the 1950s - again, a just superb performance - both the audience and the musicians were thoroughly engrossed in seeing this performer on stage (and I must say after years of attending these symphony performances, the latter is distinct!).

Bottom line - this guy is a unique musician, composer, singer, and cross- musical phenomenon - I'm not sure how much he did the orchestration of this concerto but it was commissioned by a half dozen or so orchestras including the one here; he also has composed for his own CDs and music for plenty of others - check out his Wiki Bio HERE, if interested - 

[mahler10th]

March 13 - Canterbury Cathedral
Two disadvantages for this venue - the chilly atmosphere and the hard seats - also the really loud bits tend to distort - Strauss Death and Transfiguration although well played suffered from this distortion
Much better was Ravels Pavane - so sad and best for me an eerie and magic performance of Szymanowski's Stabat Mater . Rounded off with Poulencs Gloria i enjoyed this concert very much 

How wonderful for you.  I have been to Canterbury Cathederal twice, but not for music, and I'm thrilled that such fabulously spiritual music is...er...distorting around the place.    Glad to hear you enjoyed it very much.  I LOVE that Cathederal!

[Harpo]

(Re. mandolinist Chris Thile)  I'm not sure how much he did the orchestration of this concerto but it was commissioned by a half dozen or so orchestras including the one here; he also has composed for his own CDs and music for plenty of others - check out his Wiki Bio HERE, if interested - 

Here's a quote from the Birmingham News about Chris Thile:
"Finally, there was Thile's Mandolin Concerto, which...spotlighted not only his virtuoso solo playing, but his gift for orchestration and melodic invention in a style that could only be Chris Thile."  Quote from me:An amazing virtuoso performance by a 29-year-old who is also charming and --um--cute.

[jlaurson]

Washington area oncerts to look forward to:

http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=1659
April in Music – and Eschenbach's Introduction

[secondwind]

Tomorrow evening at the Barns of Wolf Trap in Virginia, the Antares Quartet, consisting of violin, clarinet, cello, and piano.  The program:

Piano Trio Op. 1 - Ludwig van Beethoven
Red River - Mason Bates
Tashi Quartet - Peter Lieberson

[Drasko]

Haven't seen Pogorelich since a Chopin recital in 2005.  Can't imagine what his Tchaikovsky No.1 is going to be like...

For starters I don't think it could be expected to clock in under 50 minutes, but who knows ...
Maybe his Rachmaninov 2nd from three years ago coud give you some point of reference:

Code Select Expand

http://rapidshare.com/files/259988134/Pogorelich_-_Berlin.9.3.2007.rar
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2
Ivo Pogorelich / Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Peter Ruzicka
Berlin Philharmonie 9. III 2007

My next concert should be interesting, have no idea in what shape is Gavrilov these days, hope he doesn't cancel. In about two weeks:

N. Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko, orchestral fanatasy
M. Ravel: Concerto for the left hand
S. Prokofiev: Piano concerto no. 1
J. Sibelius: Symphony No. 1

Belgrade Philharmonic
Conductor: Uros Lajovic
Soloist: Andrei Gavrilov, piano

[Lisz]

Celestial singing and music of the season last night:

Music for Double Chorus, Antiphony
Amor Artis Chorus and Baroque Ensemble and The Greenwich Village Singers
Conducted by Johannes Somary and Mark Mangini

Selections by Heinrich Schutz, Palestrina, de Victoria, Brahms and Vaughan Williams.
Included both of Schutz's Magnificats, the German and the Latin.

What a gorgeous piece of music that is, the Latin Magnificat!

[bhodges]

Last night, a fascinating program of recent Italian music by the Talea Ensemble.  This was one of the best-played concerts of new music I've heard in awhile--an extremely talented young group.  I've heard the Billone before; it's for four automobile springs and glass, and here is an excerpt from the piece, played by the same percussionist who did it last night, Alex Lipowski (co-director of the ensemble).

Fabio Nieder: Sogno 10 lundei gennaio 1892 in una casa molte gente musiche son entrato a casa (2005)
Luca Francesconi: Viaggiatore insonne (1984)
Stefano Gervasoni: Due poesie francesi d'Ungaretti (1994)
Stefano Gervasoni: Due poesie francesi di Beckett (1995)
Pierluigi Billone: Mani. De Leonardis (2004)
Federico Gardella: Armida's Garden (2010)
Gabriele Vanoni: Appunti per un'asparizione (2010)

--Bruce

[DavidW]

I'm not sure 'how much' of the orchestration he did himself, but he is MUCH MORE than if you've only heard him in a few discs, such as those w/ Nickel Creek!

I actually like Nickel Creek.

[SonicMan46]

I actually like Nickel Creek.

Hi David - well, I like them also, but Chris Thile is just so talented is so many other ways, as my recent experiences in hearing him in concert (going from doing his concerto to a Bach violin partita and then to a Bill Monroe song w/ singing) and then purchasing those early CDs of him as a teenager - take a look at some of my other posts on him, if interested; he is quite special - Dave