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

[Sergeant Rock]

Christian Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonic are giving a mini-Bruckner cycle at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt next February:

10 Feb - Bruckner 4 and Schreker "Nachtstück" from the opera Der ferne Klang
12 Feb - Bruckner 8
13 Feb - Bruckner 5


and the following week:

18 Feb - Mahler 6, Zinman and the HR-Sinfonieorchester


Sarge

[jlaurson]

Christian Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonic are giving a mini-Bruckner cycle at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt next February:

10 Feb - Bruckner 4 and Schreker "Nachtstück" from the opera Der ferne Klang
12 Feb - Bruckner 8
13 Feb - Bruckner 5

Just back from CT's M-8 in Munich myself; and earlier today a matinee at the Konzerthaus in Vienna with a young cellist of moderate interest.

[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...

This was a very enjoyable recital. They also played Schumann's Three Fantasy Pieces for clarinet and piano. Silvio Rivier's interview with retired opera/lieder singer Lauris Elms was particularly interesting, with her recounting memories of her career, including singing with Joan Sutherland at Covent Garden in Lucia di Lammermoor. It was interesting how she started off playing the piano, then the violin, and then began to work as a singer after a stint in the graphic arts industry. The clarinettist at the recital was her daughter. I liked all of the songs of the recital, the singers of the Australian Opera sang the Schubert, Mahler and Britten beautifully. This was my first song recital in 20 years, and my friend's first ever song recital, so it was quite exciting. We were also able to talk to some of the performers after the recital, as nibblies and drinks were served in the church hall. Alll in all a great evening & we plan to go to more of the recitals in this "Artsong" series...

[jlaurson]

Quatuor Ebene. Twice. Once tonight, once tomorrow.

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2009/01/dip-your-ears-no-96.html

[bhodges]

Tonight at Carnegie Hall:

Mahler: Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection" (Valery Gergiev/Mariinsky Orchestra)

--Bruce

[Sid]

Went to this chamber concert on the weekend, at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. The performers were members of the Australia Ensemble.

Ligeti - Six Bagatelles for wind quintet (1953)
W.A. Mozart - Eine kleine Nachtmusik in G K525 for two violins, viola, cello and double bass (1787)
Matthew Hindson (b. 1968) - Light is both a particle and a wave for flute, clarinet, piano, two violins, viola and cello, commissioned by Justice Jane Matthews (2010) - first performance
Saint-Saens - The Carnival of the Animals (Le carnaval des animaux) for two pianos, two violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet and glockenspiel/xylophone (1886)

This was a fun night. The older pieces were light and fun, while the Hindson was more serious. The first movement of the Hindson reminded me of Xenakis (structured dissonance?) and the second movement of the old romantic classical music. There was a pivotal piano solo where the pianist played all over the keyboard - very impressive to see/hear. I was a bit thrown off by how, after the dissonance and almost aggressive energy of the first movement, there was a complete change of style to something more romantic and melodic. It was a big contrast. The Saint-Saens was the most fun piece of the evening, and a great finisher (for the whole Australia Ensemble 2010 season). I especially liked how cellist Julian Smiles was able to play the famous Swan in an emotional way without lapsing into sentimentality. I look forward to going to more of their concerts next year...

[Sid]

Went to see this last night @ Sydney Conservatorium of Music:

Cocktail Hour Recital Series
"Not unravelling and not petering out"
Ole Bohn, violin
Georg Pedersen, cello
Phillip Shovk, piano

Ravel - Trio in A minor
Tchaikovsky - Trio in A minor, Op. 50 (Dedicated to a great artist, Nicolai Rubinstein)

This was a recital by three of the teaching staff of the Con, who are excellent musicians. The Ravel piano trio is one of my favourite works by him. It's light and airy, the first movement being based on a Basque tune, the second on the rhythms of Malaysian poetry, the third a passacaglia (neo-classical?), and the finale contains reminiscences of what went on before. I just love the last movement - it makes me think of being on the beach in summer, hearing the surf, the hot sun, a whisp of breeze. Apparently Ravel despised Beethoven (cellist Georg Pedersen related how Ravel said to cellist Gregor Piatagorsky, Pedersen's teacher, after a recital of Beethoven words to the affect that "Your performance was excellent, but why did you choose to play such terrible music?"). Funnily enough, I hear similarities in how both composers utilised the piano trio, but those similarities may well be superficial. The second half of the program was taken up by Tchaikovsky's piano trio which I had never heard before. The first movement was quite song like but also agitated, the second a theme and variations which (at times) had a Baroque/Classical era flavour - a bit like the Rococo Variations - and the third quite elegaic and dark.

For those in Sydney, these Cocktail Hour recitals are on at the Con every Monday, put on by staff of the Con, and the cost is $15 adult/$10 concessions. The two small 100 seater recital halls are used, so the atmosphere is intimate and you get a good view (staggered seating). They are put on during semester times only. Recommended!...

[Brian]

Last week, I saw the Pavel Haas String Quartet perform Dvorak's "American" quartet and quintet. Tomorrow, I get to see them playing Beethoven's Op 59 No 1. The delights never cease!

[bhodges]

Last week, I saw the Pavel Haas String Quartet perform Dvorak's "American" quartet and quintet. Tomorrow, I get to see them playing Beethoven's Op 59 No 1. The delights never cease!

Lucky you!  I've still not heard this group live.

Tonight:

Trio con Brio Copenhagen
Soo-Jin Hong, violin
Soo-Kyung Hong, cello
Jens Elvekjaer, piano

Hans Abrahamsen: Traumlieder for Piano Trio (1984/2009) — New York Premiere
Beethoven: Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70 No. 1 "Ghost"
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50

And on Sunday, the following.  I don't recall ever seeing anything by Satie on any concert by Levine (and don't really know this piece, either).

The MET Chamber Ensemble
James Levine, Artistic Director and Conductor
Erin Morley, Soprano
Susanna Phillips, Soprano
Emalie Savoy, Soprano
Tamara Mumford, Mezzo-Soprano

Webern: Four Songs, Op. 12
Satie: Socrate
Boulez: sur Incises

--Bruce

[MishaK]

8:00 PM
Saturday December 4, 2010

Program:
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
Paul Jacobs
organ
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe
director and conductor



Oh and the week before that:

8:00 PM
Saturday November 27, 2010

Program:
Debussy  Symphonic Fragments from The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian 
Ligeti  Violin Concerto
Ravel Mother Goose Suite
Debussy  La Mèr

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez
conductor
Robert Chen
violin

[Sid]

Going to these two tonight at Sydney Conservatorium of Music:

"Mature Delights"

Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra
Imre Palló and Doctor of Musical Arts student Anthony Clarke, conductors

Sculthorpe String Sonata No 5 for string orchestra*
Bartok Concerto for orchestra
* World Première 101 Compositions for 100 Years

"Zodiac"
Ensemble Offspring

Program:
* world premiere

•Mitchell Huckstepp: new work, for flute, clarinet & two percussion *
•Daniel Manera: Duet for Clarinet and Hi-Hat *
•Laura Altman: new work, for flute, clarinet & two percussion *
•Helena Czajka: Trafalgar Square, for flute, clarinet, marimba and vibraphone *
•Stephen Rozanc: new work, for flute, clarinet & two percussion *
•Natalie Unwalla: The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage, for flute, clarinet and marimba *
•Marcus Whale: Slatted Light, for two winds, accordion and vibraphone*

- interval -

•Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis (arr. Ensemble Offspring), for flutes, clarinets & 2 percussion

[Sid]

Going to these two tonight at Sydney Conservatorium of Music:

"Mature Delights"

Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra
Imre Palló and Doctor of Musical Arts student Anthony Clarke, conductors

Sculthorpe String Sonata No 5 for string orchestra*
Bartok Concerto for orchestra
* World Première 101 Compositions for 100 Years

"Zodiac"
Ensemble Offspring

Program:
* world premiere

•Mitchell Huckstepp: new work, for flute, clarinet & two percussion *
•Daniel Manera: Duet for Clarinet and Hi-Hat *
•Laura Altman: new work, for flute, clarinet & two percussion *
•Helena Czajka: Trafalgar Square, for flute, clarinet, marimba and vibraphone *
•Stephen Rozanc: new work, for flute, clarinet & two percussion *
•Natalie Unwalla: The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage, for flute, clarinet and marimba *
•Marcus Whale: Slatted Light, for two winds, accordion and vibraphone*

- interval -

•Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis (arr. Ensemble Offspring), for flutes, clarinets & 2 percussion

I enjoyed both concerts. In the first, Peter Sculthorpe talked about his concern with how climate change is effecting Australia, and how this was the main issue behind his String Quartet No. 18 (here in a new arrangement for string orchestra). He said that he had thought about ending the work in a dark way, but said that he's an optimist and couldn't bear to do that, no matter how (sometimes) grim the outlook in this matter. The movements were titled Prelude - A Land Singing - A Dying Land - A Lost Land - Postlude. There were the usual trademark Sculthorpe sounds - insect sounds, bird song, and the drone of the didgeridoo simulated by the strings. The middle movements sounded similar to his Sun Musics a bit. Initially, when hearing the optimistic ending of the work in the original version on radio (the birds return after the desolation of the middle movements), I thought it was a bit cheesy. But talking to a woman during the interval, she said that we need a bit of optimism in this day and age & I think that's true. I really liked the sound of the five double basses - awsome!

After the interval we were treated to another "mature delight," Bartok's exhuberant, tragic and humorous Concerto for Orchestra. The orchestra played their hearts out. This is a great group who just got back from acclaimed performances in New York and San Francisco (maybe some members here saw them?). I think that they must have done us proud, judging from the standard of their playing here.

The Ensemble Offspring concert was no less enjoyable. We were treated to seven new works by final year students at the Con. There were a variety of approaches, eg. the Manera sounded jazzy and a bit rocky, the Altman a bit like the static but ever changing soundscapes of Takemitsu, & the Huckstepp a bit minimalistic. To top it all off, after the interval the four musicians played their own arrangment of Stockhausen's Tierkreis (Signs of the Zodiac) and doubled and even tripled on all manner of wind and percussion instruements - a plethora of flutes and clarinets, accordion, mouth organ, piano, cowbells, marimba, xylophone, and even a music box. It was perhaps the most colourful piece I have ever heard. I plan to go to some of their concerts next year, I talked to their director and Harry Partch's music is on the cards (they are currently building the instruments to play that). Can't wait!...

[Brian]

Tonight:

Haydn
String Quartet in B flat Op. 50 No. 1
Schumann
String Quartet in A Op. 41 No. 3
Beethoven
String Quartet in F Op. 135
Hagen Quartet

[Brahmsian]

Tonight:

Haydn
String Quartet in B flat Op. 50 No. 1
Schumann
String Quartet in A Op. 41 No. 3
Beethoven
String Quartet in F Op. 135
Hagen Quartet

Wow, that is a fantastic program.  I particularly really love the Schumann, and the quirky, fun Op.135

[bhodges]

Tonight, part of Lincoln Center's White Light Festival:

Collegium Vocale Gent Choir
Accademia Chigiana Siena (New York debut)
I Solisti del Vento (New York debut)
Philippe Herreweghe, conductor

Brahms: Warum ist das Licht gegeben, Op. 74, No. 1
Schubert (arr. Verhaert): Andante, from String Quartet in D minor ("Death and the Maiden"), D.810
Cornelius: Requiem "Seele, vergiss sie nicht"
Brahms: Begräbnisgesang, Op. 13
Bruckner: Mass in E minor

--Bruce

[jlaurson]

November 4th, Thursday

Bavarian Radio SO, Franz Welser Moest,

Joseph Haydn
Symphonie d-Moll, Hob. I:26
("Lamentatione")
Alban Berg
Symphonische Stücke aus "Lulu"
für Sopran und Orchester
Antonín Dvorák
Symphonie Nr. 5 F-Dur, op. 76

November 7th, Sunday, 7PM

Munich Philharmonic, Dmitrij Kitajenko

Sergej Prokofiev
Symphonie Nr. 4 C-Dur op. 47
Pjotr Iljitsch Tchaikovsky
Rokoko-Variationen für Violoncello und Orchester op. 33
Sergej Rachmaninoff
"Die Glocken" op. 35

November 11th, Thursday

BRSO, Bernard Haitink

Tony Bruckner, Te Deum & 9th Symphony

November 18th, Thursday

BRSO, Danny Harding, Paul Lewis (!)

LvB, Piano Concerto No.5
Béla Bartók
"Herzog Blaubarts Burg"
Oper in einem Akt (konzertant)

November 19th, Friday

Munich Philharmonic, James Gaffigan

Joseph Haydn
Symphonie Nr. 49 f-Moll Hob. I:49 "La Passione"
Friedrich Cerha
Konzert für Schlagzeug und Orchester
Sergej Rachmaninoff
"Symphonische Tänze" op. 45

November 26th, Friday

Munich Philharmonic, Nikolaj Znaider trying to conduct

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphonie C-Dur KV 425 "Linzer Symphonie"
Pjotr Iljitsch Tchaikovsky
Symphonie Nr. 5 e-Moll op. 64

[Sef]

Oh and the week before that:

8:00 PM
Saturday November 27, 2010

Program:
Debussy  Symphonic Fragments from The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian 
Ligeti  Violin Concerto
Ravel Mother Goose Suite
Debussy  La Mèr

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez
conductor
Robert Chen
violin

I have tickets for the Friday Performance - much anticipated, particularly the Violin Concerto which has become one of my favorites lately. I'm taking my daughter who I thought was open minded when it comes to more challenging pieces, but who admitted last week that a local performance of Schnittke's Concerto Grosse #3 left her a little bewildered - I advised her to listen to the Ligeti a few times before the concert, so I hope she takes notice.

[MishaK]

I have tickets for the Friday Performance - much anticipated, particularly the Violin Concerto which has become one of my favorites lately. I'm taking my daughter who I thought was open minded when it comes to more challenging pieces, but who admitted last week that a local performance of Schnittke's Concerto Grosse #3 left her a little bewildered - I advised her to listen to the Ligeti a few times before the concert, so I hope she takes notice.

My wife and I actually switched to the Friday performance as well. Where are you sitting?

[Sef]

My wife and I actually switched to the Friday performance as well. Where are you sitting?

Up at the top - not exactly flush these days with kids at college! Perhaps we can meet during the interval?

[Szykneij]

Tomorrow night I'll be enjoying the Melrose Symphony Orchestra perform the Egmont Overture, The Firebird, and the Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello. The Melrose Symphony is in its 93rd  Season as the "Oldest Continuing Volunteer Orchestra in the Nation" and the calibre of the group is remarkable. More background on the group and the concert is here:

http://www.melrosesymphony.org/