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

[ritter]

I don't know how long it'll be available, but the performance of Die Meistersinger I attended here in Madrid was streamed live and posted YouTube:

[(poco) Sforzando]

Very interesting, Andrei. Thanks.

I'm just back home after attending, as announced upthread, a performance  at the Teatro Real here in Madrid of "the greatest work of genius ever achieved by any artist in any field of human endeavour" (Ignacy Jan Paderewski dixit) composed by the "dullest, most boring, pompous, bombastic and overrated composer ever" ( @Florestan dixit  ).

Laurent Pelly's staging was efficient but not memorable and slightly drab, Gerald Finley a superb Sachs, Jongmin Park an imposing Pogner, Leigh Melrose a compelling Beckmesser, and I was very favourably impressed by Tomislav Mužek as Stolzing (he had received generally negative reviews). I found the ladies at a significantly lower level, so I will not name them.

But this was Pablo Heras-Casado's triumph. His conducting was masterful; he squeezed every last drop of the contrapuntal riches of this miraculous score, his pacing was perfect, and the dynamics were very judicious (only on a couple of occasions would the orchestra drown the voices, and the fortissimo rendition of the "Wachet auf!" chorus in Act III was perhaps a bit extreme, but this was clearly an interpretative choice). Really world-class Wagner conducting... 

I know that Paderewski's opinion on Die Meistersinger is an exaggeration, but only slightly so  . What a fabulous work it is, in any event!

I do not agree with Florestan.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I'm starting to look at the video now. Drab is an understatement. What is Walther doing crawling around on his hands and knees on a bare stage? Give me a beautiful Renaissance church full of color and people. Spot-checking, everything seems the same dull tone of grey.

[Brian]

Back to back weekends at the Dallas Symphony! Here's what's coming up Friday:

Andrea Basevi | Four Emily Dickinson Poems*
Prokofiev | Piano Concerto No. 2
Walton | Symphony No. 1

Denis Kozhukhin, piano
Vasily Petrenko, conductor
*with the Dallas Symphony children's chorus

The Basevi work is a world premiere.
This is the second time I'll see Walton 1 in Dallas - Carlos Kalmar conducted it five years ago. Glad this firecracker is entering the American mainstream repertoire.
This is also my first time seeing Petrenko live since visiting Liverpool in 2011 to see him conduct Elgar 2, and before that earlier in the year seeing him do DSCH 11 live in London.

[brewski]

I don't recall EVER hearing the Walton live. Good for Dallas!

Looking forward to this livestream on Friday:

Bach/Webern: Ricercar a 6
Mozart: Piano Concerto in D Major, KV 451
Bruckner: Symphony No. 6
 
Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Martin Helmchen, piano
John Storgårds, conductor

-Bruce

[Mapman]

Coming up this weekend at the other DSO (Detroit):


JOHANNES BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Major
BÉLA BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra

David Afkham: conductor
Veronika Eberle: violin

I saw the Philadelphia orchestra perform the Bartók several years ago, and my university perform it last year. I'm still excited to see it again, since it's such a great piece!

[ritter]

Coming up this weekend at the other DSO (Detroit):


JOHANNES BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Major
BÉLA BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra

David Afkham: conductor
Veronika Eberle: violin

I saw the Philadelphia orchestra perform the Bartók several years ago, and my university perform it last year. I'm still excited to see it again, since it's such a great piece!

David Afkham has been at the helm of the Spanish National Orchestra here in Madrid since 2014, and is highly regarded.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I don't recall EVER hearing the Walton live. Good for Dallas!

Pappano is doing it next season at Carnegie with the LSO, along with Yunchan playing Rach 2. (Of course I'm going!)

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Prokofiev | Piano Concerto No. 2
Walton | Symphony No. 1

Curiously enough, I heard this exact program with the CSO about 10 years ago, but the conductor was Semyon Bychkov. I think the pianist was Kirill Gerstein.

Yes, good to see the Walton getting more attention on this side of the ocean. CSO was also supposed to play it during the 2020-21 season, but it didn't happen for some reason 

[Uhor]

Amazing Contemporary Narrative Oratorio

[brewski]

Amazing Contemporary Narrative Oratorio

Don't know this composer at all, but do like the orchestra, conductor, and the Poe story, so I will find a time to work this into the queue. (At 90 minutes, it may be awhile. )

Anyway, thanks for putting it on the radar.

-Bruce

[brewski]

Coming up this weekend at the other DSO (Detroit):


JOHANNES BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Major
BÉLA BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra

David Afkham: conductor
Veronika Eberle: violin

I saw the Philadelphia orchestra perform the Bartók several years ago, and my university perform it last year. I'm still excited to see it again, since it's such a great piece!

When I thought I had to have "a favorite piece" (thankfully, those days are gone), for many years that was it. Nothing like hearing it live. And it really shows off what an orchestra can do.

-Bruce

[Wanderer]

I won't be able to attend this recital, but it's such a wonderful program, I wish I could - the major highlight being Medtner's sublime G minor Sonata! I urge any esteemed members with access to Wigmore Hall in early June: don't miss this!

        Chopin

• • Nocturne in B Op. 62 No. 1
• • Nocturne in C sharp minor Op. 27 No. 1
• • Nocturne in F sharp minor Op. 48 No. 2
• • Nocturne in F Op. 15 No. 1
• • Nocturne in G minor Op. 37 No. 1
• • Nocturne in E flat Op. 55 No. 2
• • Nocturne in C minor Op. 48 No. 1

• Nocturne in E Op. 62 No. 2

[li]Medtner[/li]
[li]

• Piano Sonata No. 3 in G minor Op. 22

[/li]
[li]Tchaikovsky[/li]
[li]

• Dumka Op. 59

Stravinsky

• • 3 Movements from Petrushka
  • Boris Giltburg, piano
  • Tuesday 4 June 2024

[/li]
[/list]

[ultralinear]

I won't be able to attend this recital, but it's such a wonderful program, I wish I could - the major highlight being Medtner's sublime G minor Sonata! I urge any esteemed members with access to Wigmore Hall in early June: don't miss this!

For those unable to attend there will be a livestream:

For some reason the YouTube link says 7th June but the concert is on the 4th.

[Ian]

I just got a couple of tickets for concert by the Orchestre Philharmonique Royale de Liège on Sunday June 23rd.

KODÁLY, Danses de Galánta
JONGEN, Concerto pour harpe
TCHAÏKOVSKI, Roméo et Juliette (version 1880)

Heads up for anyone living in Belgium (or not too far away from Liège), it's a free concert but tickets must be reserved on https://shop.utick.net/?pos=OPRL&module=ACTIVITYSERIEDETAILS&s=5DBFE09C-D186-0D9E-3F29-10453AC0790F

[ultralinear]

British music this evening (just for a change ) :

Knussen  Cleveland Pictures
Britten  Double Concerto for Violin and Viola
Vaughan Williams  Symphony No 1, A Sea Symphony

BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Sakari Oramo conductor
Vilde Frang violin
Lawrence Power viola
Morgan Pearse baritone
Sija Aalto soprano

Available to listen/download on BBC Radio 3 from 11 June.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

British music this evening (just for a change ) :

Knussen  Cleveland Pictures
Britten  Double Concerto for Violin and Viola
Vaughan Williams  Symphony No 1, A Sea Symphony

BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Sakari Oramo conductor
Vilde Frang violin
Lawrence Power viola
Morgan Pearse baritone
Sija Aalto soprano

Available to listen/download on BBC Radio 3 from 11 June.

Looks like an interesting program. I'm especially fond of Britten's Double Concerto for Violin and Viola, which is an earlier work. Frang and Power should be excellent as both of these soloists are remarkable. Of course, I love RVW's A Sea Symphony as well. One of the great first symphonies in my mind. I'm not familiar with the Knussen, but he's a pretty neat composer. I haven't listened to any of his music in ages, though.

[Mookalafalas]

Here in Sapporo, the local symphony is doing a concert of Takemitsu and Xenakis, followed by (of course?) Bolero.  Next month the Quator Danel is performing Russian quartets.

[brewski]

Here in Sapporo, the local symphony is doing a concert of Takemitsu and Xenakis, followed by (of course?) Bolero.  Next month the Quator Danel is performing Russian quartets.

I just found that concert, which looks totally fantastic:

Sapporo Symphony Orchestra
Michiyoshi Inoue, conductor
Tomoki Kitamura, piano

Takemitsu: The Dorian Horizon
Takemitsu: Asterism
Xenakis: Nomos gamma
Ravel: Boléro

-Bruce

[VonStupp]

Gustav Mahler: Symphony 2
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

I was supposed to see this next weekend, but ended up with a possible concussion, so it may not be possible.

Esa-Pekka Salonen was originally leading this performance, but I think he backed out of engagements recently. Have never seen Järvi live.
VS

Ended up being an excellent concert. Like Mahler 8 in Minnesota last year, the orchestral sound can be overwhelming. I was surprised at the amount of young people in the audience, which was sold out.

Carl Grapentine, in the pre-concert talk, made a rather backhanded comment about Thursday's concert. I had no such problems that weekend, and it was good to see Jarvi up and moving from his chair. He certainly used small, efficient gestures, probably for traffic control, except in mvts. 2 & 3 where Jarvi was more emotive with his pattern.
VS