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

[JerryS]

Tonight with the San Antonio Symphony:

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 with Olga Scheps
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7

It's rare we get to hear ANY Bruckner in this area, but there will be an opportunity to hear the 5th Symphony on June 23 as part of the Round Top Summer Music Festival.

The Liszt Concerto closes out a season which offered five Liszt works, in observance of the Liszt bicentennial.

[Lisztianwagner]

On the German Radio BR-Klassik:

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No.5 "Emperor"

Béla Bartók
Concerto for Orchestra

Pianist: Hélène Grimaud
Andris Nelsons & Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Recorded on 22 April 2012 at the Musikvereinssaal, Vienna

[Karl Henning]

Tomorrow night at the DiMenna Center:

Pocket Opera of New York
Paul Peers, production
Carrie Hennessey, soprano
Alan Hamilton, piano

Poulenc: La voix humaine

Bruce, did you by any chance hear the Houston Symphony in Carnegie Hall playing the Shostakovich Eleventh yesterday?  I caught just a bit of it at random in the car radio (and I impressed my mom-in-law by recognizing it just from the muted trumpet duet in the first movement), and it sounded fantastic.  The sort of performance which, if I were in the audience, would probably make it my favorite Shostakovich symphony, at least for a month.

[bhodges]

Bruce, did you by any chance hear the Houston Symphony in Carnegie Hall playing the Shostakovich Eleventh yesterday?  I caught just a bit of it at random in the car radio (and I impressed my mom-in-law by recognizing it just from the muted trumpet duet in the first movement), and it sounded fantastic.  The sort of performance which, if I were in the audience, would probably make it my favorite Shostakovich symphony, at least for a month.

Hi Karl, I did indeed hear the concert--early last month! (You must have heard a rebroadcast.) It was excellent; here is my review. Most people I talked with thought the ensemble sounded excellent--although slightly more bite in the playing would have been welcome. But otherwise, few complaints. Glad you caught it!

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Tonight at Park Avenue Christian Church:

The Crossing
Donald Nally, Director

Lewis Spratlan: Hesperus is Phosphorus (New York premiere)

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Tonight at Eyebeam:

Eli Keszler: L-Carrier (2012)

http://www.issueprojectroom.org/2012/05/10/l-carrier-a-work-by-eli-keszler/

The music will be streamed here:

http://turbulence.org/Works/l-carrier/

From the press release:

Keszler's installations employ piano wires of varying lengths; these are struck, scraped, and vibrated by microprocessor-controlled motorized arms, giving rise to harmonically complex tones that are percussive yet resonant. These installations are heard on their own and with accompanying ensemble scores. Said Keszler in a NPR All Songs Considered interview, "I like to work with raw material, like simple sounds, primitive or very old sounds; sounds that won't get dated in any way. I was thinking of ways I could use strings or acoustic material without using pedals or pre-recordings, so the live aspects appealed to me." In addition, the patterns formed by the overlapping piano wires allow Keszler to create visual components that relate directly to the music, without having to use projections or other electronic equipment.

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Tonight and tomorrow, another world premiere by that seemingly tireless 103-year-old, Elliott Carter.

New York Philharmonic
David Robertson, conductor

Elliott Carter: Two Controversies and a Conversation (World Premiere)
Michael Jarrell: NACHLESE Vb: Liederzyklus (U.S. Premiere)
Pierre Boulez: ..explosante-fixe... 

--Bruce

[Papy Oli]

Start of my Snape musical holiday week (8 concerts in the next 9 days) tomorrow evening with :

Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Peter Serkin piano
Oliver Knussen conductor

Charles Ives (1874–1954)
Washington's Birthday (1909)

Alexander Goehr (b.1932) (replacing a Knussen new work initially planned)
Marching to Carcassonne, serenade for piano and chamber orchestra, Op.74a (2002, rev. 2005)
March
Introduction (attacca)
Invention
Chaconne
March (attacca)
Night (attacca)
Burlesque
March (segue)
... marching to Carcassonne. Labyrinth

INTERVAL

Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
Movements, for piano and orchestra (1958–9)

Alban Berg (1885–1935)

Three Movements, from Lyric Suite (1925–6, arr. Berg 1928)
Andante amoroso
Allegro misterioso — Trio estatico
Adagio appassionato


All unknown to me 

[Papy Oli]

Just back from Snape. I was ready to be surprised but, to put it nicely, that was just a painful mindfuck. I have no idea what went on in any of the pieces. I can't even think of a single moment that I enjoyed. It all sounded like dissonant unrelated clusters of 3-4 notes glued randomly together....all the way through.

Knussen and the orchestra got an ovation at the end of the Berg and then an award was handed to him by some critics' association for his outstanding contribution to music... It is only reflection on me then  ... oh well, I did try  0:)  What's not re-assuring is that I have more of the Goehr / Knussen / Serkin combination in the first half of the concert tomorrow :

--------------------
Sunday 10 June 2012
Aldeburgh Festival

Peter Serkin piano

Oliver Knussen (b.1952)
Variations (1989)

Alexander Goehr (b.1932)
from Symmetry Disorders Reach, Op.73 (2002):
12. Air
13. Air (Double)

Charles Wuorinen (b.1938)
Adagio (2011)

Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996)
For Away (1973)

Knussen
Prayer Bell Sketch (1997)

INTERVAL

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Thirty-three Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op.120 (1819–23)



All maiden works again. Hopefully it will fare better than tonight.... 

[madaboutmahler]

Hope that you enjoy it slightly more this time, Oli!

Particularly excited about the concert I am seeing tonight:

Gabriel Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Op.80
Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand
Claude Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Claude Debussy: La mer

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Simon Rattle conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano

Excellent programme, and am very excited to see Rattle! (I am also seeing him next month as well, but with the BPO ) Will be very interesting to see how this particular orchestra handles impressionist music...

[Papy Oli]

just got a call from Aldeburgh Music advising that Matthias Goerne had to withdraw from the concert at Snape on Tuesday due to illness (he was due to sing some Lieder by Brahms, LvB, Schubert with Pierre-Laurent Aimard). What a bummer 

They'll be replaced by Florian Boesch (baritone) and Justus Zeyen (piano) (any good ?  ) for some Lieder by Loewe and Schubert, and to my delight, "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" by  Uncle Gustav.

[jlaurson]

Ionarts-at-Large: Magic Salonen. Also Brahms, Schumann



http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/06/ionarts-at-large-magic-salonen-also.html

[Sergeant Rock]

Ionarts-at-Large: Magic Salonen. Also Brahms, Schumann

Great review, Jens. You made me want to hear the Salonen work, and had me chuckling:

"Nyx is a great, great work.... It's music that grabs you by the lapels... possibly lower."



Sarge

[madaboutmahler]

Hope that you enjoy it slightly more this time, Oli!

Particularly excited about the concert I am seeing tonight:

Gabriel Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Op.80
Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand
Claude Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Claude Debussy: La mer

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Simon Rattle conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano

Excellent programme, and am very excited to see Rattle! (I am also seeing him next month as well, but with the BPO ) Will be very interesting to see how this particular orchestra handles impressionist music...

Was an absolutely beautiful concert. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment actually adapted well to the impressionist colours and provided a superb performance. I really enjoyed all the performances, Rattle is just so amazing...! Such a great conductor, I was seated at the choir seats, so had a perfect view of him, his connection with the orchestra really is exceptional. Really excited to see him again, conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker this summer!

A beautiful evening!

[Papy Oli]

--------------------
Sunday 10 June 2012
Aldeburgh Festival

Peter Serkin piano

Oliver Knussen (b.1952)
Variations (1989)

Alexander Goehr (b.1932)
from Symmetry Disorders Reach, Op.73 (2002):
12. Air
13. Air (Double)

Charles Wuorinen (b.1938)
Adagio (2011)

Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996)
For Away (1973)

Knussen
Prayer Bell Sketch (1997)

INTERVAL

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Thirty-three Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op.120 (1819–23)

I can't say I enjoyed that one either    All the works in the first half were too damn right bizarre (with the exception of the Goehr who sounded to me a bit like some Fauré, and that was soothing  in itself). The Diabelli had too much of hammering and banging on the piano for me to appreciate - listening to other samples of the Diabelli on Amazon right now, I get the same feeling - so it is not down to Serkin's approach.

Oh well, at least the chocolate ice cream eaten at the interval under a slight drizzle of rain in a murky June evening reminded that those English summer evenings are worth living 

[bhodges]

June 29-30 at the Park Avenue Armory, works for multiple ensembles. This is one of Gilbert's most brilliantly devised programs yet.

New York Philharmonic
Alan Gilbert, conductor
Magnus Lindberg, conductor
Matthias Pintscher, conductor

Boulez: Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna 
Mozart: Finale of Act I from Don Giovanni
Stockhausen: Gruppen 
Ives: The Unanswered Question

--Bruce

[Papy Oli]

Florian Boesch baritone
Justus Zeyen piano

Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869)
Erlkönig
Tom der Reimer
Herr Oluf

Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Hoffnung D295
Der Wanderer an den Mond D870

Loewe
Süsses Begräbnis
Wanderers Nachtlied I (Uber allen Gipfeln ist Ruh)
Wanderers Nachtlied II (Der du von dem Himmel bist)

Schubert
Der Kreuzzug D932
An den Mond D259 (Füllest wieder Busch und Tal)

Loewe
Der Pilgrim vor St Just
Edward

INTERVAL

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Gesänge des harfners 1.2.3

Gustav Mahler (1856 - 1910)
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen:
Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
Ging' heut morgen übers Feld
Ich hab ein glühend Messer
Die zwei blauen Augen

This one was a great evening. Beautiful singing and a great discovery with Loewe's Lieder. I will definitely explore this one further. The Gesellen was spot on and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Then an unexpected gem of an encore with "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" which they took really slowly and superbly. One of the rare times where I didn't hear any coughs or squeaky seats in the Concert Hall. Time really stood still. Some might report that a big fella in seat ZF22 was all choked up and tearful by then  0:)

[Papy Oli]

This evening :

Collegium Vocale Gent - Philippe Herreweghe director

Gesualdo - Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday and Holy Saturday; Benedictus; Miserere Mei

Looking forward to that one 

[bhodges]

This evening :

Collegium Vocale Gent - Philippe Herreweghe director

Gesualdo - Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday and Holy Saturday; Benedictus; Miserere Mei

Looking forward to that one 

I just heard this group for the first time (live) last year - wow.  They should be fantastic in Gesualdo.

--Bruce

[Karl Henning]

And exquisite rep!