Grant Park Orchestra Season Opener - Tonight

[TheGSMoeller]

Hi friends,

The Chicago based Grant Park Orchestra's season opening concert is this evening, and it's being aired live-streaming on 98.7 WFMT starting at 7:30 Eastern, 6:30 Central.
The concert features Ravel: Piano Concerto in G, and Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique.
They are a phenomenal orchestra.

Here is a link to the website to listen in...

http://www.wfmt.com/

And there is a "listen live" link to stream the radio.

Enjoy!!!

[karlhenning]

Nice, thanks!

[Brian]

That sounds like a superb program, and if I could stay awake that late (12.30 am London time!) I'd listen to the whole thing. Maybe I'll commemorate the occasion by listening to that Chicago Trombone Consort disc you just posted about...

[TheGSMoeller]

That sounds like a superb program, and if I could stay awake that late (12.30 am London time!) I'd listen to the whole thing. Maybe I'll commemorate the occasion by listening to that Chicago Trombone Consort disc you just posted about...

Great!
I have some family ties to these groups which is why I post about them often. Very professional groups.
You should checkout the Grant Park Orchestras schedule, it's a full season of concerts in about 2 months.

[TheGSMoeller]

Bump. 

[MishaK]

I'm not sure I would quite go so far as calling them "phenomenal", though they are a good band.

I wouldn't count on this concert happening tonight. I was supposed to meet up with friends and go to Millemium Park, but the weather forecast projects thundershowers and a 75-85% chance of percipitation at concert time.

[TheGSMoeller]

I'm not sure I would quite go so far as calling them "phenomenal", though they are a good band.

I wouldn't count on this concert happening tonight. I was supposed to meet up with friends and go to Millemium Park, but the weather forecast projects thundershowers and a 75-85% chance of percipitation at concert time.

Best Orchestra in the world? No, but the word phenomenal can also easily describe the quality of musicians in the group. The trumpet section alone features the Principals from The Met Opera and Seattle Symphony (Billy Hunter, Dave Gordon), not a bad combo.

It's posted all over their sight that rain or shine the concert will go on, so hopefully they dont cancel it and you can get out there to see it. 

[Brian]

How'd it go??

[TheGSMoeller]

How'd it go??

It went very well! And the sound quality was good for internet radio.
My computer was down once last year, and I listened to over 2 hours of Lyric Opera of Chicago's performance of Lohengrin on my iPhone through the radio station's app. 

[MishaK]

It went very well! And the sound quality was good for internet radio.
My computer was down once last year, and I listened to over 2 hours of Lyric Opera of Chicago's performance of Lohengrin on my iPhone through the radio station's app. 

Now, that Lohengrin, on the other hand, definitely deserved the label "phenomenal". I had the pleasure of being there for opening night.

[TheGSMoeller]

Now, that Lohengrin, on the other hand, definitely deserved the label "phenomenal". I had the pleasure of being there for opening night.

Nice! Have you seen many other Lyric productions? I need to get up there to see one, I only make it to Chicago in the summertime for the Grant Park shows. I listen to the live performances that are streamed online, but always hear how great the entire productions are.

I know they are planning another Wagner for 2012-13, I think it's Die Meistersinger.

[Coco]

Going to see them do Mendelssohn's Lobgesang and Schoenberg's Friede auf Erden tomorrow. Excited!

[MishaK]

Nice! Have you seen many other Lyric productions? I need to get up there to see one, I only make it to Chicago in the summertime for the Grant Park shows. I listen to the live performances that are streamed online, but always hear how great the entire productions are.

I know they are planning another Wagner for 2012-13, I think it's Die Meistersinger.

I go to the CSO all the time. Lyric not so often, once or twice a season. A friend had spare tix for the opening night of Lohengrin and agreed to babysit our boy, so my wife and I went. Botha was absolutely amazing and Schuster as Ortud was pure venom. Just a teriffic performance.

This summer's Grant Park program is funny. It could have been titled 'apocalypses 'r' us'. Some neat rarities, though. I may have to go hear the Schmidt Book of Seven Seals if I can make it.

[TheGSMoeller]

I go to the CSO all the time. Lyric not so often, once or twice a season. A friend had spare tix for the opening night of Lohengrin and agreed to babysit our boy, so my wife and I went. Botha was absolutely amazing and Schuster as Ortud was pure venom. Just a teriffic performance.

This summer's Grant Park program is funny. It could have been titled 'apocalypses 'r' us'. Some neat rarities, though. I may have to go hear the Schmidt Book of Seven Seals if I can make it.

I'm gonna try to make it to Prokofiev's 7, never seen that piece live and it's one of my favorite Prokofiev pieces, and then hopefully an opera or two. My brother plays in both groups so I try to frequent them as much as possible even though I dont live in Chicago.

[Sef]

This summer's Grant Park program is funny. It could have been titled 'apocalypses 'r' us'. Some neat rarities, though. I may have to go hear the Schmidt Book of Seven Seals if I can make it.

I am looking forward to the Penderecki conducts Penderecki: http://grantparkmusicfestival.com/2011-season/penderecki-conducts-penderecki

[Coco]

This summer's Grant Park program is funny. It could have been titled 'apocalypses 'r' us'. Some neat rarities, though. I may have to go hear the Schmidt Book of Seven Seals if I can make it.

Wow, I had no idea they were doing that!

I am looking forward to the Penderecki conducts Penderecki: http://grantparkmusicfestival.com/2011-season/penderecki-conducts-penderecki

Ha, I was writing about that just now. Should be interesting.

Anyway, the Schoenberg piece was wonderful; the members of the audience that were clearly there to hear some "relaxing classical music" were visibly squirming during the more heavily dissonant sections. The Mendelssohn seemed a tad overlong, attempting and failing (I felt) at making a Beethovenian "grand statement". Still, there were quite a few moments of good music.