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

[Antoine Marchand]

It seems as if she is going to play a Bach-only program this evening. Not bad.

Program: Böhm, Sweelinck, Frescobaldi, J.S. Bach. Not bad at all.

http://ellykooiman.com/

[prémont]

Program: Böhm, Sweelinck, Frescobaldi, J.S. Bach. Not bad at all.

http://ellykooiman.com/

Right, but only Bach was mentioned at the homepage below:

http://www.organfocus.com/search.php3?eventID=12594

Send to a friend  Recommended pipe organ music recordings and books

Performer: Elly Kooiman http://ellykooiman.com/
Details: Elly Kooiman obtained international prices after her organ study with Piet Kee in Amsterdam and Anton Heiller in Vienna, taught organ at the School of the Arts Utrecht and studied Musicology.
The Hoofdwerk of the organ in Peize was built in 1631 by Anthoni Verbeeck, the pedal in 1696 by Arp Schnitger and Rugpositief in 1757 by Albertus Anthoni Hinsz.
Elly Kooiman plays works of J.S. Bach.
OrganFocus link to this event:
http://www.organfocus.com/search.php3?eventID=12594
Country Netherlands
City Peize
Location Dorpskerk, Kerkstraat 2
Starts: 2010-08-08 at 15:00
Ends: 2010-08-08 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Marc]

Program: Böhm, Sweelinck, Frescobaldi, J.S. Bach. Not bad at all.

Yes, that was the correct information.
Indeed: not bad at all.
The organ was built originally for a larger church (Pepergasthuiskerk, Groningen) and moved to the Village Church of Peize in 1861.
The sound was rather pregnant with only a short reverberation. It was very nice though to hear such great music played (a.o. Bach's BWV 548!) on this interesting instrument. Especially the 'smaller' compositions worked very well, a.o. the F-Major Adagio e dolce of Bach's 3rd Trio Sonata. The organ has got no 16ft pedals, which automatically 'assures' a more chamber music sound, very appropiate for this composition IMO.
Before and after I and other visitors had a nice chat with mrs. Kooiman, who took some of us upstairs to the organ to talk a little about the instrument. She also told me that she was related to Ewald Kooiman back in the 11th grade .... Kooiman is a very common name in the Netherlands (the name is related to the old profession of duck decoy-man).
Funny enough, both Ewald and Elly Kooiman began their lessons with Piet Kee in Amsterdam at the same time.

Some sound examples of the organ are uploaded in the Bach organ thread.

[Sid]

I'm looking forward to a concert on the weekend here in Sydney, which will be a tribute to Ken Tribe, who died a few weeks ago (he was 96). This guy was one of the main behind the scenes people who brought things like Musica Viva to Australia (& secured government funding, etc. to many groups) in the early days following World War Two. He was a lawyer by profession but was really passionate about classical music. The concert will feature some of his friends, like the Goldner String Quartet. I am looking forward to perhaps learning more about his life, and hearing some of his favourite music. He didn't want a funeral, but a free concert like this, to celebrate & showcase the kind of talents that he spent most of his life supporting.

http://www.musicaviva.com.au/concertseason/kentribe

This was a great tribute to a man I didn't know that much about. The host was Australian composer & director of Musica Viva Australia Carl Vine. Ken Tribe's family & friends payed tribute to him, as did NSW Governor Marie Bashir. Some of his favourite ensembles played music, such as the Australia Ensemble, Pinchgut Opera, Gondwana Choir, the Selby piano trio, and the Goldner String Quartet. Some of the composers featured were locals Peter Sculthorpe, Lyn Williams, Ross Edwards and also classics like Purcell, Beethoven, Dvorak and Mozart. I enjoyed this tribute and I feel Australian classical music is and has been made the much richer by dedicated behind the scenes people like Tribe, who are not interested in the spotlight, but actually getting things done, and supporting, nurturing and enlivening the classical music scene and culture across this country.

[Sid]

Before the Ken Tribe tribute, I went to an organ recital at St. Stephen's Anglican Church, Willoughby. The organist was Jean-Baptiste Monnot, professor at the Paris Conservatoire (he's only 26). I'm beginning to enjoy organ music, and I enjoyed the program (I would have liked some French works as well, but it was still very good). I was really surprised how much like Bach the Mozart sounded.

J.S. Bach - Prelude and Fugue in A Minor
R. Schumann - Four Sketches
W.A. Mozart (trans. Jean Guillou) - Adagio and Fugue KV 546

[MDL]

Wednesday August 11 at the Royal Albert Hall:


Ligeti Night (3 mins)
Ligeti Morning (2 mins)
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (35 mins)
interval
Ligeti Lux aeterna (9 mins)
Langgaard Music of the Spheres (36 mins)
(UK premiere)
interval
Sibelius Symphony No. 5 in E flat major (32 mins)
Inger Dam-Jensen soprano
Henning Kraggerud violin
Danish National Vocal Ensemble
Danish National Concert Choir
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard conductor


I'm very excited about hearing Music of the Spheres, which is receiving its UK premiere. And I've never heard Lux Aeterna live either. They could have ditched the Tchaikovsky, though; it's a bit of a long night.

[Sid]

I just went to a free lecture & recital at Sydney Conservatorium of Music:

http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/music/784.html?eventcategoryid=71&eventid=5213

Dr Martin Jarvis, an expert in musical manuscript forensics argued that J.S. Bach's second wife, Anna Magdalena, was much more than a mere copyist. By showing and discussing samples of the original manuscripts, and demonstrating what techniques are used in his science, he argued that J.S. Bach's Cello Suites were most likely composed by his wife, not him. I didn't even know that this area of scientific research existed, so I learned a lot from this lecture. After the lecture, the audience enjoyed a performance of the first two cello suites by Korean-Australian cellist Minah Choe, who is currently doing her doctorate at the Con. This was part of the Alfred Hook lecture series, and I can recommend anyone in Sydney to attend these - there are ones coming up by Roy Howat, Peter Sculthorpe and Andrew Ford. Just check the con's website for details...

[bhodges]

Next Monday night:

International Contemporary Ensemble
Ludovic Morlot, conductor
with special guest Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Purcell (trans. Benjamin): Fantasia VII
Benjamin: Antara
Birtwistle: Selections from Bach Measures
Birtwistle: Slow Frieze
Bach (arr. Berio): Contrapunctus XIX, from The Art of Fugue
Lachenmann: Mouvement

--Bruce

[Brian]

Wednesday August 11 at the Royal Albert Hall:


Ligeti Night (3 mins)
Ligeti Morning (2 mins)
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (35 mins)
interval
Ligeti Lux aeterna (9 mins)
Langgaard Music of the Spheres (36 mins)
(UK premiere)
interval
Sibelius Symphony No. 5 in E flat major (32 mins)
Inger Dam-Jensen soprano
Henning Kraggerud violin
Danish National Vocal Ensemble
Danish National Concert Choir
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard conductor


I'm very excited about hearing Music of the Spheres, which is receiving its UK premiere. And I've never heard Lux Aeterna live either. They could have ditched the Tchaikovsky, though; it's a bit of a long night.

As much as I love the Tchaikovsky, it is definitely the odd style out on that program.

[MishaK]

Still a ways off, but I'm *REALLY* looking forward to this:

December 2, 3, 4

Schoenberg  Transfigured Night 
Janáček  Glagolitic Mass


Chicago Symphony Orchestra >
Pierre Boulez >
conductor
Christine Brewer
soprano
Nancy Maultsby
mezzo-soprano
Lance Ryan
tenor
Mikhail Petrenko
bass
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe
director and conductor

[Sid]

Wow, I'd love to see Janacek's mighty "Glag" done live, but it's rare (due to the language barrier?)...

Anyway, not as spectacular, but still pretty amazing was this concert here in Sydney yesterday:

Sydney Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Brian Buggy OAM
@ Blessed Sacrament Church, Mosman

Wagner - Prelude: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg
Tchaikovsky - "Sleeping Beauty" Ballet Suite Op. 66a
Buggy - Nursery Rhyme arrangements
Buggy - Suite for Strings
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian"
(Encore) J. Williams - "Indiana Jones" Film Suite

This was a good program, and some of it was just really fun. I think the classics were interpreted and played very energetically and vigorously. Conductor Brian Buggy's suite was also interesting, it reminded me a bit of Vaughan Williams or Villa-Lobos in string mode. It was great for me to hear the "Little Russian" after not hearing it for 10 years. & the "Indiana Jones" was a nice finale. We have about 9 youth orchestras here in Sydney, and with their dedication & conductors as good as Buggy, they play to a very high standard (& I think theirs programs are more interesting, too)...

[jlaurson]

A Don Giovanni to open your ears, hearts, and nasolacrimal ducts:




Notes from the Salzburg Festival ( 9 )
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/08/notes-from-salzburg-festival-9.html

[Sid]

Last night @ Sydney Conservatorium of Music:

Cocktail Hour Recital Series
"French Violin"
Goetz Richter, violin
Jeanell Carrigan, piano

C. Franck - Sonata in A Major
M. Ravel - Sonata in A Minor (Sonate Posthume)
C. Debussy - Sonata in G minor

As violinist Goetz Richter pointed out, Franck was only nominally French, but he lived most of his life there. Both performers are on the teaching staff of the Conservatorium. I liked how Richter had this very energetic and passionate style - I know nothing about violin playing, but I could tell from his body movements that he was very involved (& their interpretation, of course). So maybe that's why I liked this rendering of the Franck, as (at times) in the past, I have felt his music to be a little too sombre and dark - but here he sounded lighter and more animated. The Ravel was an early work, from the 1890's when he was still in the grip of his teacher Faure's style, and I was a little annoyed with the repetition of the single theme (it was in one movement). I really enjoyed the concluding Debussy, no wonder since I've known it for 10 years. This is a work strongly on the cusp of neo-classicism, Boulez said he admired it for it's simplicity, but I think that it can also be very passionate, as it was done here. I enjoyed this recital and I will be going back for more (for people in Sydney, they usually do two of them on a Monday night, one at around 6 the other at 7.30 - check the website)...

[bhodges]

Next Monday night:

International Contemporary Ensemble
Ludovic Morlot, conductor
with special guest Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Purcell (trans. Benjamin): Fantasia VII
Benjamin: Antara
Birtwistle: Selections from Bach Measures
Birtwistle: Slow Frieze
Bach (arr. Berio): Contrapunctus XIX, from The Art of Fugue
Lachenmann: Mouvement

--Bruce

What a fantastic evening this was, curated by Pierre-Laurent Aimard (who offered excellent comments several times while the stage was being reset).  Each of three "big" pieces was preceded by examples of earlier polyphony, to striking effect.  Although the Benjamin might have been my personal fave, the Lachenmann was a huge audience hit.  And with each concert, the International Contemporary Ensemble shows it is about as accomplished as any group around. 

--Bruce

[not edward]

the Lachenmann was a huge audience hit

This is something that never ceases to please and surprise me. I always link of Lachenmann as rather inaccessible for the most part, but works like Pression and Ein Kinderspiel seem to be crowd-pleasers too. I'm sure part of it is the fact that some of the works do come close to performance art--maybe, pace Brian Ferneyhough, the fact that his music is so incredibly German gives people something to hang those new sounds onto as well.

[jlaurson]

Later today: Recital: Arcardi Volodos replacing (what a surprise!) K. Zimerman. After I heard of the upgrade cancellation, I immediately asked for a ticket. 

[Brian]

Still a ways off, but I'm *REALLY* looking forward to this:

December 2, 3, 4

Schoenberg  Transfigured Night 
Janáček  Glagolitic Mass


Chicago Symphony Orchestra >
Pierre Boulez >
conductor
Christine Brewer
soprano
Nancy Maultsby
mezzo-soprano
Lance Ryan
tenor
Mikhail Petrenko
bass
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe
director and conductor

I share your excitement, Mensch! I too am going to see the "Glagolitic Mass" live - and it's a dream come true for me. Don't know if I'll ever get this opportunity again.


10 Oct 2010 7:30 PM
Barbican Hall
DVORÁK: Violin Concerto
JANÁCEK: Glagolitic Mass
Sir Colin Davis conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter violin
Krassimira Stoyanova soprano
Anna Stephany mezzo-soprano
Simon O'Neill tenor
Martin Snell bass
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra

[bhodges]

This is something that never ceases to please and surprise me. I always link of Lachenmann as rather inaccessible for the most part, but works like Pression and Ein Kinderspiel seem to be crowd-pleasers too. I'm sure part of it is the fact that some of the works do come close to performance art--maybe, pace Brian Ferneyhough, the fact that his music is so incredibly German gives people something to hang those new sounds onto as well.

The review by Anthony Tommasini in today's New York Times commented on the size of the crowd and the enthusiasm, not just for the Lachenmann but for all three of the recent works.  And he also commented on how a concert like this one would have been unimaginable at the Mostly Mozart festival a decade ago.

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Next Monday at (Le) Poisson Rouge, pianist Taka Kigawa, in this program:

Pierre Boulez: Sonata No. 1
Jason Eckardt: Echoes' White Veil
Matthias Pintscher: On a Clear Day
Anton Webern: Variations, Op. 27
Iannis Xenakis: Evryali

--Bruce

[Sid]

Just came back from a concert here at Sydney University's Great Hall:

The University of Sydney Graduate Choir & Wind Ensemble
Christopher Bowen OAM, conductor/musical director

G. Gabrieli - Canzona, Sinfonia, Sonata for brass; Motets for choir, organ & brass
A. Bruckner - Ecce sacerdos magnus (motet); Mass in E minor

I enjoyed this concert, it was a good pairing of two composers, the earlier one influencing the later one. It was the first time ever that I had heard any works by Gabrieli, and I found them interesting. I have known the Bruckner mass for years. The concluding Agnus Dei is the most ambigious and soul-searching conclusion to any mass that I have heard. It was also the first time I have heard this ensemble, and they were pretty good imo...