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

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

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not edward

Just further proof that Milton Babbitt is the Devil incarnate.

A seriously enticing concert: please report back!
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

bhodges

Quote from: bhodges on October 26, 2007, 02:26:52 PM
On Sunday afternoon, James Levine and the MET Chamber Ensemble are doing a very interesting version of Stravinsky's Histoire du soldat.  Note the participants.  ;D

The MET Chamber Ensemble
James Levine, Artistic Director and Conductor
Judith Bettina, Soprano
Susan Narucki, Soprano
Sasha Cooke, Mezzo-Soprano
Elliott Carter, Soldier
Milton Babbitt, Devil
John Harbison, Narrator

Elliott Carter: Tempo e tempi 
John Harbison: North and South 
Milton Babbitt: The Head of the Bed 
Stravinsky: Histoire du soldat 

--Bruce

IMHO this was one of the best concerts of the year.  Susan Narucki was fantastic in the Carter song set, which I've now heard three or four times, live.  It must be one of his best works.  The Harbison set was new to me, and is also very strong, with some jazzy, bluesy elements, and Sasha Cooke has an absolutely huge voice. 

The Babbitt, sung by Judith Bettina, has never done it for me--until this performance.  It is like a steely object that stubbornly resists all efforts to penetrate it.  Its 15 stanzas (basically all stitched together without pauses for 22 minutes) seem like 15 monochrome canvases at first, until you start noticing tiny details that leap out. 

But of course, what everyone was waiting for was the Stravinsky.  John Harbison adapted the text, changing the names of the Soldier and the Devil to "Elliott" and "Milton."  It was worth the entire afternoon to see Carter turn and say to Babbitt, "You filthy, rotten scum!"  And at one point Babbitt replies, "My dodecaphonic hexachords will bring about your fall!"

The playing of the MET Chamber Ensemble was inspired: it was like hearing another 25 soloists.  David Chan, the MET Orchestra's concertmaster, was just fantastic in the Stravinsky. 

More potential good news: the concert was videotaped.  I'm trying to find out if it's going to be shown on PBS or turned into a DVD. 

--Bruce

stingo

Quote from: stingo on October 25, 2007, 06:07:19 PM
October 26-27, 2007
Verizon Hall
Schubert, Mozart, and Haydn    
   
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Stephen Hough, piano

SCHUBERT  Overture in C major "in the Italian Style"
MOZART  Piano Concerto No. 21, K. 467
MOZART  Excerpts from Ballet Music from Idomeneo
HAYDN  Symphony No. 100 ("Military")

My first subscription concert of the season. Looks to be a good one.

...and it was... a very enjoyable night out at the symphony. McGegan was very energetic, and I think that translated well to the orchestra. The Schubert which opened the program was agreeable, though it seemed very short lived. Mr. Hough gave a very good account of the Mozart concerto, with very fluid playing backed up by responsive accompaniment. I really enjoyed his solos though - I'm not sure if he played the ones usually played with the piece, but in his hands they sounded great and were interesting as well. A bonus was that they had a signing during the intermission, where Mr. Hough came out to autograph CDs. I already had his excellent Saint-Saens concerto collection, so I opted for the Hyperion Rachmaninov concerto set.

The second half was better than the first - it almost seemed like, now that the soloist had played and gone the orchestra was free to really let loose. And they did - I found the ballet excerpts from Idomeneo the most exciting and exuberantly played pieces in the program. There were hints of this in the last movement of the piano concerto, but it came out full flower in the ballet music and the Haydn symphony that followed. The Haydn of course was great - the extra percussion really made for some great listening. And of course, throughout, McGegan was hopping around on the podium like a frantic gnome making adjustments to ensure nothing went awry. The audience was enthusiastic as they offered a few callbacks to McGegan at the close of the show. I did notice that while some stood, it seemed the vast majority were still seated, but were applauding con brio, as was I.

stingo

The Philadelphia Orchestra 
Stéphane Denève,  conductor 
Vincent Dubois,  organ 

Verizon Hall

Ravel and Roussel 
 
HIGDON  blue cathedral 
POULENC  Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani 
RAVEL  Suite from Mother Goose 
ROUSSEL  Suite No. 2 from Bacchus and Ariadne

This is my next subscription concert - Nov 10th. I know I've heard the Poulenc before (by the Philadelphia Orchestra) as it was recorded and put on an Ondine CD (along with Barber's Toccata and something else). It will be great to hear it live. I'll have to dig out my Dutoit/Montreal SO recordings of the Ravel to remember what the Mother Goose was like. The Higdon I'll refresh my memory on as well from a Telarc CD (Spano/Atlanta). And I don't believe I've heard the Roussel yet, so a nice mix of old and new.

MishaK

Quote from: stingo on October 29, 2007, 02:14:50 PM
I know I've heard the Poulenc before (by the Philadelphia Orchestra) as it was recorded and put on an Ondine CD (along with Barber's Toccata and something else).

The something else would be the Saint-Saens Symphony No.3 "Organ". A fine disc, though I would have preferred the latter piece with a bit more edge and drive. Good to see Denève making some headway into the big leagues. He is one of a few young conductors I have been extremely impressed with. I first heard him several years ago conducting a performance at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duisburg. His talent was quite evident then already. He apprenticed with Solti, IIRC.

12tone.

Our (CAN) Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has 0 programs this year that look remotely interesting.

karlhenning

Quote from: 12tone. on October 29, 2007, 06:22:31 PM
Our (CAN) Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has 0 programs this year that look remotely interesting.

Don't leave us hanging!  So what are they playing?  Any All-Dittersdorf programs?  8)

karlhenning

Really looking forward to James Sommerville playing the premiere of the Carter Horn Concerto next month.

Florestan

This Friday:

Sibelius

Finlandia
Violin Concerto
Symphony no. 2


Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Jin Wang - conductor
Alexandru Tomescu - violin
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Bonehelm

Next tuesday:

THE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER

Schedule
Tuesday,6 November 2007
8 pm
English Musical Renaissance

John Ireland
The Land of the Lost Continent

William Walton
Quartet for Piano and Strings

Composer T.B.A
Songs

Edward Elgar
Quintet in A minor for Piano
and Strings, Opus 84

Someone want to tell me what to expect?

Florestan

Yesterday night a terrific night with Mr. Anthony di Bonaventura

Beethoven - Sonata in D Major (1781) (a very pleasant surprise)

Rachmaninov - Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42

Ravel - Mirroirs

The beauty and poetry of his performance amazed me. I was also particularly impressed by his modesty.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Solitary Wanderer

This next Friday:

Brentano String Quartet

Auckland performance
WHEN: Friday 16 November 2007, 7pm
WHERE: Auckland Town Hall


Programme 1

Selected & transcribed by Mark Steinberg: Renaissance works

Haydn: String Quartet in G Opus 64 No 4

Gabriela Lena Frank: world première of new work composed for the quartet

Bartók: String Quartet No 6 (1939)

Should be a good one  :)

'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

Wow, great program, and I haven't heard anyone mention Gabriela Lena Frank.  A group here in NYC called ModernWorks, run by cellist Madeleine Shapiro, has done some of her pieces and I enjoyed them a lot.  I'll be most interested in your comments!  And that Bartók... 0:)

--Bruce

Drasko

Just came in from Blandine Rannou recital at Belgrade City Hall
program was:
Jean Philippe Rameau - excerpts from Nouvelles Suites (first half of Suite in A and second part of Suite in G)
Antoine Forqueray - Suite No.5
encore: Forqueray's La Portugaise (sp?)

Very nice playing, not the most rhythmically incisive but very tender and gentle (though she was all guns blazing in L'Egiptienne and Le Jupiter) with lovely singing line, Allemande fron Rameau's suite in A was simply drop dead gorgeous.
Haven't heard her Rameau recordings for Zig-Zag, definitely will consider.

Solitary Wanderer

Quote from: bhodges on November 08, 2007, 12:05:52 PM
Wow, great program, and I haven't heard anyone mention Gabriela Lena Frank.  A group here in NYC called ModernWorks, run by cellist Madeleine Shapiro, has done some of her pieces and I enjoyed them a lot.  I'll be most interested in your comments!  And that Bartók... 0:)

--Bruce

Interesting. Thanks for that background Bruce.

I'll be sure to report back  :)
'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

Just found out I'm hearing Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela at Carnegie on Sunday afternoon.  Since tickets are about as scarce as they come, I'm very excited.  Program:

BERLIOZ: Le Carnaval romain Overture 
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21 (with Emanuel Ax)
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 
Latin American compositions and other works 

--Bruce

Lilas Pastia

Bruce, I'm quite excited too! Please report.

Is there a trill on the trumpets at the end of Carnaval Romain (a fantastic touch only a few conductors achieve properly) ?

Ole!

rubio

I wonder about these two concerts in Oslo.

First 29th of March 2008:

NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg
Christoph von Dohnanyi
Yefin Bronfman

Program:
BEETHOVEN pinao concerto no. 4
STRAVINSKY Firebird, complete

Then 16th of April 2008:

London Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Harding
Viktoria Mullova

Program:
BRITTEN Sinfonia da Requiem
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto no. 2
BRAHMS Symphony no. 2
BEETHOVEN Sonata no. 1 i F Op.5
CHOPIN Sonata
CHOPIN Pieces (Nocturne, Etude, Valse)
BRAHMS Sonata F Op.99


Should I go for these concertos? They are not very cheap, but these orchestras don't come to Oslo often.
 
"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain" Bob Marley

stingo

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Vincent Dubois, organ

HIGDON blue cathedral
POULENC Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani
RAVEL Suite from Mother Goose
ROUSSEL Suite No. 2 from Bacchus and Ariadne

Jennifer Higdon's blue cathedral is a lushly scored work (as are the other works in the program) and modernist (but tonal) sensibility. I really enjoyed the mood and setting of the piece - and the orchestra did well by it. Which is a good thing because Higdon was sitting in the audience. It's not often I get to see the composer at a concert of their own music, but I understand Higdon teaches at Curtis in Philly.

The Poulenc was exceptionally well done - Deneve's interpretation made so much sense intellectually, sensually and emotionally that I think it is the finest version of this work that I've heard. And the soloist, Vincent Dubois returned for an encore.

After intermission came two suites of ballet music from Ravel and Roussel. I think the Ravel made more of an impact in terms of the emotions it displays - sadness, longing, humor... but the Roussel was much more visceral especially in the closing.

Post concert, Jennifer Higdon was autographing CD so I bought one of her chamber music, and said that hearing blue cathedral live was great. She said it does sound different from the recording, and I said, yes, the live experience is much more exciting.

I'd not mind seeing this conductor in Philadelphia more often - it was a great concert.

pjme

#339
Last Friday I went to Amsterdam, for :

the Concertgebouw orchestra, conducted by George Benjamin

Claude Debussy : Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Paul Dukas ( orch. Geert Van Keulen) : La plainte, au loin, du faune...
Olivier Messiaen: for organ solo : two fragm. from "La nativité du seigneur"
Les enfants de dieu
dieu parmi nous
Marc - André Dalbavie : La source d'un regard ( for Messiaen) ( 2007 - premiere,with Bamberg and Philadelphia)
Olivier Messiaen: Les offrandes oubliées
Chronochromie

Benjamin -a small,stylish figure in front of the huge orchestra, conducted music he definitely loves.
Dalbavie's work (The origin of a look, or The origin of a gaze..???)is a long "threnos" , a lament or  a dirge. It sounded almost "romantic" compared to Messiaen's extravagant and extraordinary Chronochromie. The Concertgebouw shook and shimmered under the gigantic brass chords and percussion (xylophone, xylorimba,tubular bells,cymbals,large tam tam ,bass drum, glockenspiel) explosions.
The Epode - a 5 minute piece for 18 solo strings - depicting a bird concert at dawn, still manages to amaze and shock.

Organist Leo Van Doeselaar, who played the Messiaen fragments, turned the Concertgebouw organ now into a huge roaring monster - then into a whispering & crooning Harmonium....

An interesting concert, of course. It was played twice ( Thursday/Friday) for almost sold out audiences. Benjamin briefly introduced the orchestral works by Messiaen .

Peter