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

Started by Siedler, April 20, 2007, 05:34:10 PM

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Lilas Pastia

Quote from: Iago on July 26, 2007, 05:01:01 PM
Going to Los Angeles on Tuesday to visit my cardiologist (just routine).
Noticed that MTT is conducting the LA Philharmonic in the Beethoven Ninth that night. So I think I'll stick around LA for that.
Trouble of course is, it's at the Hollywood Bowl and not Disney Hall.
And for those you that have never visited the Hollywood Bowl I might tell you that it's in a lovely setting, but the amplification system is just slightly better than atrocious, access roads and parking are almost non-existent and you just might be seated near crying babies.


Which GMG members are you referring to?

Iago

Quote from: Lilas Pastia on July 26, 2007, 05:10:15 PM
Which GMG members are you referring to?

GMG  members very rarely "cry". But they do "whine" very often.
"Good", is NOT good enough, when "better" is expected

Mozart



Solitary Wanderer

Quote from: Mark on July 26, 2007, 03:13:26 AM
Looking forward to this evening: Mozart's The Magic Flute (in English) at London's Barbican Centre.

How was this Mark?  :)
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

bhodges

Sunday afternoon, August 12, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) is doing this program outdoors, at the Noguchi Museum:

Kevin Volans: String Quartet No. 1 "White Man Sleeps" (1986)
Louis Andriessen: Workers' Union (1975)
Terry Riley: In C (1964)

--Bruce

Choo Choo

Quote from: bhodges on July 30, 2007, 06:29:40 AM
Sunday afternoon, August 12, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) is doing this program outdoors, at the Noguchi Museum:

Kevin Volans: String Quartet No. 1 "White Man Sleeps" (1986)
Louis Andriessen: Workers' Union (1975)
Terry Riley: In C (1964)

--Bruce

Nice programme!  :D

bhodges

Quote from: Choo Choo on July 30, 2007, 06:45:58 AM
Nice programme!  :D

Isn't it!  And I now have the score to Workers' Union, to follow along!

--Bruce

Choo Choo

#208
This morning I received the Autumn 07 programme for the Barbican in London, and have  booked:

Prokofiev Symphony No.5
Guibaidulina Violin Concerto No.2
LSO / Previn / Mutter

Tishchenko orch. Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1
Mahler Symphony No.6
LSO / Gergiev

Mozart Piano Concerto No.21
Bruckner Symphony No.5
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Janowski / Lugansky

For the OSR concert I had the unusual experience of being the 1st person to book on-line, with my pick of the entire range of bookable seats.  The Gergiev I expected to be already sold out - and it is, just about - except that I happened along just after some generous soul had returned tickets for a couple of the best seats in the house.  Very happy about both of those.  (I have some off-air recordings of Janowski conducting "his" Monte Carlo orchestra in Bruckner, and they're pretty good.)

There are a few more decent-looking programmes as well, these were the ones that galvanised me into instant action.


bhodges

Quote from: karlhenning on July 30, 2007, 07:26:56 AM
Splendid, Nigel!

Truly!  Three great ones...  I heard Gergiev do the Mahler 6 a few years back with the New York Philharmonic...it was sensational. 

--Bruce

Choo Choo

Instead of doing some work, I've been checking the concert schedules for the next few months ... seems like we have a few more good things coming up.  Pollini (at last!) interrupts his perpetual "greatest hits" tour for an evening of Schoenberg, Berg and Nono.  Aimard plays Messiaen.  A complete LvB sonata cycle by Barenboim.  Zimerman.  Ansdnes.  Rozhdestvensky returns, with Beethoven, Mahler, Sibelius.  Jansons with the BRSO.  The Concertgebouw.  I can hear my credit card whimpering even as I type this... ;D

Mark

Quote from: Solitary Wanderer on July 29, 2007, 02:54:51 PM
How was this Mark?  :)

Sorry, Chris. Forgot to report back on the evening in the company of Armonico Consort Opera with the Orchestra of the Baroque. Terrifically fun production, emphasising the 'pantomime' element of the work to amusing effect. Semi-staged, lots of fun props and a few cheeky jokes - plus a clever little 'audience participation' piece which turned out to be how they got Sinead Pratschke on stage prior to her appearance later as Papagena.

The orchestral side was lovely and not in the least distracting from the acting, and the real stand out performances came from Elin Manahan Thomas as Pamina, and Timothy Travers-Brown as Monostatos, who was a comical delight and a great singer. The Barbican's notoriously dry acoustic robbed the singing of some of its punch, and the biggest disappointment was watching Jacquelyn Parker struggle somewhat with that famously high section of the Queen of the Night's Act II aria. It worked, but only just.

Only other noteworthy vocal performances came from Anna Bolton as Second Lady (quite honestly, she could've played Pamina just as well as Manahan Thomas), and William Townsend as the Old Priest/Armed Man. The evening's Sarastro - Ronald Nairne - was so-so (I've heard better basses), and the Three Boys (two of whom were actually girls) just didn't gel harmonically, making their parts rather painful to listen to. The other big disappointment was Tamino (Mark Wilde) who neither looked like the protagonist hero nor sang very convincingly.

If you want to hear this work in English, the Chandos set with Mackerras is superb and blows away what I heard on the night. It has a better Papageno, too: I saw Thomas Guthrie (also the director), and while he wasn't bad, his acting far exceeded his singing, which lacked sufficient projection.

Solitary Wanderer

Quote from: Mark on July 30, 2007, 10:40:51 AM
Sorry, Chris. Forgot to report back on the evening in the company of Armonico Consort Opera with the Orchestra of the Baroque. Terrifically fun production, emphasising the 'pantomime' element of the work to amusing effect. Semi-staged, lots of fun props and a few cheeky jokes - plus a clever little 'audience participation' piece which turned out to be how they got Sinead Pratschke on stage prior to her appearance later as Papagena.

The orchestral side was lovely and not in the least distracting from the acting, and the real stand out performances came from Elin Manahan Thomas as Pamina, and Timothy Travers-Brown as Monostatos, who was a comical delight and a great singer. The Barbican's notoriously dry acoustic robbed the singing of some of its punch, and the biggest disappointment was watching Jacquelyn Parker struggle somewhat with that famously high section of the Queen of the Night's Act II aria. It worked, but only just.

Only other noteworthy vocal performances came from Anna Bolton as Second Lady (quite honestly, she could've played Pamina just as well as Manahan Thomas), and William Townsend as the Old Priest/Armed Man. The evening's Sarastro - Ronald Nairne - was so-so (I've heard better basses), and the Three Boys (two of whom were actually girls) just didn't gel harmonically, making their parts rather painful to listen to. The other big disappointment was Tamino (Mark Wilde) who neither looked like the protagonist hero nor sang very convincingly.

If you want to hear this work in English, the Chandos set with Mackerras is superb and blows away what I heard on the night. It has a better Papageno, too: I saw Thomas Guthrie (also the director), and while he wasn't bad, his acting far exceeded his singing, which lacked sufficient projection.

Excellent report Mark, thanks :)

I have the Chandos English version which is excellent, although I'm sticking to operas in their original language from now on.

Like you, I wouldn't have gone near an opera a few years ago but now I'm a true believer!

Currently watching Wagners Ring cycle on dvd [one Act per night] and its fantastic.

By the way The Magic Flute was my first live opera experience and it was great BUT my second live opera experience was Faust and that literally blew me away...wow! :)
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

Mark

Quote from: Solitary Wanderer on July 30, 2007, 01:36:15 PM
Excellent report Mark, thanks :)

I have the Chandos English version which is excellent, although I'm sticking to operas in their original language from now on.

Like you, I wouldn't have gone near an opera a few years ago but now I'm a true believer!

Currently watching Wagners Ring cycle on dvd [one Act per night] and its fantastic.

By the way The Magic Flute was my first live opera experience and it was great BUT my second live opera experience was Faust and that literally blew me away...wow! :)

Only other opera I've heard (again, in English) is Bartok's Duke Bluebeard's Castle. Really loved it.

Solitary Wanderer

Quote from: Mark on July 30, 2007, 02:04:48 PM
Only other opera I've heard (again, in English) is Bartok's Duke Bluebeard's Castle. Really loved it.

Yeah, they did Bluebeards Castle here last year. Half staged like the Magic Flute version you saw. I didn't attend but it got great reviews so I maybe should have ???
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

Mark

Quote from: Solitary Wanderer on July 31, 2007, 01:40:49 PM
Yeah, they did Bluebeards Castle here last year. Half staged like the Magic Flute version you saw. I didn't attend but it got great reviews so I maybe should have ???

It's quite a psychologically deep work, and a tad disturbing in places. The ending really shocked me! :o

Solitary Wanderer

Next Thursday:

APN News & Media Premier Series 2007 Concert 10

Thu 16 Aug 2007 8:00pm - Auckland Town Hall THE EDGE®

APO

Farr Horizons


Marc Taddei           Conductor
NZ Trio Justine Cormack Violin, Ashley Brown Cello, Sarah Watkins Piano
 
Ives   Three Places in New England
Farr   Triple Concerto
Interval 
Prokofiev  Romeo and Juliet Suite

To celebrate great New Zealand composer Gareth Farr, the APO's new Composer-in-Residence, we present the Auckland premiere of a work he considers one of his greatest: the Triple Concerto. Written for Auckland's New Zealand Trio, Farr's concerto is in turns haunting, lyrical and tempestuous. It is complemented by the evocative vignettes of Charles Ives' Three Places in New England, and the passion and power of Prokofiev's masterpiece Romeo and Juliet, one of the favourites of the repertoire.

I haven't had any Ives or Prokofiev in concert yet so this should be interesting :)
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

stingo

I was contacted by the Philadelphia Orchestra regarding my purchase of an extra ticket for the May 3rd performance. They could not accommodate my request (for the other seat to be by my subscribed seat) as both the 2nd and 3rd tier were not available. So I opted for 1st tier front row. Perhaps I'll take that one when I go to hear the symphony....

Solitary Wanderer

Quote from: Solitary Wanderer on August 05, 2007, 05:16:57 PM
Next Thursday:

APN News & Media Premier Series 2007 Concert 10

Thu 16 Aug 2007 8:00pm - Auckland Town Hall THE EDGE®

APO

Farr Horizons


Marc Taddei           Conductor
NZ Trio Justine Cormack Violin, Ashley Brown Cello, Sarah Watkins Piano
 
Ives   Three Places in New England
Farr   Triple Concerto
Interval 
Prokofiev  Romeo and Juliet Suite

To celebrate great New Zealand composer Gareth Farr, the APO's new Composer-in-Residence, we present the Auckland premiere of a work he considers one of his greatest: the Triple Concerto. Written for Auckland's New Zealand Trio, Farr's concerto is in turns haunting, lyrical and tempestuous. It is complemented by the evocative vignettes of Charles Ives' Three Places in New England, and the passion and power of Prokofiev's masterpiece Romeo and Juliet, one of the favourites of the repertoire.

I haven't had any Ives or Prokofiev in concert yet so this should be interesting :)


Great concert last night!

Even attended the pre-concert talk which was a first as it was a later concert than usual.

The Ives was wonderful. The whole thing threatened to blow apart during the chaotic climax of the second movement but they held it all together perfectly. Hearing/seeing this piece live was great to hear the different themes and tunes coming from different parts of the orchestra as it seemed their were literally several things happening at once. A ripple of amusement went around the audience at its conclusion.

The Farr premier was a treat. It was a 'triple concerto' performed with the NZ trio and orchestra so it was quite unique. Very dynamic at times and at others conjuring images of the sea and even some Asian themes. It received a very enthusiastic response from the rapt audience.

After the break it was a suite made up of Prokofiev's three Romeo & Juliet suites. Basically all the best bits made for an exciting musical ride; at the crashing conclusion to The Death of Tybalt there was a brief ripple of applause to which the conductor looked to the audience and said 'its good eh?!'

Another wonderful evening of classical art music :)
'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte