BERLIN PHILHARMONIC Live every afternoon next week.

[Guest]

All next week (mon - Fri) there are programmes of recent BPO live concerts with various conductors.
The selection is amazing and my only question is why are they being broadcast when most people are out at work?
Wednesday includes the recent 50th anniversary concert of the opening of the Philharmonie in Berlin in 1963.

Episode 1
Berlin Philharmonic Episode 1 of 4
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
First broadcast: Monday 14 April 2014
Louise Fryer presents a week of recent performances by the Berlin Philharmonic beginning today with Janacek's Glagolitic Mass conducted by Sir Simon Rattle,
the orchestra's current Principal Conductor and Artistic Director.
Janacek's passionate outpouring of love for the natural world is follwed today by the darker world of Goethe's Faust,
as seen by Wagner and then by Franz Liszt in his epic symphony.
Tomorrow afternoon, Sir Simon Rattle's predecessor, the late Claudio Abbado,
conducts Mendelssohn's music from A Midsummer Night's Dream and Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique
in what proved to be his last appearance with his former orchestra.
On Wednesday there's a chance to catch the orchestra's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of their hall, the Berlin Philharmonie,
whilst on Thursday, Daniel Harding conducts a performance of Schumann's seldom-heard music for Goethe's Faust.
And the week ends with Bach's St John Passion conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

MONDAY 14 April
Janacek
Glagolitic Mass
Christian Schmitt (organ),
Luba Organásová (soprano),
Mihoko Fujimura (mezzo-soprano),
Stuart Skelton (tenor),
Christian Gerhaher (baritone),
Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno,
Berlin Philharmonic,
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

c. 2.40pm
Janacek
The Wandering of a Little Soul [reconstructed and completed by Milos Stedron and Leos Faltus]
Thomas Zehetmair (violin),
Berlin Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert (conductor)

c. 2.55pm
Wagner
A Faust Overture in D minor, WWV 59
Berlin Philharmonic, Riccardo Chailly (conductor)

c. 3.05pm
Liszt
A Faust Symphony, S. 108 (1855)
Nikolai Schukoff (tenor),
Men's voices of the Berlin Radio Chorus,
Berlin Philharmonic, Riccardo Chailly (conductor)

c. 4.20pm
Stravinsky
Orchestral Suite no. 1
Berlin Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel (conductor).

EPISODE 2



Berlin Philharmonic Episode 2 of 4
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
First broadcast: Tuesday 15 April 2014
The late Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a concert recorded last May which proved to be his last appearance with his former orchestra.
The legendary conductor's yearly appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic were always red letter days in the orchestra's calendar
and here he can be heard in the magical music of Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Berlioz's dream-induced Symphonie fantastique.
The latter was a work which Claudio Abbado never conducted during his time as the Berlin Philharmonic's Musical Director.
This afternoon's programme begins with Zubin Mehta, Abbado's friend from his student days in Vienna,
conducting Beethoven's Emperor Concerto and the Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony, the latter played as a tribute to Claudio Abbado.
Presented by Louise Fryer.

2.00pm Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, op. 73 ('Emperor')
Rudolf Buchbinder (piano),
Berlin Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta (conductor)

c. 2.35pm
Mahler
Adagietto from Symphony no. 5
Berlin Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta (conductor)

2.45pm Mendelssohn
Excerpts from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,'
Deborah York (soprano),
Stella Doufexis (mezzo-soprano),
Female voices of the Choir of Bavarian Radio,
Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado (conductor)

3.25pm
Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, op. 14
Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado (conductor).



EPISODE 3


Berlin Philharmonic Episode 3 of 4
Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
First broadcast: Wednesday 16 April 2014
The Berlin Philharmonic's concert in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Philharmonie.
With a design heavily influenced by the stringent acoustic requirements of Herbert von Karajan,
the Philharmonie has been the orchestra's home ever since.
Simon Rattle and friends devised a fascinating celebratory concert which explores the acoustic properties of the hall
in music ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day and which ends with Berlioz's monumental Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale.
Presented by Louise Fryer.

2.00pm
Giovanni Gabrieli
Canzon septimi et octavi toni a 12

Wolfgang Rihm
IN-SCHRIFT 2 (Première)

c. 2.20pm
Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

c. 3.35pm
Beethoven
Movement I of Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, op. 27 No. 2
Mitsuko Uchida (piano)

Kurtag
... quasi una fantasia ... , for piano and instrumental sections in spatial disposition, op. 27 No. 1
Mitsuko Uchida (piano)
members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

2.55pm
Berlioz
Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale, op. 15
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestral Academy (conducting scholar: Duncan Ward),
Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle (conductor).

THURSDAY

Schumann - Scenes from Goethe's Faust
Thursday Opera Matinee
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
First broadcast: Thursday 17 April 2014
Schumann's Scenes from Goethe's Faust
Daniel Harding conducts an all-star cast in this rare performance of Schumann's dramatic masterpiece which gives full voice
both to the struggle between good and evil at the heart of Goethe's work and to Faust's tumultuous search for enlightenment and peace.
Written a decade or so after Goethe's death, Schumann's music, like Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique is a touch stone of Romanticism;
it calls for a vast array of soloists and encompasses song, horror opera, grand opera, oratorio and church music as Faust woos Gretchen,
Ariel and the spirits call Faust to savour the beauties of nature and he deludes himself on hearing of a new world
being created and its rapturous promise of an everlasting present.
The Schumann is followed by a performance recorded a couple of weeks ago of a flute concerto by Carl Reinecke, a pupil of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Liszt.

Presented by Penny Gore

Schumann Scenes from Goethe's Faust
Ariel ..... Werner Güra (tenor),
Gretchen ..... Dorothea Röschmann (soprano),
Luca Pisaroni (bass-baritone) Mephisto,
Faust ..... Christian Gerhaher (baritone),
Marthe ..... Martina Janková (soprano),
Pater profundus .....Franz-Josef Selig (bass-baritone),
Wiebke Lehmkuhl (contralto),
Elisabeth von Magnus (mezzo-soprano),
Berlin Radio Chorus, Robin Gritton (chorus master),
Boys of the Berlin State and Cathedral Choir,
Berlin Philharmonic,
Daniel Harding (conductor)

followed at 3.55pm by

Peteris Vasks
Cantabile for Strings
Berlin Philharmonic, Andris Nelsons (conductor)

Reinecke
Flute Concerto in D, op. 283
Andreas Blau (flute),
Berlin Philharmonic, Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor).


EPISODE 4


Berlin Philharmonic Episode 4 of 4
Duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes
First broadcast: Friday 18 April 2014
Sir Simon Rattle conducts this performance of Bach's St John Passion, recorded at the end of February in the Berlin Philharmonie.

J.S. Bach: St John Passion
Mark Padmore (Evangelist, tenor)
Roderick Williams (Christus, baritone)
Camilla Tilling (soprano)
Magdalena Kozená (mezzo-soprano)
Topi Lehtipuu (tenor)
Christian Gerhaher (baritone)
Berlin Radio Chorus
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

Followed at c. 2.55pm by

Schubert
Symphony No. 4 in C minor, 'Tragic' D. 417
Berlin Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel (conductor)

[BBMmk2]

What a great service you have bestowed on us, Slarty! thank you ever so much for this sterling, detailed work! I know what my listening schedule will be next week!! :)

[Petrushka]

Praise be for the I-player!

As usual, however, with these Ao3 broadcasts one has to complain at the 'bits and pieces' approach to having parts of complete concerts scattered about. I'd much rather have complete concerts as originally programmed. The Abbado concert looks a must hear as does the Rattle one next day.

[Bryn]

Today we had Janacek's Glagolitic Mass in what sounded like the Paul Wingfield edition. No mention was made of the version used of course, indeed, the description read out appeared to be of the revised, simplified published in the '20s.

Trying to chase up the current state of debate re. the Zahrádka and Wingfield editions relating to the 1927 'original' version, I note that John Tyrrell has contributed an article, "Two Versions of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass" to Notes , Vol. 70, No. 3 (March 2014). Has anyone here read the full article, and if so, would they please give a precis of it here?

[makropulos]

Today we had Janacek's Glagolitic Mass in what sounded like the Paul Wingfield edition. No mention was made of the version used of course, indeed, the description read out appeared to be of the revised, simplified published in the '20s.

Trying to chase up the current state of debate re. the Zahrádka and Wingfield editions relating to the 1927 'original' version, I note that John Tyrrell has contributed an article, "Two Versions of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass" to Notes , Vol. 70, No. 3 (March 2014). Has anyone here read the full article, and if so, would they please give a precis of it here?

Yes, it was Wingfield's edition. As an aside - on Sunday at the RFH we had Jiri Zahradka's edition of the definitive (final) version with the Philharmonia conducted by Jakub Hrusa (superbly). When I was talking to Hrusa beforehand, we concluded that all three editions (Wingfield, Zahradka 1927 and Zahradka 1928) had a lot going for them - and I find myself increasingly reluctant to pick one over the other, since they all work so well (and are all faithful to Janacek's thoughts at one point or another in the work's genesis). I've put out feelers for a copy JT's Glag Mass review in Notes and will post a precis as soon as I get hold of it.

[mercia]

EPISODE 4


Berlin Philharmonic Episode 4 of 4
Duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes
First broadcast: Friday 18 April 2014
Sir Simon Rattle conducts this performance of Bach's St John Passion, recorded at the end of February in the Berlin Philharmonie.

J.S. Bach: St John Passion
Mark Padmore (Evangelist, tenor)
Roderick Williams (Christus, baritone)
Camilla Tilling (soprano)
Magdalena Kozená (mezzo-soprano)
Topi Lehtipuu (tenor)
Christian Gerhaher (baritone)
Berlin Radio Chorus
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

Followed at c. 2.55pm by

Schubert
Symphony No. 4 in C minor, 'Tragic' D. 417
Berlin Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel (conductor)

looking at that timing, do you think the Bach will be divided into two with the Schubert in the middle ? or do you think the Schubert will be at 3.55pm ?

[slarty]

whoever was responsible for calculating the timings for the BBC Radio three schedules, should really get a transfer to a different department. He or she has not got a clue.
I did not adjust the timings when pasting it all together, not knowing whether they were doing excerpts or what.
I imagine the Schubert will be as you suggest.

[gradus]

DAB on headphones for the St John Passion whilst doing the garden. Loved the performance which was highly dramatic and intense and pretty wonderful all round. Bach and Britten for convoluted tenor lines defying the singer to stay with the accompaniment.

[Pegleg]

Musical taste is a very personal thing. Due to the timing I elected to watch and listen to this on youtube this evening: Masaaki Suzuki conducts the Bach Collegium Japan in a performance of Bach's St. John Passion BWV 245 at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo on July 28, 2000. http://youtu.be/-d9FLEIQfME

Catching up on iplayer late this evening, after listening to a few parts of Rattle's performance, I turned it off.

[David-G]

As usual, however, with these Ao3 broadcasts one has to complain at the 'bits and pieces' approach to having parts of complete concerts scattered about. I'd much rather have complete concerts as originally programmed.

Yes, I agree absolutely.

[Oliver]

Rattle's Tallis Fantasia was rather good.....I don't recall his conducting VW before. Has he? That period of English music, with a few notable exceptions, doesn't seem to appeal to him

[Petrushka]

Rattle's Tallis Fantasia was rather good.....I don't recall his conducting VW before. Has he? That period of English music, with a few notable exceptions, doesn't seem to appeal to him

He's certainly done the RVW 5 and that ubiquitous ascending lark but, as with Elgar, it's a great pity he doesn't seem to have much sympathy for either composer as I think he'd have much to offer. Perhaps it will come.

[BBMmk2]

I hope Rattle does so in future. Indeed the RVW Tallis was rather good. His Lark with Kennedy, also.