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

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Hi Brian,

Good report, I missed it (though I am a Classicstoday reader), many thanks indeed! I remember a forum discussion on Dopper's Zuiderzee Symphony, and your (and Jezetha's) admiration for it, which caused me to reconsider my verdict. (Always thought it was lovely, but derivative). I plan to play my complete Dopper collection before the concert; we'll see, he may turn out to be a better composer than he's commonly credited for.

We will, of course, duly report on the Requiem, and all that comes with this world premiere, as probably this forum's only members who will be there to report on the occasion.

I won't claim Dopper is the greatest composer ever, BUT - his Chaconne, the Sixth ('Amsterdam') and Seventh ('Zuiderzee') are masterly and very inventive. So are the two Päan's (especially the second one, iirc) that came coupled with the Second Symphony on Chandos.

I too will produce a personal review...

[Brian]

Hi Brian,

Good report, I missed it (though I am a Classicstoday reader), many thanks indeed! I remember a forum discussion on Dopper's Zuiderzee Symphony, and your (and Jezetha's) admiration for it, which caused me to reconsider my verdict. (Always thought it was lovely, but derivative). I plan to play my complete Dopper collection before the concert; we'll see, he may turn out to be a better composer than he's commonly credited for.

We will, of course, duly report on the Requiem, and all that comes with this world premiere, as probably this forum's only members who will be there to report on the occasion.

My admiration for the Seventh symphony is mostly one of pure pleasure - I am always a little disturbed by its tendency to just be loud whenever it lacks ideas (even the slow movement is very, well, loud), and the first and third movements rhapsodize a bit excessively, but the second movement is a total charmer and the finale never fails to make me grin from ear to ear. It's brilliant (in a very silly way).

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

My admiration for the Seventh symphony is mostly one of pure pleasure - I am always a little disturbed by its tendency to just be loud whenever it lacks ideas (even the slow movement is very, well, loud), and the first and third movements rhapsodize a bit excessively, but the second movement is a total charmer and the finale never fails to make me grin from ear to ear. It's brilliant (in a very silly way).

Hi Brian! I know what you mean when you say Dopper can be loud when he runs out of ideas. There is something very brusque about his manner sometimes. Regarding the slow and final movements of the Seventh, I think I differ in my understanding of them. Mengelberg's performance of this movement isn't meandering at all, and the whole thing comes across (to this listener at least) as a rapt and dreamy meditation, with a few outbursts, granted... Proceeding to the Finale - Dopper uses two very different melodies, one joyful, the other serious, and combines them in the climax. And yes, there is something slightly ridiculous, perhaps, about the unsubtlety of that extremely loud and stamping passage. But - Dopper himself meant it as a depiction of soldiers marching towards to their death (World War I was just over). So there is something La Valse-like too behind it, the music self-destructs. That's why I personally don't find that Coda funny at all, but in its intentional (I hope) vulgarity and brutality rather menacing...

[greg]

Do they not have student tickets in your neck of the woods? I think I went to more concerts when I was still a student, as compared to when I joined the workforce.

You know... that reminded me of something... I did use my student ID at the concerts I went to 4 years ago. I wonder if I still could've used the one I have now... I'm in a different county now, but I suppose that might not make a difference, since it was a different one the last time, too. It's not a high school ID, either, but that probably doesn't even matter...
(though for the future, I won't need to since I'll be out of school not long from now)

I do (well, not about going into another universe and causing the apocalypse ) but the feeling of just wanting to walk into the night. Sure, many times in my youth. I was lucky enough to live in areas that allowed that too. Long, lonely night walks...very Thomas Wolfeian 

Sarge

Well, thank you- glad somebody understands! 
(though Orlando would be bit scary to walk around in  )

O Mensch, if Greg is in Orlando, even if they will have student tickets I don't imagine there will be many opportunities to cash in. However, Greg could probably get into WAY more concerts than he currently does. In Houston there is a huge music scene, obviously, and with student tickets or free tickets all around, I have caught about 10-12 concerts so far this school year.

Greg, as an example, check the student package of your local orchestra. This year I got a college student season ticket pack from the Houston Symphony which, for $66, got me 6 concert tickets. My seats - in the front orchestra section - have a face value of $61 for one single concert. So I got a 6 for the price of 1.082 deal!

Also, if UCF or another local university has a music school, check its events calendar. Most student recitals will be free, and student recitals tend to have really adventurous programming because they're required to cover a certain number of centuries.
That's an average of 2 concerts per day, dude.

Wow... nice deal
Well, they have a concert very close to where I live:
http://www.cah.ucf.edu/events.php?id=1182

though it doesn't say what is playing? 

[MishaK]

You know... that reminded me of something... I did use my student ID at the concerts I went to 4 years ago. I wonder if I still could've used the one I have now... I'm in a different county now, but I suppose that might not make a difference, since it was a different one the last time, too. It's not a high school ID, either, but that probably doesn't even matter...

The state, county or whatever doesn't matter. I used my NY student ID in Chicago way back when and even in Germany. You don't have to be within the jurisdiction of your school to use your student ID.

[greg]

The state, county or whatever doesn't matter. I used my NY student ID in Chicago way back when and even in Germany. You don't have to be within the jurisdiction of your school to use your student ID.

Cool! 

[bhodges]

Tonight at (Le) Poisson Rouge, a CD release party for Huang Ruo's new Naxos release (below).  What I've heard of his music has been highly enjoyable.

Future In REverse (FIRE)
Huang Ruo, composer and conductor

String Quartet No. 1: The Three Tenses
Drama Theater III: Written on the Wind
Four Fragments
Drama Theater II: Shifting Shades

--Bruce

[Brian]

Hi Brian! I know what you mean when you say Dopper can be loud when he runs out of ideas. There is something very brusque about his manner sometimes. Regarding the slow and final movements of the Seventh, I think I differ in my understanding of them. Mengelberg's performance of this movement isn't meandering at all, and the whole thing comes across (to this listener at least) as a rapt and dreamy meditation, with a few outbursts, granted... Proceeding to the Finale - Dopper uses two very different melodies, one joyful, the other serious, and combines them in the climax. And yes, there is something slightly ridiculous, perhaps, about the unsubtlety of that extremely loud and stamping passage. But - Dopper himself meant it as a depiction of soldiers marching towards to their death (World War I was just over). So there is something La Valse-like too behind it, the music self-destructs. That's why I personally don't find that Coda funny at all, but in its intentional (I hope) vulgarity and brutality rather menacing...

Thank you for that explanation. I knew that my response to the symphony was prompted not by bad or silly writing, but by irony - a sort of over-the-top, maniacally single-minded version of Tchaikovsky 6/iii. Could easily imagine it as the background music to a movie about totalitarianism. But, stripped of its context, there is still something delightful to me about the ending: not the light-hearted silliness Vermeulen thought he heard when he shouted "Long live Sousa!", but the sort of savage satire you could find in a Dr. Strangelove. Thanks for your comments. I'll try to seek out the Mengelberg recording; there's no doubt I love this piece.

[bhodges]

This Saturday:

Miller Theatre
Music of Galina Ustvolskaya
Fifth House Ensemble

Trio (1949)
Piano Sonata No. 6 (1988)
Octet (1949-1950)
Composition 2 (1972-1973)
Piano Sonata No. 4 (1957)
Composition 3 (1974-1975)

And on Sunday:

(Le) Poisson Rouge
Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble
Terry Riley: In C, remixed by Dennis DeSantis

--Bruce

[Cato]

Tonight in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the campus of the University of Michigan, I will be hearing a work named Out In The Sun by a composer named Karl Henning.

Also on the program is a minor work by some upstart named Moe Zart, or something like that!   

[Brian]

Tonight in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the campus of the University of Michigan, I will be hearing a work named Out In The Sun by a composer named Karl Henning.

Also on the program is a minor work by some upstart named Moe Zart, or something like that!   

Whoa! 

[not edward]

Tonight in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the campus of the University of Michigan, I will be hearing a work named Out In The Sun by a composer named Karl Henning.

Also on the program is a minor work by some upstart named Moe Zart, or something like that!   

I'm glad that this work is getting more widespread hearing--I like it very much.

Which reminds me, I must give my newest Henningmusik a second listen.

[bhodges]

Tonight in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the campus of the University of Michigan, I will be hearing a work named Out In The Sun by a composer named Karl Henning.

Also on the program is a minor work by some upstart named Moe Zart, or something like that!   

Nice to see the young upstart sharing a program with one of the masters.    Let us know how it goes!

--Bruce

[Lilas Pastia]

Although occasions abound for interesting evenings at the symphony/opera/chamber music recital hall, I can't attend to much these days. Between workworkwork, caring for my Mom, taking care of some family business and visiting my friends (# 1 item on my free-time agenda), there's nothing left for concerts. At least not for a while  . That's why I count on you guys to keep me posted on what's going on 

[Drasko]

Although occasions abound for interesting evenings at the symphony/opera/chamber music recital hall, I can't attend to much these days. Between workworkwork, caring for my Mom, taking care of some family business....

Tell me about it I'm missing complete harpsichord festival at the moment (Cabezon plus other early Spanish composers tomorrow, for instance, Frescobaldi on Wednesday) and as a subscriber every Thursday I regularly get text message from philharmonic informing me what nice things I'll be missing on Friday night

[listener]

this weekend: the Schumanns and Mendelssohns  (Vancouver Symphony)
Sat: Felix Mendelssohn: Fingal's Cave, MNights Dream, CLARA Schumann Piano cto
Sun: R. Schumann Romances op.94 for oboe and piano, Piano Trio op.80; Mendelssohn Octet
Mon: FANNY Mendelssohn Overture in C; Felix's Piano Concerto 1; Schumann Symphony 4

[jlaurson]

tonight:

Igor Stravinsky
"Le Chant du Rossignol"

Maurice Ravel
"Shéhérazade"

Nikolai Rimskij-Korsakow
"Scheherazade" op. 35

Andrey Boreyko, conductor
Ann-Katrin Naidu, mezzo

Monday, I think:

Bavarian State Orchestra

Peter Eötvös
Concerto for Two Pianos
(Götz Schumacher &
Andreas Grau)

Anton Bruckner
Symphonie Nr. 7 E-Dur

Kent Nagano, conductor

[Sergeant Rock]

Monday at the BASF concert hall in Ludwigshafen, the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz conducted by its new Chefdirigent, Karl-Heinz Steffens. (Ari Rasilainen has moved on, unfortunately; I really loved his inventive programming.)

Schönberg Fünf Orchesterstücke op. 16
Mozart Piano Concerto #21 KV 467 (Rudolf Buchbinder)
Brahms Symphony #1

Sarge

[Lilas Pastia]

Since there might be plans for a ca. June 22 - July 5 european visit, I checked the Concertgebouw's programming and, lo and behold, they are playing the Mahler 5th. Daniele Gatti will conduct. Now, that *should* be of some interest  .

[Christo]

Since there might be plans for a ca. June 22 - July 5 european visit, I checked the Concertgebouw's programming and, lo and behold, they are playing the Mahler 5th. Daniele Gatti will conduct. Now, that *should* be of some interest  .

Great to learn !