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

[Pat B]

I see that Andreas Staier is coming to Osaka next week to play some Mozart. Perhaps I shouldn't miss this opportunity!

I expect a full report!

[TheGSMoeller]

Tomorrow night at London's Southbank:

Penderecki Violin Concerto No.1
Górecki Symphony No.3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Michal Dworzynski conductor
Barnabas Kelemen violin
Allison Bell soprano

Another from the yearlong The Rest is Noise festival, although (like many of these concerts) the programme is not that unusual for here.

That's a nice program, the Górecki is on my list of pieces I need to see live at some point. Hope it's a good one, Soapy.

[jlaurson]

Upcoming these next few weeks for me:

Angelika Kirchschlager & Konstantin Wecker
"Die Begegnung" - a concept art evening, with every chance of being dreadful... but thanks to Kirchschlager also a reasonable chance of being delightful.

DREADFUL it was! Oh, boy.

Hugo Wolf Quartett et al.
LvB op. 131
Julia Purgina: Streichquartett (Premiere)
Richard Wagner: Vorspiel zu Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder for String Sextet & Soprano


Liederabend Keenlyside
Schoenberg, Eisler, Britten
Strauss, Schubert, Brahms


Fischer Ivan, Budapest FO
Mahler 9


Sokolov Recital
Schubert / Chopin

Unfortunately that's not happening.


Quatuor Mosaïques
Boccherini, Mozart, Dvorak


Ullmann: Der Kaiser von Atlantis


Olivier Vernier, Organ Recital


Vienna Piano Trio
Casella, Mozart, Torres

[Brian]

Fischer Ivan, Budapest FO
Mahler 9


Sokolov Recital
Schubert / Chopin


Quatuor Mosaïques
Boccherini, Mozart, Dvorak


Ullmann: Der Kaiser von Atlantis

Show-off

[Karl Henning]

Bruckner 9 at Symphony Hall in January

[Brahmsian]

Bruckner 9 at Symphony Hall in January

*pounds the table!

Bruckner 8, along with Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 2, in February.  Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

[Cato]

Bruckner 9 at Symphony Hall in January

Will it have the completed final movement by Team Samale?  I am wondering if the tradition to use only the first 3 movements will continue.

[Karl Henning]

I suspect just the three authentic movements, judging by Steve Ledbetter's notes:

[North Star]

Next Wednesday:
Johannes Gustavsson & Oulu SO
Michael Weinius, tenor
Jukka Harju, horn

Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, KV 525
Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Mozart: Gran Partita in Bb major, KV 361

[TheGSMoeller]

Next Wednesday:
Johannes Gustavsson & Oulu SO
Michael Weinius, tenor
Jukka Harju, horn

Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, KV 525
Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Mozart: Gran Partita in Bb major, KV 361

An effing brilliant concert! Enjoy! 

[North Star]

An effing brilliant concert! Enjoy! 

Thanks - my thoughts exactly

[toledobass]

Going to see the National Symphony tomorrow.  Eschenbach conducting Brahms 1 and Nurit Bar-Josef (the concertmaster) playing Mozart 4.  Zauberflote for the opener. 

For various reasons, first live classical music I've seen in a long time.  I know it seems like a stogy program, but I'm really looking forward to it! I hope it gets played well.

A

[toledobass]

Well,  I enjoyed going to the concert and listening to the orchestra, but was not convinced at all by Eschenbach's interpretation.  I find that the orchestra is a much better ensemble than I previously thought.  I also found the hall to be worse than I thought. 

I couldn't connect at all to the Zauberflote overture.  First chords were unsturdy, fuzzy and lacking direction.  That encapsulated the whole performance of the overture...too contained and somehow lacking propulsion. Throughout, the bass notes while played well in time and never dragging anything down also never did anything to point the direction of the phrase or act as the motor of the ensemble.  Overall it really lacked the exuberance and spirit that I'm used to hearing in Mozart performances.

I enjoyed Bar-Josef's playing very much.  Very welcoming, even tone to listen to along with super tight intonation, thought sometimes too much vibrato.  A pleasing, clean interpretation and a beautiful bow arm to watch.  The Mozart came off well. 

Brahms was strange.  Again during the intro, I couldn't help but feel the whole thing seemed contained.  The orchestra played with a nice round tone,  but never seemed to let that sound blossom or even hush to a whisper, or go beyond a big beautiful sound into something a little raw sounding.  At least in dynamic it did open up as the piece moved along, increasing my enjoyment while a few sloppy entrances detracted. 

The interpretation and general thoughts on sound production seemed an almost Brucknarian line of though applied to a Brahms symphony, which didn't work for me.  Sometimes Eschenbach's tempi become so slow that the line loses all tension, which became frustrating.   The general focus on clean pristine tone, while losing some of the drama of what is happening rhythmically underlying the melody was frustrating for me.  Nice playing by the brass,  timpani,  first oboe and clarinet as well as Bar-Josef again. 

I'm glad to hear the level of the orchestra, and while it's the first Eschenbach performance I've attended and I don't know much of what Eschenbach has recorded, I left the hall scratching my head.   

A

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I'm glad to hear the level of the orchestra, and while it's the first Eschenbach performance I've attended and I don't know much of what Eschenbach has recorded, I left the hall scratching my head.   

I don't know what's the problem with Eschenbach lately. I heard him lead many good performances at Ravinia in the 90s, but in recent years he's been getting some of the most devastating reviews of any conductor I know of. See this, for example:

http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/12/back-in-washington-christoph-eschenbach-is-hit-by-sour-acidulous-review.html

[Mirror Image]

I don't know what's the problem with Eschenbach lately. I heard him lead many good performances at Ravinia in the 90s, but in recent years he's been getting some of the most devastating reviews of any conductor I know of. See this, for example:

http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/12/back-in-washington-christoph-eschenbach-is-hit-by-sour-acidulous-review.html

Eschenbach is a fine conductor and I think there's some animosity towards him for no good reason, especially here in the US. Whatever these reviewers problems may be, it must be said that these kinds of things must be taken with a grain of salt. This said, all conductors and musicians alike have off-nights.

[toledobass]

I don't know what's the problem with Eschenbach lately. I heard him lead many good performances at Ravinia in the 90s, but in recent years he's been getting some of the most devastating reviews of any conductor I know of. See this, for example:

http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/12/back-in-washington-christoph-eschenbach-is-hit-by-sour-acidulous-review.html

Whoa...booed?  I don't find it even close to offensive. I just didn't find it worked all that well. I agree with a lot of the reviewer is saying for Eschenbach, especially about the program feeling all the same.  I think that is what I mean by it all feeling 'contained'.  Though I thought the concerto was played well enough to be very enjoyable and pleasurable to listen to, if not astounding and also didn't think anything in the program was bombastic or 'sound and the fury' in the least.   Different night though.

Thanks for posting that.
A

[springrite]

Eschenbach is a fine conductor and I think there's some animosity towards him for no good reason, especially here in the US. Whatever these reviewers problems may be, it must be said that these kinds of things must be taken with a grain of salt.

Well, for me he has mostly been hit and miss. Fine conductor of course, but not what you would call "reliable" in the sense that you know he'd deliver a performance you'd enjoy most times. However, he has never been boring for me. Scratchy my head sometimes? Definitely. I do not count that against him though. But I can see where much of the criticism is coming from and I can certainly understand and even sympathise.

[toledobass]

I still can't get over that he's getting booed.  crazy.

[Mirror Image]

Well, for me he has mostly been hit and miss. Fine conductor of course, but not what you would call "reliable" in the sense that you know he'd deliver a performance you'd enjoy most times. However, he has never been boring for me. Scratchy my head sometimes? Definitely. I do not count that against him though. But I can see where much of the criticism is coming from and I can certainly understand and even sympathise.

All conductors are hit and miss, because there's not one conductor who is always 'on' or completely inspired. It's like me with the guitar, for example, one day I'm playing well and then the next day I can't seem to do anything right. Music performance is such a mysterious thing.

[springrite]

All conductors are hit and miss, because there's not one conductor who is always 'on' or completely inspired. It's like me with the guitar, for example, one day I'm playing well and then the next day I can't seem to do anything right. Music performance is such a mysterious thing.

You are far more a hit and miss proposition than Esa-Pekka Salonen, I'd reckon.

I know what you are trying to say, but I'd appreciate it if you'd also give due consideration of what other people are saying. No one ever said that any conductor is a hit every time. We are not that far apart but when you see someone's position is different from yours somewhat, you always make it seems to be miles apart and almost confrontational. There really is no need for that.