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

[brewski]

Coming up in about a half-hour, another great-looking livestream from PCMS. The pianist is completely new to me.

Zoltán Fejérvári, piano

Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101
Janáček: On an Overgrown Path, Book II
R. Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Brahms: Sonata in C Major, Op. 1

[Kalevala]

Coming up in about a half-hour, another great-looking livestream from PCMS. The pianist is completely new to me.

Zoltán Fejérvári, piano

Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101
Janáček: On an Overgrown Path, Book II
R. Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Brahms: Sonata in C Major, Op. 1

Do you have to be a member to watch it?  And it looks like it was last night. 

K

[brewski]

Do you have to be a member to watch it?  And it looks like it was last night. 

K

No, nothing required! Just click and watch. They do ask for people to make contributions to PCMS if they are inclined, but all of their livestreams are free. And the broadcasts are available for 72 hours after, so it should be there through Friday.

This one was also interesting for the overhead shots of the pianist's hands.

[Kalevala]

No, nothing required! Just click and watch. They do ask for people to make contributions to PCMS if they are inclined, but all of their livestreams are free. And the broadcasts are available for 72 hours after, so it should be there through Friday.

This one was also interesting for the overhead shots of the pianist's hands.

Thanks!  What did you think of his performances?

K

[brewski]

Thanks!  What did you think of his performances?

K

I enjoyed his playing a lot. Fejérvári is on the understated side, which an interview at intermission confirmed. Several people commented on his hand position and fingers — almost impossibly flat, which I think most piano teachers might advise against. But the results were quietly engaging. (Well, not so quiet in the Brahms.  )

Just found out his encore: more Janáček, "A Blown-Away Leaf" from the first book of On an Overgrown Path.

[brewski]

PS @Kalevala, here are the remaining livestreams for the PCMS season. They all look great, but I'm especially looking forward to May 4, when the Brentano Quartet does six Haydn quartets.

[ritter]

I've just found out that in an almost clandestine modern music series that is organised by the Spanish National Performing Arts and Music Institute in the Reina Sofia Museum (just a couple of blocks from my home), Pierre-Laurent Aimard will play, next Monday evening, Boulez's First Sonata and Incises, sandwiched between Ravel's Miroirs and Gaspard de la Nuit. Admission is free...

[ultralinear]

Tonight:

Arvo Pärt  Symphony No.1 "Polyphonic"
Tan Dun  Concerto for water percussion & orchestra
Lutosławski  Symphony No.3

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Hannu Lintu  conductor
Colin Currie  percussion

The Water Concerto was inspired by the composer's recollection of a shaman who once visited his village in Hunan province, making music with whatever he found in front of him, including water and rocks. The Concerto is itself a form of ritual, embracing the visual spectacle of a soloist moving between basins of water to coax various colours and sounds from them. In this, the soloist uses their bare hands alongside semisubmerged percussion instruments and everyday objects such as a Slinky and a pasta strainer. With these, he draws trickling, pouring, splattering, tapping and many other sound effects from the liquid (one other vital piece of equipment on stage is a towel).

[brewski]

I've just found out that in an almost clandestine modern music series that is organised by the Spanish National Performing Arts and Music Institute in the Reina Sofia Museum (just a couple of blocks from my home), Pierre-Laurent Aimard will play, next Monday evening, Boulez's First Sonata and Incises, sandwiched between Ravel's Miroirs and Gaspard de la Nuit. Admission is free...

How is hearing one of the world's great pianists in a fabulous lineup like that...FREE. Not to mention, a short walk away.

Tonight:

Arvo Pärt  Symphony No.1 "Polyphonic"
Tan Dun  Concerto for water percussion & orchestra
Lutosławski  Symphony No.3

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Hannu Lintu  conductor
Colin Currie  percussion

Great lineup, and some serious #LutosławskiEnvy here. Can't even remember when I've seen that piece on a program.

[Wanderer]

Opera-going in April: La Fanciulla del West in Hamburg, Salome and Mozart's Da Ponte trilogy in Vienna. This will be my first time seeing Così fan tutte live in the theatre, wrapping up the whole Da Ponte trilogy across three consecutive days. 

La Fanciulla del West - Antonino Fogliani conducts the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg and Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper; with Anna Pirozzi (Minnie), Gregory Kunde (Dick Johnson), Claudio Sgura (Jack Rance) - directed by Vincent Boussard with sets by Vincent Lemaire and costumes by Christian Lacroix.

Salome - Yoel Gamzou conducts the Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper; with Jennifer Holloway (Salome), Tomasz Konieczny (Jochanaan), Jörg Schneider (Herod) - directed by Cyril Teste.

Don Giovanni - Philippe Jordan conducts the Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper; with Étienne Dupuis (Don Giovanni), Louise Alder (Donna Anna), Ante Jerkunica (Commendatore), Edgardo Rocha (Don Ottavio), Emily D'Angelo (Donna Elvira), Peter Kellner (Leporello), Alma Neuhaus (Zerlina), Jusung Gabriel Park (Masetto) - directed by Barrie Kosky.

Le nozze di Figaro - Philippe Jordan conducts the Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper; with Leonardo Neiva (Count Almaviva), Philippe Sly (Figaro), Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (Countess), Slávka Zámečníková (Susanna), Patricia Nolz (Cherubino), Stephanie Houtzeel (Marcellina), Norbert Ernst (Basilio) - directed by Barrie Kosky.

Così fan tutte - Philippe Jordan conducts the Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper; with Louise Alder (Fiordiligi), Emily D'Angelo (Dorabella), Edgardo Rocha (Ferrando), Luca Pisaroni (Don Alfonso), Peter Kellner (Guglielmo) - directed by Barrie Kosky.

[Karl Henning]

My friend and colleague, Thomas Stumpf is
 Presenting a recital tomorrow at 3 PM (Chowder Time) at Tufts University's Distler Performance Hall.
He posts:
"On Sunday March 30th at 3 p.m. I will be playing Chopin's 24 Preludes op. 28 for the first time as a cycle. It's my 75th birthday present to myself, and it will take place in Distler Hall at Tufts University's Granoff Center. Tickets and parking are free. The music is revelatory - come for the music."



The program will stream at:
go.tufts.edu/musiclivestream.

[Karl Henning]

My friend and colleague, Thomas Stumpf is
 Presenting a recital tomorrow at 3 PM (Chowder Time) at Tufts University's Distler Performance Hall.
He posts:
"On Sunday March 30th at 3 p.m. I will be playing Chopin's 24 Preludes op. 28 for the first time as a cycle. It's my 75th birthday present to myself, and it will take place in Distler Hall at Tufts University's Granoff Center. Tickets and parking are free. The music is revelatory - come for the music."



The program will stream at:
go.tufts.edu/musiclivestream.

Repeating for the Chopin enthusiasts, esp. @Florestan @Brian 

[Wanderer]

I've just found out that in an almost clandestine modern music series that is organised by the Spanish National Performing Arts and Music Institute in the Reina Sofia Museum (just a couple of blocks from my home), Pierre-Laurent Aimard will play, next Monday evening, Boulez's First Sonata and Incises, sandwiched between Ravel's Miroirs and Gaspard de la Nuit. Admission is free...

That sounds great! I love concerts in venues like that, especially museums - I'd definitely go! And assuming it's after museum hours, it would perhaps allow you to also see some of the art without the crowds (a tête-à-tête with Guernica sounds as exciting as the recital itself). When I'm in Vienna in September, Anton Gerzenberg's playing Boulez's Incises and Sonate No. 2, plus Schönberg, Szymanowski, Debussy, and Stravinsky. I'm tempted to go unless something truly irresistible steals me away (as the Staatsoper and Musikverein haven't announced their programs for next season yet).

[T. D.]

Very local recital at a small public library this afternoon. Had forgotten about the event, but just recalled it in time.

Daria Podorozhnova & Terri Ji with Inesa Sinkevych

E. Fabregas "Lament" from suite Portraits I (2000)

J. Brahms Sonata No.2 in F sharp minor, Op.2

Intermission

Sonata in B Minor, S. 178 by Franz Liszt

Debussy Ondine from Preludes, Book II

Frederic Chopin Two Mazurkas, Op. 50

I. Vivace

II Allegretto

[ritter]

That sounds great! I love concerts in venues like that, especially museums - I'd definitely go! And assuming it's after museum hours, it would perhaps allow you to also see some of the art without the crowds (a tête-à-tête with Guernica sounds as exciting as the recital itself). When I'm in Vienna in September, Anton Gerzenberg's playing Boulez's Incises and Sonate No. 2, plus Schönberg, Szymanowski, Debussy, and Stravinsky. I'm tempted to go unless something truly irresistible steals me away (as the Staatsoper and Musikverein haven't announced their programs for next season yet).

I certainly intend to go, but let's see whether I can get in. These concerts are held in the "400 Aditorium" (called so for its capacity) in the extension building of the museum (by Jean Nouvel). I've been a couple of times (most notably, the world première of Cristóbal Halffter's Eighth String Quartet with the Leipzig Quartet, some 10 years ago now).

The problem with these concerts is that, with admission being free, many people who have no idea of who the composers or performers are, show up to spend the afternoon. This means, that one must arrive well in advance to stand in line and gain admission. I suppose some of the neophytes will find the concert interesting, but many others will come out complaining about this "thorny" music (I've already experienced that).

As for visiting the museum itself, I do so regularly, but must confess that with diminishing pleasure. The Reina Sofia has neglected its role as Spain's leading repository of art historic avant-gardes of the 20th century, to the benefit of its (equally important) role as a contemporary art centre. The problem is that the art is increasingly politicised and, frankly, of dubious quality as art. As Rafael Canogar (the doyen of Spanish abstract painting) recently said, "it is surprising to see some of the rubbish that a political movement left in the Reina Sofia being considered as art".

The Gerzenberg programme in Vienna in September looks superb!

[Wanderer]

I certainly intend to go, but let's see whether I can get in. These concerts are held in the "400 Aditorium" (called so for its capacity) in the extension building of the museum (by Jean Nouvel). I've been a couple of times (most notably, the world première of Cristóbal Halffter's Eighth String Quartet with the Leipzig Quartet, some 10 years ago now).

The problem with these concerts is that, with admission being free, many people who have no idea of who the composers or performers are, show up to spend the afternoon. This means, that one must arrive well in advance to stand in line and gain admission. I suppose some of the neophytes will find the concert interesting, but many others will come out complaining about this "thorny" music (I've already experienced that).

As for visiting the museum itself, I do so regularly, but must confess that with diminishing pleasure. The Reina Sofia has neglected its role as Spain's leading repository of art historic avant-gardes of the 20th century, to the benefit of its (equally important) role as a contemporary art centre. The problem is that the art is increasingly politicised and, frankly, of dubious quality as art. As Rafael Canogar (the doyen of Spanish abstract painting) recently said, "it is surprising to see some of the rubbish that a political movement left in the Reina Sofia being considered as art".

The Gerzenberg programme in Vienna in September looks superb!

I'd assumed there'd be an online booking system - queuing up for tickets takes some serious dedication, like in our good-ol'retro days not even two decades back! Hope you get in without too much hassle.

I get what you mean about the Reina Sofía; I recall a heavy dose of politicized art there, drenched in symbols of a certain movement. I chalked it up to an overzealous phase under the new director at the time, but it seems to be a trend everywhere now - also here in Greece. The Museum of Contemporary Art's new management has shipped its eclectic, genuinely rich permanent collection off to foreign exhibitions, replacing it with shrill, in-your-face propaganda that barely qualifies as art. Meanwhile, the National Gallery, currently showing off its full Goya print series, paired them with dreadfully banal contemporary pieces by utter unknowns - meant to explore the bizarre, but really just cheap provocations aimed at the church. They could've curated something worthy of Goya instead.

The Gerzenberg recital sounds downright delectable - only something like Turangalîla-Symphonie or Busoni's Piano Concerto might keep me away.

[Iota]

I've just found out that in an almost clandestine modern music series that is organised by the Spanish National Performing Arts and Music Institute in the Reina Sofia Museum (just a couple of blocks from my home), Pierre-Laurent Aimard will play, next Monday evening, Boulez's First Sonata and Incises, sandwiched between Ravel's Miroirs and Gaspard de la Nuit. Admission is free...

Exceptional! I wish you luck in gaining admission.

[Karl Henning]

Repeating for the Chopin enthusiasts, esp. @Florestan @Brian

Showtime in 20 mins!

[brewski]

On Wednesday, hearing the great Danish Quartet. The Sørensen is part of their four-year commissioning program, with composers responding to the late works of Schubert. The final Schubert is the group's own arrangement of the song from his cycle Schwanengesang.

Schubert: Quartet in G Major, D. 887
Sørensen: Doppelgänger
Schubert: Der Doppelgänger, D. 957 (Arr. Danish Quartet)

[ritter]

I've just found out that in an almost clandestine modern music series that is organised by the Spanish National Performing Arts and Music Institute in the Reina Sofia Museum (just a couple of blocks from my home), Pierre-Laurent Aimard will play, next Monday evening, Boulez's First Sonata and Incises, sandwiched between Ravel's Miroirs and Gaspard de la Nuit. Admission is free...

Well, I'm just back home from Aimard's recital at the Reina Sofía Museum, and... wow!!!

Despite the logistical nuisance of having to arrive well in advance to ensure being admitted, the "400 Auditorium" in the Nouvel Wing of the Reina Sofia is perfect for this kind of events, as there's an intimacy that cannot be achieved in larger venues. It was full to its capacity (although, as expected, there were some desertions after the intermission).

Ravel's Miroirs started tentatively IMO with Noctuelles, moved on to fine but relatively lacklustre renditions of Oiseaux tristes and Une barque sur l'océan, but then Aimard simply dazzled us with Alborada del gracioso, simultaneously  rhythmically alert and unrestrained, and with a wonderful juxtaposition of the dance-inflected passages with the more lyrical sections. Jaw-dropping! And La Vallée des cloches was at the same high level.

Then came Boulez's Première sonate. A work in which the young composer shows his talent to use rigorous serial techniques to achieve tremendous expressive force, while taking full advantage of the piano's capabilities in terms of the production of superbly rich sounds. Aimard, who recorded it under the supervision of the composer in 1991, is probably the work's foremost interpreter.

After the intermission, Incises, from 50 years later in the composers career. A freer, more flowing work, but one of great "pianism". Then, Gaspard de la nuit repeated the wonders heard earlier in Alborada... The fiendishly difficult Scarbo sounded so natural, so free of flashy virtuosity and so full of great musical ideas. Really refreshing and beautiful.

After the insistent applause and several curtain calls, Aimard asked the audience whether they preferred to be addressed in English or in French. As there was division of opinions, he alternated between both languages to say he's no friend of encores, unless they add something specific to the programme. The pieces he intended to play did just that, he said, in their intensity, so he would perform... Douze notations, "de Pierre Boulez, bien-sûr"! After giving a superb rendition of these miniatures (which, as a friend of mine says, are like a mini-compendium of French music of the first half of the 20th century —in them, there's Ravel, there's Debussy, there's Messiaen...), during the ovation, Aimard pressed the score against his chest, in clear gesture of love for the composer with whom he collaborated so closely for many years.

A great way to celebrate two important anniversaries of towering figures of modern music (Ravel's 150th, Boulez's 100th).