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

[Brian]

That Mazzoli is a great title, Bruce!

As a follow-up on the rude concert behavior discussion, I have received the following message from a college friend:

Once a man in front of me at a Woodlands Symphony concert picked up his cell phone during a performance of Brahms 2; I tapped him on the shoulder to kindly ask him to put his phone away...he wanted to fight me at the end of the concert

[bhodges]

As a follow-up on the rude concert behavior discussion, I have received the following message from a college friend:

Once a man in front of me at a Woodlands Symphony concert picked up his cell phone during a performance of Brahms 2; I tapped him on the shoulder to kindly ask him to put his phone away...he wanted to fight me at the end of the concert

   

--Bruce

[Brian]

Tonight:


Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet.
Elgar: Cello Concerto.
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 5.
Gemma Rosefield, cello
Forest Philharmonic Orchestra; Andrew Gourlay

Not sure who the Forest Philharmonic is, but the ticket was quite cheap, the seat is very good, and believe it or not I haven't heard Elgar's cello concerto in three or four years, nor R&J in nearly a year.

[MishaK]

Hopefully I'll make it to at least one of these:

7:00 PM
Monday January 31, 2011

Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
André de Ridder, conductor
Mason Bates, Mead Composer-in-Residence and host
Anna Clyne, Mead Composer-in-Residence and host
Mouse On Mars

Martin Matalon  Las siete vidas de un gato 
Mouse on Mars  Electronica set


8:00 PM
Wednesday February 2, 2011

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

Wagner  Overture to Tannhäuser
Bartók  Piano Concerto No. 2
Strauss  Ein Heldenleben

Well, the former was quite fun. The Matalon piece was written to accompany Bunuel's classic Un chien andalou, which I somehow had managed not to have seen yet, and which was conveniently projected behind the ensemble. The Mouse on Mars bit was good fun, though it started getting a bit repetitive somewhere two thirds of the way through before picking up again. Sadly, the CSO component was very minimal. Of some dozen or so musicians, only one violist, one cellist and one horn player were CSO members. All the others were extras. I suppose with Muti in town and a bunch of chamber things going on there were too few available, but still this is almost false advertising.

The Cleveland Orchestra sadly got cancelled due to the blizzard, as they were unable to make it into town from Ann Arbor where they were touring before.

[bhodges]

Wow, the NY Philharmonic is doing Stockhausen's Gruppen next season, at the Park Avenue Armory!



Edit: Wow, the concert will also include Mozart (the party scene from Don Giovanni), Boulez's Rituel and Ives's The Unanswered Question. Incredible program, all designed to take advantage of multiple ensembles in the space.

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

Wow, the NY Philharmonic is doing Stockhausen's Gruppen next season, at the Park Avenue Armory!

Not sure I'm mad about the piece, but it must be worthwhile hearing live.

[bhodges]

Tonight and tomorrow:

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director and Conductor

Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Toshio Hosokawa: Woven Dreams (2009, NY Premiere)
R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director and Conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano

Wagner: Overture to Tannhäuser
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta

Looking forward to all of it, especially the Hosokawa premiere.

--Bruce

[Brahmsian]

Tonight and tomorrow:

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director and Conductor

Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Toshio Hosokawa: Woven Dreams (2009, NY Premiere)
R. Strauss: Ein Heldenleben

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director and Conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano

Wagner: Overture to Tannhäuser
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta

Looking forward to all of it, especially the Hosokawa premiere.

--Bruce

Wonderfully varied programming, Bruce! 

[bhodges]

Yes, Welser-Möst generally does a very good job, mixing things up. I love that he's ending their stand with the Bartók, which often seems to begin concerts! But the bottom line: I'll pretty much hear the orchestra play anything.  0:)

--Bruce

[Sergeant Rock]

But the bottom line: I'll pretty much hear the orchestra play anything.  0:)
--Bruce

My oldest friend heard the Wagner, Schumann and Strauss a few weeks ago at Severance. He said it had been many moons since he'd enjoyed a concert more.

Sarge

[bhodges]

My oldest friend heard the Wagner, Schumann and Strauss a few weeks ago at Severance. He said it had been many moons since he'd enjoyed a concert more.

Sarge

Grrreat! Frankly, I've been looking forward to these concerts for months.

--Bruce

[jlaurson]

Looking forward to Harding/Grimaud/LSO, to Langrée/David Fray/LPO, and something else at St.Lukes...

[Bruckner is God]

Tomorrow, Tuesday 8 February
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Mariss Jansons
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

Brahms piano concerto no. 2
Wagner Prelude and liebestod from Tristan and Isolde
Strauss Rosenkavalier suite

Wednesday 9 february
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Mariss Jansons
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

Rossini Ouverture'L'Italiana in Algeri
Mozart Piano concerto no. 24 KV491
Beethoven Symphony no. 7

[bhodges]

Next week:

Curtis Symphony Orchestra
Juanjo Mena, Conductor
Hilary Hahn, Violin

Hindemith: Konzertmusik for Strings and Brass
Higdon: Violin Concerto (NY Premiere)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

--Bruce

[MishaK]

Higdon: Violin Concerto (NY Premiere)

What do you think of Higdon's work? I'm so far tending to put her in the "overhyped" category.

[bhodges]

What do you think of Higdon's work? I'm so far tending to put her in the "overhyped" category.

Mostly very positive, but perhaps what I've heard are her best: Zaka (recorded by eighth blackbird, and they play it beautifully), and the Concerto for Orchestra--I was at the premiere, and thought it a very well-written, exciting piece. But looking at a list of her compositions, I realize there's a lot I'm not familiar with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Jennifer_Higdon

--Bruce

[Brian]

Just got back from:

Mendelssohn: Overture, Intermezzo, Nocturne, Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream
Weber: Clarinet Concerto No 1
Beethoven: Symphony No 7

Antony Pay, clarinet
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
David Zinman

And tomorrow night:

Rachmaninov: Isle of the Dead
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini
Liszt: Totentanz
Dvorak: Symphony No 7

Bernd Glemser, piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Osmo Vanska

Quite the two days!!

[MishaK]

Bernd Glemser, piano

He's a surprisingly good pianist. Not necessarily interpretively memorable, but naturally musical and thoughtful. Did a nice cycle of Beethoven concertos on an obscure record label with Bruno Weil and the Duisburg Symphony (now Philharmonic).

[Brian]

He's a surprisingly good pianist. Not necessarily interpretively memorable, but naturally musical and thoughtful. Did a nice cycle of Beethoven concertos on an obscure record label with Bruno Weil and the Duisburg Symphony (now Philharmonic).

That description nicely fits his Rachmaninov on Naxos, too. The Third is especially satisfying, but that might be because it's not always easy to find somebody who can dispatch the longer, louder cadenza with accuracy and expression. I'm looking forward to seeing him in concert, where being naturally thoughtful and genuine counts for a lot.

[MDL]

Thursday, February 10th at the Festival Hall:


Béla Bartók: Cantata Profana
Béla Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste

Interval

Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Philharmonia Orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Attila Fekete tenor
Michele Kalmandi bass-baritone
Gulbenkian Choir


The first concert in Salonen's Infernal Dance season was excellent; a shame it was so poorly attended. The balcony can't have been any more than a fifth full. I suppose the Rite will pull more people into this concert; it's the only reason my other half is willing to be dragged along.