Edinburgh Festival Queen's Hall concerts

[Flosshilde]

Any views on today's concert? I switched it on some way into the first half. Although I knew there would be some Mahler, I identified what I was hearing at that point as Schubert* ( & see my comments in the 'Where is everyone' thread). My second thought was that I really, really didn't like the singer, to discover that it was Ian Bostridge - so I was right at least about that . How to ruin Mahler!

*It was actually Mahler

[doversoul1]

The Mahler songs: as I was hearing rather than listening, this is only an impression but the voice sounded to me too intense throughout which made all the songs rather same-y (I assume this comes from my ignorance about Mahler’s songs).

Weill: As Donald Macleod said, I expected these songs to ‘conjure up the atmosphere of the 1920s Berlin’. What I heard sounded far too English. I think Weill came, in the best sense, nearest to cross over into non-classical songs. I thought this element was missing from this performance*.

I didn’t get round to listen to the Britten songs.

I thought Julius Drake was excellent, especially in Weill’s Beat! Beat! Drums!. I forgot for a few second that it wasn’t an orchestra that was accompanying the singer.

[ed.] * but these songs may meant to be different?

[EdgeleyRob]

Yes, I thought the whole of the Shostakovitch quintet was given a very eloquent and moving performance. I missed the start of the Brahms, not knowing about the concert coverage until I was alerted to it, but what I heard was also very good. Although the draw for not a few of the audience will have been Nicola Benedetti, I was really impressed by the articulation and tonal colour of the pianist, Alexei Grynyuk, whose playing I don't recall having heard before.

ER, can I also draw your attention to the Proms Chamber Music concert from lunchtime yesterday (following the EIF concert): fine performances of Prokofiev and Schubert by Janine Jansen, Itamar Golan and Sakari Oramo.

Thanks aeolium,caught up with this tonight.

The Schubert is such a beautiful work isn't it,and so well played.
First time I've ever heard the Prokofiev sonata,I'd probably have to have to have another listen to this.

[Ockeghem's Razor]

I thought Ian Bostridge was better in the Britten. I don't warm to him in Mahler or, above all, Schubert. Someone gave me the DVD of his 'Winterreise' with the excellent Julius Drake and it is quite embarrassing.

[Lento]

I know that some find Bostridge too mannered, but it didn't spoil the Mahler for me, though he did get slightly lost on the battlefield at one point (wholly understandable, imv). Didn't hear the rest.

[Blotto]

German cellist Alban Gerhardt and Scottish pianist Steven Osborne come together for a mixed programme of both solo and duo works by Britten, Tippett and Beethoven live from the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh.

Britten: Suite No 1 for Cello
Tippett: Piano Sonata No 4

Interval at 12.00noon approx. Tippett: 5 Negro Spirituals from A Child of Our Time + three choral songs - Bonny at Morn; Dance, Clarion Air (a lovely madrigal); The Weeping Babe was advertised but Music (setting a Shelley poem) was played instead.

Beethoven: Cello Sonata no. 4
Britten: Cello Sonata

Alban Gerhardt, cello
Steven Osborne, piano.

Did anyone catch Steven Osborne playing Tippett's fourth piano sonata yesterday? It's available on iplayer until Wednesday 20th August.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04d4nbr

It's not a work I've heard much or that's been played much but Osborne gave it twice in London this spring and again yesterday. It's a strange, rangy piece. Five movements - the opening two shorter, the other three longer. I must admit to a reluctance over the years to acquaint myself with it which was reinforced by reading some dismissive remarks. However, when I sit down to listen now, I hear a very approachable piece, full of the satisfyingly off-colour harmony of Tippett's old age with lots of vigour and some good bluesy tunes (I even thought I caught sight of Jan Garbarek and Charlie Haden for a moment).

[johnb]

Ever since being present when he performed Messiaen's Vingt Regards some years ago at the Cheltenham Pittville Pump Room I've been a great fan of Steven Osborne and am very much looking forward to catching up with this concert, probably tomorrow.

[Pianorak]

a great fan of Steven Osborne

Love his Nikolai Kapustin recordings!

[pastoralguy]

I've been a great fan of Steven Osborne...

Here's a wee story about Steven Osborne.

Steven Osborne plays a concert every year in his home town of Linlithgow. Some years it'll be a solo recital and other years lt'll be a concerto performance with a very good amateur orchestra from Edinburgh for which I played in. I used to drive the Transit van with the orchestra's percussion instruments and, of course, always arrived early so the percussionists could set up.

On one occasion, I got there a couple of hours before the rehearsal to find S.O. working at the Beethoven 'Emperor' concerto. I did my best to make a start without disturbing him but he asked me what I was up to. When I told him he immediately offered to help moving the timps and big percussion stuff. Of course , I expressed concern about his hands but he insisted so I got the job done in half the time!

I thanked him and we got chatting and I mentioned that I love the late Brahms piano pieces whereupon he sat at the piano and played me a couple of them!

Steven Osborne = nice guy!!

[Blotto]

... I mentioned that I love the late Brahms piano pieces whereupon he sat at the piano and played me a couple of them!

Steven Osborne = nice guy!!

So it seems.

[johnb]

At the Cheltenham Vingt Regards recital he introduced the piece saying that he had wanted to play it without a break but his wife protested so there was going to be a 5 minute interval. His wife was sitting just in front of me and after the performance I told her just how much I enjoyed SO's performance (though "enjoyed" seems a totally inadequate term). I got the impression that they were both really nice down to earth people.

[Sir Velo]

Did anyone catch Steven Osborne playing Tippett's fourth piano sonata yesterday? It's available on iplayer until Wednesday 20th August.

I did, and agree it was a masterly performance of a work which makes massive demands on listener and performer alike. However, I was even more spellbound by Gerhardt's virtuosic traversal of the first cello suite. All the work's inner voices were captured in a way which was fully integrated with the waspish attack of the faster music, completely dispelling memories of the work's dedicatee (no easy matter!).

[Flosshilde]

the first cello suite. ... the work's dedicatee

Who was the dedicatee, & why should memories of (probably) him be dispelled?


(thinking about it, because the original dedicatee produced an exceptionally good performance?)

[johnb]

Because Rostropovich was such a towering figure?

[Bryn]

Tuned in too late for the Schönberg (arr. Steuermann) this morning, so eagerly awaiting its appearance on the iPlayer 'Listen Again' facility. Fine Soldier's Tale performance, I thought.