Martha Argerich UBS Verbier Festival

[MishaK]

That's what's so bizarre.  I haven't been to the Harris, but if its acoustics aren't so good, I don't see how they could justify such high prices, even with Argerich.  I mean, I love her, and the orchestra sounds wonderful (just based on those videos from the festival last August), but $60?  Yikes.

On the positive side, the low attendance numbers meant that for my $60 I never had to spend a moment in my assigned seat. I moved to the front row of the upper balcony for the first half and down to the seventh row of the main floor (that row being 3/4 empty) for the second half. Also, maybe due to the small audience, Dutoit managed to persuade Martha to give us two encores! That's very, very rare with her.

Question to Greta and Brian, was the Houston performance sold out?

[Brian]

(tickets starting at $60!)

That would explain the slow attendance. Jones Hall here in Houston was just about jam-packed, as Greta mentioned, perhaps because the starting price was $25. In the second half I noticed a few empty seats near the front (we were in the back of the orchestra level) but attendance generally was startling.

Which was a good thing! I agree with your thoughts on the performance, actually; the first couple minutes of the fantastique had me not so much queasy as curious, but the third movement was absolutely the highlight. This was the first time that the movement really ever "clicked" with me; the flow and general coherence were dazzling, and boy was it ever beautiful. The performance traced a gradual arc of action that I had never really understood before. Absolutely fabulous.

Will say more later - have a class to attend, regrettably...

[bhodges]

All these comments are really making me wish I could hear this concert, but I'll be at competing events the two nights they're here...   (Full disclosure: I've heard Argerich do the Prokofiev live 2-3 times, and have two recordings of her in it as well.)  Meanwhile, Marc Geelhoed has a nice write-up, too:

http://deceptivelysimple.typepad.com/simple/2007/11/argerich-reigns.html

--Bruce

[Greta]

Wow, that Chicago pricing really is weird. Can you believe our student tickets were only $12 each?! And we heard they had given away tickets to local colleges. (I know U of H got 100!) Kudos to Jones Hall on that, from what I understand they are doing financially stellar right now, so I guess they can afford it.

These factors, plus the fact some people were doing the double bill with the Houston Mozart/Berg/Zemlinsky that day, made for an almost completely full house, and equaled the young age of the audience.

Geelhoed's is a good write-up, the Verbier group definitely does have a certain "rawness" to their sound, and some sections have moments where they sound younger in tone, though the passion and putting-it-all out-there is world-class.

I really did think Dutoit did a bang-up job, he took a while to find his footing and get to making his points, but once he had the orchestra revved up they were really locked in and feeding off each other.  It was the first time I'd seen him live and my high expectations were even exceeded.

For me, it actually was, at least, the most exciting orchestral concert I've been to, because of where I live, we don't get opportunities to really see any well-known orchestras here. (Well, there is Houston, who are technically outstanding, but Hans Graf keeps them on a tight leash.) The bands around here also tend to stay stock still in their chairs, instead of physically expressing the music like the Verbier musicians, which I think adds to the involvement.

[MishaK]

I really did think Dutoit did a bang-up job, he took a while to find his footing and get to making his points, but once he had the orchestra revved up they were really locked in and feeding off each other.  It was the first time I'd seen him live and my high expectations were even exceeded.

Greta, you should come to Chicago in late March to hear Dutoit do the Planets with the CSO. There is even one "Beyond the Score" presentation of the Planets on March 30, with a presentation of the historical/cultural background of the Planets, its genesis as a musical work and some musical analysis, complete with live musical excerpts, followed by a performance of the entire work.

[Brian]

Greta, you should come to Chicago in late March to hear Dutoit do the Planets with the CSO. There is even one "Beyond the Score" presentation of the Planets on March 30, with a presentation of the historical/cultural background of the Planets, its genesis as a musical work and some musical analysis, complete with live musical excerpts, followed by a performance of the entire work.

WOW. I want to come too!

Come to think of it, Greta, didn't you mention Dutoit's Planets recording?

[MishaK]

Full report now up.

[suzyq]

Thanks for posting this review - I'm not crazy about Avery Fischer Hall.  My favorite is Alice Tully (closed for renovations) and Carnigie Hall.

I can't wait till tomorrow's performance and I do hope she shows up, and since I ordered my ticket through TDF, hope it's a good seat location.

More later.

[bhodges]

Full report now up.

Very entertaining write-up, including (or "especially"  ) the rant!  Sounds like those people definitely could use some marketing advice.  But never mind, hearing Argerich in the Prokofiev pretty much sweeps everything else away, eh!

--Bruce

[suzyq]

Just got back from the Verbier Concert.

Hope that anyone living in New York or nearby came to hear Argerich play.  She
plays with such ease and expression that for some reason the word velvet came to me.  She played one encore, I was told it was Robert Schuman's Kinderschein, the spelling is off I know, but it would have made me happy if she just kept on playing.

I could hear my father saying" that lady should have her hands insured by Lloyds of London".  Hope she returns to New York soon, so that we will again have the priviledge of hearing her play.

[MishaK]

She played one encore, I was told it was Robert Schuman's Kinderschein, the spelling is off I know, but it would have made me happy if she just kept on playing.

Kinderszenen, probably, i.e. scenes of children. (Schein=glow and children's glow makes no sense) Though that is a cycle, so I'm sure she played one of the pieces from that cycle. BTW, she recorded that for DG:

[suzyq]

Thanks, that's what a fellow audience member said to me. I'm not very good remembering names or titles.  There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said. 

Hope she returns to New York sometime in the future.