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

[brewski]

It was a great concert! I was especially impressed with how well the organ blended with the orchestra. I don't remember it blending as well in Philadelphia. Symphony Hall is a wonderful hall.

Envious! Coincidentally, I heard the Saint-Saëns here in Philly on Friday afternoon, and though it was excellent (Roderick Cox conducting, and your comments noted), and though I like the hall very much, Boston still wins. Years ago I read a comment from an acoustic specialist, who thought that Amsterdam, Vienna, and Boston were the three best in the world. (This was well before some of the newer halls that might be considered, e.g., Disney, Berlin, Hamburg, Lucerne, among others.)

-Bruce

[ritter]

Just bought a ticket for next Friday October 18th for the Spanish National Orchestra's fourth programme of the season. Joanna Mallwitz conducts Prokofiev's overture to War and Piece, Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto (with Francesco Piamontesi), Hindemith's Mathis der Mahler Symphony, and Ravel's La Valse.

Well, this turned out to be a very enjoyable concert. The War and Piece overture was an effective opener. Very "Prokofievian", but not the composer's most memorable piece IMO.

Francesco Piemontesi favoured brilliant sounds in the Emperor, and played splendidly. I did have the awkward feeling, though, that there wasn't 100% mutual understanding between the soloist and conductor Joanna Mallwitz. As a substantial encore, Piemontesi gave a beautiful rendition of what I think was the adagio from Mozart's Adagio in  B minor K540 Sonata in F major K332. Curiously, the two times I've seen Piemontesi live have been with Beethoven concertos (PC1 some ten years ago under Skrowaczewski in La Coruña, and PC5 now).

After the intermission, it seemed that Mallwitz was fully in her element. What a fabulous work the Mathis der Mahler Symphony is, with what I can only describe as an "intemporal beauty"! And then, La Valse! Hearing this enigmatic work live is a treat, and the way "moments" come to the foreground and then recede back into a sort of mist, to give way to other "moments", is dazzling, always with the double basses weaving a sort of carpet on which everything else dances on. At one point, I almost felt like shouting "Keep going!" (it's no wonder this piece plays such a prominent role in Berio's Sinfonia).

I'll certainly get hold of Frau Mallwitz's recently released disc of the Weill symphonies.

[brewski]

Tonight at ROH Covent Garden, a double-bill of Bernstein's operas Trouble in Tahiti and its sequel A Quiet Place, in their original 1-act versions:

 

I only know A Quiet Place from the recording of the revised version (above) where the two were folded into one, with Trouble in Tahiti presented as an extended flashback embedded partway through a longer narrative, so am interested to see these as first conceived.

Very cool. I have only seen these once, in 2010 at New York City Opera. PS, in that recording of A Quiet Place, my brother-in-law, James Ramlet, was in the chorus. 

-Bruce

[brewski]

Tonight:

The Philadelphia Orchestra
David Robertson, conductor
Nicolas Hodges, piano

Jolas: Lassus ricercare
Jolas: bTunes, for piano and orchestra
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite

-Bruce

[Mapman]

Tonight's livestream from Detroit, starting in one hour:


BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
ANNA CLYNE
Time and Tides (US Premiere)
JEAN SIBELIUS
Lemminkäinen Suite

Tabita Berglund, Conductor
Pekka Kuusisto, Violin

https://www.dso.org/watch/3317363

[brewski]

Tonight, starting in about 20 minutes, the second livestream of the day (after a marvelous time with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony earlier), the Junction Trio at the 92nd Street Y: Stefan Jackiw, violin; Jay Campbell, cello; and Conrad Tao, piano.

Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67
John Zorn: Philosophical Investigations II (world premiere)
Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8

-Bruce

[Judith]

Just come back from a wonderful concert 

Leeds Haydn Players

Mendelssohn  A Midsummer Nights Dream-Overture,
Nocturne and Scherzo
Mozart  Horn Concerto no 4
Ruth Gipps  Cringlemire Garden, Impression for String Orchestra
Emilie Mayer  Symphony no 1 in C Minor

Solo Horn Player
Barry Lo

Conductors
Andre Chan
Rosin Flueckiger

[T. D.]

Just got back from a very enjoyable semi-local (hinterlands) concert at Saugerties (NY) Pro Musica.

Tekalli (violin/piano) brother-sister duo, played pieces by Mozart, Reena Esmail, Ravel*, Stravinsky, Granados* and Ginastera.
* indicates piano works arranged for duo by Suliman Tekalli (v). Jamila T. is the pianist.

Never heard of the performers before, but they are excellent IMO. Super appealing program due to the obvious names, and the unknown (to me) Esmail piece was fine.
First time to the venue, but will definitely be back. Only negative is that it's a church venue with concomitant uncomfortable seating. 

[Kalevala]

Just got back from a very enjoyable semi-local (hinterlands) concert at Saugerties (NY) Pro Musica.

Tekalli (violin/piano) brother-sister duo, played pieces by Mozart, Reena Esmail, Ravel*, Stravinsky, Granados* and Ginastera.
* indicates piano works arranged for duo by Suliman Tekalli (v). Jamila T. is the pianist.

Never heard of the performers before, but they are excellent IMO. Super appealing program due to the obvious names, and the unknown (to me) Esmail piece was fine.
First time to the venue, but will definitely be back. Only negative is that it's a church venue with concomitant uncomfortable seating. 

Best bet:  bring a chair cushion to sit on.  Some places, one can rent one.  Or these days, there might be more of an all-in-one back and seat cushion that one can purchase and bring to the event?

K

[T. D.]

Thanks, good idea. The weather's getting colder, so yesterday I was able to sit on my coat, which helped. I'll take a cushion to church venues in future. I'm sure there exist back/seat cushions, but I'm too cheap to buy one.

[Wanderer]

Tomorrow:

Arnold Schönberg:

Begleitungsmusik zu einer Lichtspielscene (Drohende Gefahr, Angst, Katastrophe), Op. 34 (1929-1930)

Kammersymphonie für großes Orchester, Op. 9b (1906/1936)

Alison Knowles:

Proposition #2: Make a Salad (1962)


MUK.sinfonieorchester
Studierende der Bruckner Universität
Enrique Mendoza, Tatiana Panyaeva, Sandra Muciño, Santiago Ruedas: Live-Elektronik
Andreas Stoehr: Leitung Schönberg
Hannes Schöggl, Verena Koch: Einstudierung Knowles
Dominik Leitner: Live-Elektronik

Festkonzert Schönberg 150 / Wiener Rathaus Festsaal


(2024 marks the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schönberg's birth. More than 50 institutions in Vienna are joining forces to host 261 events at over 30 locations under the heading "Schönberg 150".)

[Christo]

Sunday, December 15, with Johan Herrenberg (JEZETHA):
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra & Groot Omroep Vrouwenkoor choir under Tarmo Peltokoski:
Gustav Holst, The Planets
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sinfonia Antartica (of course: misspelled, as always)

https://www.dedoelen.nl/en/agenda/22351/rotterdam-philharmonic-orchestra/the-planets

[DavidW]

Next week I'm going to a Veterans Day Concert from the local orchestra:

Gould's American Salute, Copeland's Rodeo, and Gershwin's Piano Concerto will be performed.

I'm looking forward to it!

[Lisztianwagner]

Teatro alla Scala, 9th Februar 2025, I'm really looking forward:

Die Walküre

Simone Young & Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Director: David McVicar

Sigmund  Klaus Florian Vogt
Hunding    Günther Groissböck
Wotan  Michael Volle
Sieglinde  Elza van den Heever
Fricka  Okka von der Damerau
Brünnhilde  Camilla Nylund

[Kalevala]

9th Februar 2025, I'm really looking forward:

Die Walküre

Simone Young & Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Director: David McVicar

Sigmund  Klaus Florian Vogt
Hunding   Günther Groissböck
Wotan  Michael Volle
Sieglinde  Elza van den Heever
Fricka  Okka von der Damerau
Brünnhilde  Camilla Nylund

Are you going to the opera house yourself LW?  If so, I envy you!  It's been on my bucket list for years. 

K

[Lisztianwagner]

Are you going to the opera house yourself LW?  If so, I envy you!  It's been on my bucket list for years. 

K

Yes, of course! Luckily Milan isn't too far from where I live.

[Kalevala]

Yes, of course! Luckily Milan isn't too far from where I live.

Oh, I'm happy for you!  I was guessing that this was the case, but wasn't sure.  Hope that you enjoy it and am looking forward to hearing your comments about it afterwards.

K

[brewski]

Tomorrow afternoon, a concert I've been looking forward to for months, with the combined forces of two superb groups, the Belcea Quartet and Quatuor Ébène:

Mendelssohn: String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
Enescu: String Octet in C Major, Op. 7

-Bruce

[Kalevala]

Tomorrow afternoon, a concert I've been looking forward to for months, with the combined forces of two superb groups, the Belcea Quartet and Quatuor Ébène:

Mendelssohn: String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
Enescu: String Octet in C Major, Op. 7

-Bruce

Cool!    I hope that you enjoy it!

K

[Brian]

Tomorrow afternoon, a concert I've been looking forward to for months, with the combined forces of two superb groups, the Belcea Quartet and Quatuor Ébène:

Mendelssohn: String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
Enescu: String Octet in C Major, Op. 7

-Bruce

Wow!!