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

[Brian]

I've just received word that Janacek's Glagolitic Mass will be performed at the Arizona MusicFest 2015, in mid-February. It will be on a Sunday afternoon, but dates aren't set in stone. The chorister who told me says that her ensemble actually has already been trained to sing in Old Church Slavonic.

[bhodges]

Tonight and tomorrow, part of Carnegie Hall's massive Vienna celebration:

Berg: Wozzeck (in concert) - Wiener Staatsoper
R. Strauss: Salome (in concert) - Wiener Staatsoper

--Bruce

[TheGSMoeller]

Tonight and tomorrow, part of Carnegie Hall's massive Vienna celebration:

Berg: Wozzeck (in concert) - Wiener Staatsoper
R. Strauss: Salome (in concert) - Wiener Staatsoper

--Bruce

That is massive indeed, spectacularly massive.
drool...

[Karl Henning]

Our Bruce in a state of bliss . . . .

[bhodges]

That is massive indeed, spectacularly massive.
drool...

Our Bruce in a state of bliss . . . .

I cannot tell a lie: MUCH looking forward to both. 

PS, in tonight's concert, Matthias Goerne is Wozzeck and Franz Welser-Möst is conducting. Tomorrow night Andris Nelsons is the conductor, with Gun-Brit Barkmin (new to me) as Salome.

--Bruce

[ritter]

On March 15th, pianist-composer Michaël Levinas will be giving a recital here in Madrid, with the following program:

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata n. 2 op. 2
Sonata n. 4 op. 7

Michaël Levinas
Études

Tristan Murail
Territoire de l'oubli

...

Levinas appaently has changed the first part of his program to this:

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Sonata Nr. 14 in C-sharp minor, op. 27 Nr. 2
Sonata Nr. 32 in C minor, op. 111

Even better! 

[Pat B]

I saw some of the Menuhin Competition last week. I saw juniors -- 12-15 year olds. Very high level of playing both technically and musically. Surprisingly so on the latter.

[NJ Joe]

Zappa Plays Zappa, in about 1 hour.

[Karl Henning]

Saw that show in New Bedford a summer or two ago; cracking!

[NJ Joe]

Saw that show in New Bedford a summer or two ago; cracking!

They played, among other things, the album Roxy and Elsewhere in it's entirety.  Outstanding.

[listener]

http://issuu.com/vancouversymphony/docs/vso_brochure1415_high
Vancouver Symphony next season
Not much that we haven't heard before.  There's undoubtedly a talent search for a Tovey's replacement so a lot of young 'uns for guest conductors and soloists (keeping the budget in line).  Like a lot of other orchestras some first desks doing concertos (Bartok vn1, Elgar cello).
Frübeck de Burgos doing Haydn and Berlioz Fantastique. other programs include Britten War Requiem, Candide, Mahler 5 and Buckner 4.

[jut1972]

Off to see a the Royal Philharmonic with John Lill do the Egmont,  Emperor and Eroica next week.
And then in October she who must be praised has got me tickets for Dohnanyi conducting Beethoven's 5th.



As a newbie to classical concert going I'm really looking forward to this.   I'm listening to Dohnanyi conducting the 5th now and it's good stuff.

[listener]

 Unexplained replacement for John Storgårds  is Perry So ( not the cellist), conductor for this weekend Vancouver Symphony
Dorothy CHANG Strange Air
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor with Louis Lortie - usually plays a Fazioli instead of the house Steinway
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E minor

[TheGSMoeller]

March 15th

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles - Conductors

WAGNER: "Liebestod" from Tristan and Isolde
RAVEL: La valse
STRAVINSKY: The Rite of Spring

Both Spano and Runnicles are listed as conductor and pianists, it will be interesting to see how this is executed. I am hoping that Runnicles is conducting the Stravinsky, either way is fine though as the ASO should shine with this program.

Tonight is the night for this, and I just read the structure of the concert. Both Spano and Runnicles will be performing the piano transcriptions of the Ravel and Stravinsky works, followed by their full orchestral versions performed by the ASO. The article I read didn't mention the Wagner so perhaps that was scrapped.
Anyway, this will be a first for me, and possibly for most of the concert goers this evening, in seeing this unusual program. I have seen La Valse performed live before but not Rite of Spring, not stoked about my seats, lower orchestra, which will be nice for the piano performances but prefer a higher seating for orchestral pieces, but had to switch my subscription tickets at last moment so took what was available.
I'm wondering if this means there will be two riots this evening? 

[North Star]

Very cool, Greg!


Tomorrow: Beethoven Sonatas for piano & violin, op. 30/3, op. 47 & op. 96

Wendy Chen pno
Elina Vähälä vln

Paavali Jumppanen pno
Jaakko Kuusisto vln

[TheGSMoeller]

Tonight is the night for this, and I just read the structure of the concert. Both Spano and Runnicles will be performing the piano transcriptions of the Ravel and Stravinsky works, followed by their full orchestral versions performed by the ASO. The article I read didn't mention the Wagner so perhaps that was scrapped.
Anyway, this will be a first for me, and possibly for most of the concert goers this evening, in seeing this unusual program. I have seen La Valse performed live before but not Rite of Spring, not stoked about my seats, lower orchestra, which will be nice for the piano performances but prefer a higher seating for orchestral pieces, but had to switch my subscription tickets at last moment so took what was available.
I'm wondering if this means there will be two riots this evening? 

An incredibly fulfilling experience.
The night began with a touching tribute of one the ASO bassists who just recently passed away. The orchestra performed Nimrod by Elgar and asked the audience in lieu of applause to hold a moment of silence when the music had finished. The ASO performed a similar classy move earlier in year with the passing of another orchestra member, playing a piece by Bach in tribute.
Then came Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde with Runnicles conducting the ASO. This was followed by two pianos ascending from a mechanical rise beneath the stage with Spano and Runnicles meeting at them. With microphones in hand, both Spano and Runnicles said brief words about their past and present collaborations together with the ASO, as this being Runnicles first appearance in Atlanta this year. They then began to explain the concept of the program, the relationship between the orchestra and piano transcriptions. I'm not normally into conductors speaking during concerts as this is what pre-concert discussions are good for. But these two know each other well and made a great duo both in conversation and playing. They performed a dynamite version of Ravel's La Valse for 2 pianos followed by an equally thrilling account from the ASO. I must say, the piano version was more exciting to watch, and this is coming from a brass player!
The second half of the concert focused on The Rite of Spring. Again the pianos were out, and the two conductors discussed the piece and its history. But this time only played a condensed version of the piano score, all from the first part,Adoration of the Earth. Spano then conducted the ASO in Stravinsky's riot-inducing ballet, although the only riot tonight was in the form of applause from the very energetic crowd. All amazingly played, from both the orchestra and pianists.
Truly an evening to remember, a nice collection of genres with a little history.

[ritter]

Levinas apparently has changed the first part of his program to this:

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Sonata Nr. 14 in C-sharp minor, op. 27 Nr. 2
Sonata Nr. 32 in C minor, op. 111

Even better! 

Levinas recital last Saturday here in Madrid was extraordinary...what a great musician! The program was demanding, both for the performer as for the audience: the two Beethoven sonatas mentioned above, plus Levinas's own Three Études and Tristan Murail's Térritoires de l'oubli (a work dedicated to, and first performed by, Levinas some 35 years ago).

The miraculous progression from the initial adagio to the concluding presto of the Beethoven PS Nr. 14 ("Mondschein") was performed with virtuosity and poetry. As fro the Sonata Nr. 32 (what an astonishing work!--it never ceases to surprise me  ) , Levinas stressed the modern aspects of the music (those proto-jazzy sections in the second movement). I'm very much a layman in this territory, but the impressions I got of Levinas's' Beethoven from his recordings was confirmed by this live experience. I think his playing is rather intriguing: he seems to favor a very incisive, percussive attack to the music, but also uses the pedal very generously. The result is a sound that is simultaneously very penetrating but full of reverberation. In any case, very convincing.

His Études require all sorts of "unorthodox" techniques: direct plucking (or dampening) of the strings, clusters with the palm of the hand, etc., and are very interesting. Although they require extreme virtuosity, they also transmit a sense of haunting and serene beauty. Murail's Territores is a lengthy (but never tiresome) work, imbued of impressionistic soundscape, and with a very French attention to timbre. Quite enjoyable.

Warm applause by the full hall (admission was free). At the end, I got the chance to thank Levinas for his performance, and he is a very nice and polite person (he also signed my copy of his album Double Face that covers his artistry both as pianist and as composer).



A great evening! 

[ritter]

An incredibly fulfilling experience.
The night began with a touching tribute of one the ASO bassists who just recently passed away. The orchestra performed Nimrod by Elgar and asked the audience in lieu of applause to hold a moment of silence when the music had finished. The ASO performed a similar classy move earlier in year with the passing of another orchestra member, playing a piece by Bach in tribute.
Then came Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde with Runnicles conducting the ASO. This was followed by two pianos ascending from a mechanical rise beneath the stage with Spano and Runnicles meeting at them. With microphones in hand, both Spano and Runnicles said brief words about their past and present collaborations together with the ASO, as this being Runnicles first appearance in Atlanta this year. They then began to explain the concept of the program, the relationship between the orchestra and piano transcriptions. I'm not normally into conductors speaking during concerts as this is what pre-concert discussions are good for. But these two know each other well and made a great duo both in conversation and playing. They performed a dynamite version of Ravel's La Valse for 2 pianos followed by an equally thrilling account from the ASO. I must say, the piano version was more exciting to watch, and this is coming from a brass player!
The second half of the concert focused on The Rite of Spring. Again the pianos were out, and the two conductors discussed the piece and its history. But this time only played a condensed version of the piano score, all from the first part,Adoration of the Earth. Spano then conducted the ASO in Stravinsky's riot-inducing ballet, although the only riot tonight was in the form of applause from the very energetic crowd. All amazingly played, from both the orchestra and pianists.
Truly an evening to remember, a nice collection of genres with a little history.

Sounds like a great evening, GSMoeller!  Having La Valse in the two piano and  orchestral versions back-to-back must have been fantastic. It's one of the few works I know that are just as good in both incarnations!

[HIPster]

Sunday, March 23, 2014 

ARTEK and Les Sacqueboutiers : "The Missing Link - A Celebration of Johan Rosenmuller"

Between Monteverdi and Bach lies an entire repertoire of glorious sacred music.  Johan Rosenmüller (1619-1684) was equally a genius, and was one of the most important links between the early and later baroque styles.  ARTEK, Les Sacqueboutiers, and violinist Enrico Gatti feature several of Rosenmüller's outstanding solo cantatas for alto or soprano, along with virtuoso instrumental music by Biber, Schmelzer, and Weckmann.  This concert is a celebration of the flowering of German baroque in the second half of the 17th century.


http://sdems.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=590519

[ritter]

Off to La Coruña in northwest Spain to see the venerable Stanisław Skrowaczewski conduct the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia in the Emperor concerto and Bruckner's Fourth tomorrow night