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

[Brian]

My money on the next big conductor remains on Andris Nelsons just ahead of YNS.

I foolishly missed seeing Andris Nelsons in Shosty's Fifth this week. With the caveat that I haven't seen AN, my money is on a dead heat between Gustavo and Vasily Petrenko (whom I will be seeing next month in Shosty's Eleventh).  I guess the really great thing about your post and mine, is that we have such an unusual number of Next Big Conductors to choose from!

I think part of the problem of Dudamel recordings not delivering is that he is actually quite a subtle interpreter - I got to hear him do a slow, almost trancelike Daphnis Suite No 2 and Tchaikovsky Fourth, the latter of which had a first movement bursting with tension even though it was slower than any I'd heard. The other part of the problem is DG insists on recording his interpretation of Germans. Imagine if Dudamel was doing the complete Chavez, or Revueltas, or Castellanos, for Naxos/BIS...

Bruce - it's interesting to hear that you can hear him improving - and that last remark from your Viennese friend made me very happy indeed. Wonderful!

[Drasko]

This month should be seeing Sine Nomine Quartet playing Schumann's 41/1, Brahms' 51/1 and Beethoven op.95.

Was looking forward to all Handel recital by Marijana Mijanovic with Kammerorchester Basel, but unfortunately she canceled due to illness.

Still pondering whether to try to get tickets for New York Philharmonic under Gilbert with Kavakos as soloist (Debussy Faun, Sibelius Concerto, Brahms 4th). Would like to hear them but tickets are on the pricey side and they'll be playing in this hideous soc-realistic 4000 seat barn of a hall with acoustic no better than open field.

Will try to get the tickets for Kissin next month though, Schumann Fantasiestucke, Noveletten, Chopin all four Ballades.

[bhodges]

Tonight, this concert by the Da Capo Chamber Players, opening their 40th season:

Samuel Zyman: Música Para Cinco – US premiere
Jorge Grossman: Mecanismos
Reinaldo Moya: Crónica de una Muerte Anunciada
Tania León: Alma
Roque Cordero: Quinteto

--Bruce

[Brahmsian]

Tomorrow night's Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concert.  I'm excited, since this will be the first time I hear both of these works live in concert.

Dvorak - Cello Concerto in B minor
Brahms - Symphony No. 2 in D major

Alban Gerhardt, cello soloist
Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor

[Brian]

Tomorrow night's Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concert.  I'm excited, since this will be the first time I hear both of these works live in concert.

Dvorak - Cello Concerto in B minor
Brahms - Symphony No. 2 in D major

Alban Gerhardt, cello soloist
Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor

Alban Gerhardt is a superb cellist, ChamberNut! You're lucky (and I was in San Antonio a few years ago): Gerhardt is so good that the whole world knows he is or will be a star, but he's so modest that he still visits places like SA and Winnipeg regularly. At my local orchestra's concert (where he played Saint-Saens), he parked a chair at the end of the last row of the cellos to participate in the second half of the program. 

[Brahmsian]

Alban Gerhardt is a superb cellist, ChamberNut! You're lucky (and I was in San Antonio a few years ago): Gerhardt is so good that the whole world knows he is or will be a star, but he's so modest that he still visits places like SA and Winnipeg regularly. At my local orchestra's concert (where he played Saint-Saens), he parked a chair at the end of the last row of the cellos to participate in the second half of the program. 

Yes, I'm really excited about hearing him play live!    We don't often get many top names come through Winnipeg, but we do occasionally!  At least we get to hear James Ehnes play almost every year (or every 2nd year), since he's a local boy. 

[Brian]

Yes, I'm really excited about hearing him play live!    We don't often get many top names come through Winnipeg, but we do occasionally!  At least we get to hear James Ehnes play almost every year (or every 2nd year), since he's a local boy. 

Heh, I remember when Andre Watts married a gal from Columbus, Indiana, and then all of a sudden my hometown's semi-pro orchestra had a classical "superstar" turning up every year to play a Rachmaninov concerto for his in-laws. It was great 

[Brahmsian]

Heh, I remember when Andre Watts married a gal from Columbus, Indiana, and then all of a sudden my hometown's semi-pro orchestra had a classical "superstar" turning up every year to play a Rachmaninov concerto for his in-laws. It was great 

Awesome!  We are going to be graced with the presence of Krzysztof Penderecki in February 2011 as part of the annual week long New Music Festival.  The WSO will be performing Penderecki's 7th Symphony "Seven Gates of Jerusalem".  Just recently having heard for the first time, some of Penderecki's music, I'm quite excited about this! 

[Brian]

Wow, that's pretty amazing!

I just saw Dvorak's "Te Deum" and "Stabat Mater" with the London Philharmonic, but I'll write about it tomorrow. It's nearly 1 am...

[Brahmsian]

Tomorrow night's Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concert.  I'm excited, since this will be the first time I hear both of these works live in concert.

Dvorak - Cello Concerto in B minor
Brahms - Symphony No. 2 in D major

Alban Gerhardt, cello soloist
Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor

Brian,

This was a wonderful concert!  Gerhardt (although he did not play perfectly), played with a lot of passion and intensity.  He also really was into the orchestra when he was not playing, you could tell he really enjoyed the work that was playing.  I love it when soloists enjoy the orchestra and appreciate their efforts.

I went to the pre-concert chat, and the banter going back and forth between Mickelthwate and Gerhardt (both German boys) was fantastic!

Hearing Brahms Symphony No. 2 Live, I've come away with a new appreciation of that work.  It is a much more vibrant, and passionate work than I ever gave it credit for in the past, and I think the live performance was the key! 

[CD]

Wednesday Ensemble Dal Niente are playing the first concert of their season. The program:

SEASON OPENER SET 1: HOW ABOUT NOW?
Anthony Cheung (b.1982): Centripedalocity (2008) for flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, harp, violin, viola, and cello
Eliza Brown (b.1985): Uneasy (2009/10) for piccolo/alto flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone, piano, and percussion
Marcos Balter (b.1974): Growth (2010) for flute, clarinet, saxophone, electric guitar, piano, violin, viola, and cello (WORLD PREMIERE)
Nico Muhly (b.1981): How About Now (2006) for flute, clarinet, electric guitar, bass and piano
Michel van der Aa (b.1970): Rekindle (2009) for flute and soundtrack (NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE)

SEASON OPENER SET 2: HIGHLIGHTS FROM DARMSTADT
Mark André (b.1964): Asche (2004/05) for flute, clarinet, piano, viola, and cello
Hans Thomalla (b.1975): Momentsmusicaux (2003/04) for flute, clarinet, piano, viola, and cello

Mostly excited for the André and Thomalla pieces but it will be interesting to hear the rest of the program.

[Brian]

Awesome, awesome, Ray!

~

I owe the board two reports. 

9 October: Dvorak Te Deum and Stabat Mater. LPO, Neeme Jarvi Wonderful. Dvorak's Stabat Mater is long, Brahmsian in spots, and a little dry in places, but it is still a powerful conception. Unfortunately, I enjoyed this performance for a pretty despicable reason. The text to Stabat mater frequently includes the Latin word "fac" - in which the a is pronounced like in "father" or "waffle." But somebody had instructed the chorus and the soloists to pronounce fac in an altogether different way. Use your imagination.

The result was that I spent most of the performance in physical and emotional pain - physical from trying to hold in my laughter, and from trying to wipe the stupid grin off my face, and emotional because I felt embarrassed, dirty, and not a little guilty to notice that nobody else seemed to be noticing! How they could fail to was beyond me: at one point the chorus sings three consecutive fortissimo "FAC!"s. And the bass soloist very obviously knew what he was up to: he opens one of the sections with a "Fac!" and I have never, ever, ever heard a "ck" sound enunciated with such violent conviction. I nearly died.

The Te Deum had only one "fac", and in any case, it's one of Dvorak's greatest works. How come nobody ever told me so? How come nobody seems to think so? ArkivMusic says there are fewer recordings of the Te Deum than of the Requiem, Mass, or Stabat Mater, but you know what: the Te Deum is pure brilliance, pure Dvorak, exuberant, danceable, gorgeously beautiful, and full of melodies which get thrown away after 20 seconds, or relegated to the violas - I had one of those "God, Antonin" moments when I heard him file away a spectacular tune among the first violins, then never use it again, while I was left thinking, "you could have written a whole opera on the promise of that tune for an aria." The Te Deum disproves the myth of Dvorak's "American period" - it pretty much defines his "American sound" but was written right before he set sail - and it encapsulates all that I love about the composer.

The chorus and soloists were terrific (and the tenor even knew how to say fac!), and Neeme Jarvi led everything with excitement and vigor. His inability to exhibit any human emotion, which I've known about since living in Detroit during his years there, is still going strong, but you can tell from the way he conducts that he has great rapport with the musicians, and great love for the music.

Another highlight of the evening: to my right were three people, a young lady about 30, a young man about 30, and between the two of them the young lady's mother. We communicated entirely in smiles. I smiled hello at the start and they smiled back. Then, after the Te Deum, we all grinned at each other in utter delight. Even in the lobby, I grinned and they grinned back. Then, halfway through the Stabat Mater, Mom decided to leave early for some reason, and made a run for it during a pause. The young lady got up and moved over next to her young man, and he clasped her hand in his. I thought this was totally wonderful, so when she glanced over next, I issued my last big grin of the night. Love is a beautiful thing. 

10 October: Dvorak Violin Concerto and Janacek Glagolitic Mass. Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; LSO, Colin Davis Could have been better. Mutter sped through the concerto's opening mini-cadenzas like she had better things to do, and her first movement was an odd mix of perfunctoriness and lavishly romantic playing (portamenti to die for!). The slow movement was exquisite, though; I've never heard anyone intone the main theme with such hushed lyricism as Mutter. Again, too, those portamenti! I love 'em, even if the performance was mixed.

The Janacek Glagolitic Mass was even more mixed. I was ecstatic just to be hearing it live, and as I don't expect ever to see it live again, it will definitely be a permanent memory. But, due to space and budget and intelligence constraints, Davis and the LSO opted for the "concert" version - that is, Intrada at the end only, just one set of timpani, nobody off-stage, reduced "Veruju." It IS a terribly impractical piece - seeing it live enabled me to really notice this, like the tiny celesta part, the fact that one of the percussion guys sits around for half the piece and then dingles a triangle once and crashes a cymbal once, the fact that the mezzo has only three lines!

For the most part, I rode the high of "OMG, I'm seeing them play the Glagolitic Mass!" This enabled me to accept and enjoy a couple of questionable interpretive decisions, like Davis' bizarre way with final chords of movements (he plays them faster than marked so they sound more like a "bang") - but then, in "Svet," one decision came along that almost ruined the experience. The "Svet" is a sort of darkness-to-light transition; the first minute and a half build up to a chugging string motif overlaid with jubilant brass, the arrival of the light, the reassertion of faith. When this moment arrived, Colin Davis had the orchestra take off like a rocket. They were literally at double the tempo I'd have chosen - literally double - and most of the band could NOT keep up. I'm afraid the decision struck me as stupid, utterly stupid.

Generally, though, a good experience: the one Intrada was well-played, the organ solo was FANTASTIC (and POWERFUL!), the LSO chorus did themselves absolutely proud, and the soloists - when you could hear them! - were good. Only the trombones didn't hold up their end of the bargain, really.

So two very interesting days at the symphony. My next concert is the 12th, Endellion String Quartet at Wigmore Hall, and then nothing 'til the 21st.



P.S. My notes are so copious because both concerts were recorded for CDs, and I might request them when they come up on MusicWeb, so these will come in handy for comparison and for flavor.

[Brian]

In two hours: the Endellion String Quartet plays Bartok No 5, Beethoven Op 18 No 4, and Beethoven Op 59 No 1!

[jlaurson]

Luciano Berio
"Sinfonia"

Gustav Mahler
Symphonie Nr. 1 D-Dur

Bavarian RSO, Riccardo Chailly

[bhodges]

Hearing Brahms Symphony No. 2 Live, I've come away with a new appreciation of that work.  It is a much more vibrant, and passionate work than I ever gave it credit for in the past, and I think the live performance was the key! 

I just saw Dvorak's "Te Deum" and "Stabat Mater" with the London Philharmonic, but I'll write about it tomorrow. It's nearly 1 am...

Wednesday Ensemble Dal Niente are playing the first concert of their season. The program:

[interesting details snipped]

In two hours: the Endellion String Quartet plays Bartok No 5, Beethoven Op 18 No 4, and Beethoven Op 59 No 1!

Luciano Berio
"Sinfonia"

Gustav Mahler
Symphonie Nr. 1 D-Dur

Bavarian RSO, Riccardo Chailly

No time to comment on all these great-sounding concerts, other than to say I'm enjoying reading all the reports on them. 

--Bruce

[Brahmsian]

In two hours: the Endellion String Quartet plays Bartok No 5, Beethoven Op 18 No 4, and Beethoven Op 59 No 1!

Brian, the No. 4 is my favorite of Beethoven's early quartets.  Opus 59/1 is a fantastic quartet!   

[Sid]

Coming up this Sunday at St. John's Uniting Church in Neutral Bay, Sydney, Australia:

"An afternoon with Lauris Elms"

This recital will feature an interview with one of Australia's most well-loved opera singers, Lauris Elms, as well as performances by singers from Opera Australia of some of her favourite songs:

Britten - A Charm of Lullabies (mezzo soprano Dominica Matthews)
Schubert - The Shepherd on the Rock (soprano Fiona Maconaghie, with  Deborah de Graff (clarinet))
Mahler - Ruckert Lieder (baritone James Roser)
All accompanied by John Martin at the piano

It promises to be a wonderful afternoon...

[MishaK]

Muti canceled due to illness, so the Cherubini Requiem is out for this week and instead the CSO is playing Mahler 7 with Boulez! 

[bhodges]

Tonight:

Evan Ziporyn: A House in Bali - A Balinese gamelan-infused opera, based on the life of Canadian composer Colin McPhee, written by the clarinetist with Bang on a Can.  The preview photos look fantastic.

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

A week from tonight:

The young Brazilian conductor Marcelo Lehninger, appointed one of the BSO's two new assistant conductors for the 2010-11 season, makes his debut with the orchestra in these concerts. He is joined by celebrated violinist Pinchas Zukerman for Beethoven's majestic and lyrical Violin Concerto. Samuel Barber's characterful School for Scandal Overture—inspired by the 18th-century Sheridan comedy—was his first publicly performed orchestral work and a great success for the twenty-one-year-old composer. Anchoring the program is Tchaikovsky's broad, Romantic, dramatic Symphony No. 5, one of the most popular in the repertoire.

Seems to me that the Beethoven is of sufficient gravity that it is a little curious to speak of the Tchaikovsky anchoring the program . . . .