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

[Karl Henning]

The Happening is not dead!

[Mirror Image]

Salvatore Sciarrino: Il Cerchio Tagliato dei Suoni for 104 flutes (U.S. premiere)

--Bruce

How gimmicky. Like Ligeti's Poème symphonique.

[Karl Henning]

There is nothing gimmicky about it.  This orchestration produces a unique sound and was needed in order for Sciarrino to achieve the effect he was going for.

And the spatial effect.

[bhodges]

Just found a little bit more about the evening via Zara Lawler, the flutist who is coordinating the event. Apparently the flute parts for the "migranti" (those wandering around) are playable by "advanced beginners."

http://zaralawler.com/2011/sciarrino-at-the-guggenheim

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Tonight at Avery Fisher Hall:

Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Philharmonia Orchestra

Berg: Wozzeck (concert performance)

Just like the Mahler Ninth on Sunday afternoon, this Wozzeck was very transparent, and impressive in its "stone-faced-ness" - quite different from the more sensual version James Levine has done at the Met in recent years. Simon Keenlyside and Angela Denoke led an excellent cast, with even the small roles well done. They should consider releasing a recording.

--Bruce

[listener]

Schubert's "Unfinished" doesn't thrill me much, having heard Horenstein do it with Bruckner 5  and that Mozart  aria for soprano, piano (a young Brendel) and orch. but this ticket was given so I will go, and the partner will be Bruckner 7
Mark Wigglesworth guest conducting the Vancouver S.O. Dec. 10th.  Nothing else listed on the program.  Bruckner live impresses me a lot more than any recordings.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Tomorrow night at the Arnold Schoenberg Center, Vienna:

Cool  I visited the Schoenberg Center in January (thanks for the directions), chatted with the manager, looked at the displays and bought 2 Arnold Schoenberg T-shirts. No concerts though.

[Lisztianwagner]

Tomorrow night at the Arnold Schoenberg Center, Vienna:

Schoenberg String quartet No.3 op.30
Otto Schneider String quartet No.5 op.55
Hanns Eisler String quartet op.75

played by the Aron Quartett

A concert in Vienna, I'm really jealous! The programme looks nice, enjoy it!

[Karl Henning]

A cool program, indeed.

[bhodges]

This Sunday at Carnegie...really looking forward to the Met's concertmaster in the Gubaidulina.

The MET Orchestra
Fabio Luisi, Principal Conductor
David Chan, Violin
Yefim Bronfman, Piano

Gubaidulina: In tempus praesens
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor"
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1945 version)

--Bruce

[bhodges]

This Sunday at Carnegie...really looking forward to the Met's concertmaster in the Gubaidulina.

The MET Orchestra
Fabio Luisi, Principal Conductor
David Chan, Violin
Yefim Bronfman, Piano

Gubaidulina: In tempus praesens
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor"
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1945 version)

--Bruce

This concert last Sunday was terrific - all of it - and even if the Beethoven concerto is a bit overplayed around here, Bronfman did a beautiful job with it. The Gubaidulina was sensational - if anything, even better than when Anne-Sophie Mutter did it last year. And as much as I've heard the Stravinsky in the last few years, Fabio Luisi still coaxed something special out of it.

Tonight at Miller Theatre:

International Contemporary Ensemble
Cory Smythe, piano
Jayce Ogren, conductor

Olga Neuwirth: "...ce qui arrive..." for two instrumental groups, samples and live electronics (2003-04, New York premiere)
Olga Neuwirth: locus...doublure...solus for piano and ensemble (2001)

--Bruce

[SonicMan46]

Well, not a classical music concert, BUT kind of classical period music from the 1950s, I guess! 

Susan & I will be traveling to Durham today and will see the Saturday matinee of the show below - national touring troupe, so except a good show and some excellent performances - several years ago, we were in Memphis, TN and visited Sun Studios (great tour there), so we should be in the moment! 

[madaboutmahler]

The previous week (and a bit) has certainly been very busy with rehearsals and concerts!

Last Saturday was the orchestra concert at the Academy, in which I got the wonderful pleasure of seeing my friends performing Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, Bizet's Carmen Suites, and Tchaikovsky's 2nd symphony. It was fantastic! What a great piece Tchaikovsky 2 is!

On Friday, we had our Watford Youth Orchestra concert, in which we performed Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture, Copland's Hoedown from Rodeo, Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre and Brahms' Haydn Variations, and finishing off with a Christmas encore of 'Sleigh Ride' in which I got to play the whip part We will be doing Shosty 5 and maybe the Planets next!

And, on Wednesday through to Saturday, we had our school production of 'Guys and Dolls', in which I played the cello. Some of the greatest fun I have ever had, loved it so so so so much and am missing it a lot now! Was so amazing!

School Christmas concert coming up now!

[Brahmsian]

Schubert's "Unfinished" doesn't thrill me much, having heard Horenstein do it with Bruckner 5  and that Mozart  aria for soprano, piano (a young Brendel) and orch. but this ticket was given so I will go, and the partner will be Bruckner 7
Mark Wigglesworth guest conducting the Vancouver S.O. Dec. 10th.  Nothing else listed on the program.  Bruckner live impresses me a lot more than any recordings.

Listener, I hope you enjoy the concert this evening.  Hearing Bruckner's 7th performed live was an unbelievable, unforgettable experience. 

[listener]

Listener, I hope you enjoy the concert this evening.  Hearing Bruckner's 7th performed live was an unbelievable, unforgettable experience. 

Terrific, with the 4 Wagner tubas (otherwise a very restrained orchestration: only 2 each of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon for woodwinds).  Wigglesworth used the later version with the cymbal and triangle (used only at one point in the entire work) and the full horn section at the ending of the Adagio.  Very, very nice dynamics and tempos.    And similar comments for the Schubert which felt a little quicker than usual but beautifully phrased, almost like Mendelsohn.  He's noted for his Wagner, might have done some extra coaching of the brass section.

[bhodges]

Last night, another party at Carnegie Hall, courtesy Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. The whole program was excellent, but the Revueltas sort of brought down the house. And they did three encores - didn't recognize the first two, but the third was the "Mambo" from West Side Story.

Chávez: Sinfonía india
Orbón: Tres versiones sinfónicas
Revueltas: La noche de los Mayas

Tonight's program is has even more rarities:

Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director and Conductor
Idwer Álvarez, Tenor
Gaspar Colón, Baritone
Westminster Symphonic Choir
Joe Miller, Conductor

Esteban Benzecry: "Chaac" ("Maya Water God") from Rituales Amerindios
Villa-Lobos: Chôros No. 10
Estévez: Cantata criolla

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Just found out that the Monday concert with Dudamel and the SBSOV is available on WQXR online, here.

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Tonight's program is has even more rarities:

Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director and Conductor
Idwer Álvarez, Tenor
Gaspar Colón, Baritone
Westminster Symphonic Choir
Joe Miller, Conductor

Esteban Benzecry: "Chaac" ("Maya Water God") from Rituales Amerindios
Villa-Lobos: Chôros No. 10
Estévez: Cantata criolla

--Bruce

Enjoyed the first half of this program immensely - the second half, not so much. Benzecry's piece, written in 2008, has many fascinating sound effects depicting water. The Villa-Lobos used an enormous choir of around 150 people, which combined with the orchestra made almost 350 people onstage - very impressive. But the Cantata (1954) is very heartfelt but somehow seems a bit dated: a sort of Faustian story about a singing contest between a man and the Devil - had moments, just not enough of them.

--Bruce

[jlaurson]

Recent Istanbul & London impressions:




London Town: A Sibelius Lover's Frozen Dream
LSO, Leonidas Kavakos, Osmo Vänskä
Sibelius Sys. 6, 7, Violin Concerto



London Town: Too Beautiful Beethoven
Philharmonia, A.Steinbacher, David Afkham
Beethoven, Coriolan Ovt., Violin Concerto, Brahms, Sy.3



London Town: The LSO, Vengerov, and the Queen
LSO, Maxim Vengerov, Robin Ticciati
Peter Maxwell Davies, Fanfare: Her Majesty's Welcome, Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto, Elgar, Enigma Variations



Notes from Istanbul: Tricontinental Dvořák with Borusan Quartet
Borusan Quartet
Dvorak "American" Quartet, Piano Quintet



Notes from Istanbul: Brahms, Dead on Arrival
Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra
Rachmaninoff PC2, Brahms 3




Notes from Istanbul: With the Ears of an Ass
İstanbul's State Opera and Ballet
Ferit Tüzün, Midas'ýn Kulaklari



Notes from Istanbul: Saariaho World Premiere
Richard Schmoucler, K.Saariaho,
Bach, Second Partita, Ysaÿe, Second Sonata, Saariaho, Frises

[Obradovic]

Coming Sat DEC 15 in Athens Megaron the Philharmonia Orchestra/Lorin Maazel with Tchaikovsky's Pathétique and Brahms' 2nd. Those guys make for strange concert bedfellows as they didn't like the music of each other as is well known. Three weeks ago St. Petersburg PO made a triple appearance here: the first night Youri Temirkanov led the orchestra in a stirring Shostakovich 10th and in the first part Nelson Freire played immaculately Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto (despite some finger slips in the first two movements). He awarded our enthusiastic applause with a transcription (by whom?) of Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits. The 2nd concert, again with Temirkanov at the helm, opened with a delectable prokofiev Classical Symphony. Elisso Virsaladze played very warmly the Schumann Piano Concerto and a not too Czech Dvořák's 8th closed the program. The 3rd day, this time with Nikolai Alexeev conducting opened with Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto with the very talented George-Emmanouel Lazarides. I found his slow movement a little unbalanced as he slackened further the already very slow second movement but in the finale he unleashed all his powers and stunned the audience. He was very convincing in the treacherously difficult first movement too. He awarded us with a ravishing Schubert D935 No.2 Impromptu. A routinely fine Tchaikovsky 4th closed the program. Unexpected however were the encores chosen by Temirkanov always having in mind that we're talking about a Russian Orchestra (Alexeev gave us-again- the Gavotte of the Prokofiev Classical): Elgar's Nimrod and Salut d'amour! Coming JAN and here comes the King: Arcadi Volodos playing Schubert's D279/346 Sonata, Brahms' Intermezzi op.117 and Schumann's Kinderszenen and Fantasy op.17. Now that's is an event not to be missed!