RLPO/Petrenko/Liverpool Phil. Hall 1.10.15 ( R3 In Concert 2.10.15 )

[Stanfordian]

“Brass too loud” can be a problem in less-than-ideal halls – e.g. RFH & Barbican, or Free Trade Hall of blessed memory (though Cox’s Bar might have contributed materially to the extra decibel levels there) or with conductors who fail to balance textures properly. I’ve no experience of the Preston Guild Hall – are concerts there as few and far between as the apocryphally infrequent meetings of the actual guild itself ? If so, it would seem that the Alpine Symphony has been far luckier in enjoying regular outings on Radio 3 in the last few years. Proms with Dresden/Luisi (2009) & VPO/Haitink (2012) were highlights, though both rather more accident-prone in the brass & woodwind department than was the RLPO the other night . In 2015 we’ve had Philharmonia/Maazel back in March, a combined BBCPhil/Halle jamboree last year, & BBCNOW/Sondergard in 2013.


Incidentally, the offstage “Jagdhörner von ferne” in Luisi’s Dresden Proms performance were onstage, which of course is contrary to the composer’s instructions & presumably done for cost reasons. How was it in the Semper Oper ?

Hiya Maclintick,

I like it! Yes, Cox's Bar had a lot to answer for with some BBC Phil and Halle brass players. Closeby was also Tommy Ducks but that's for another day. I also reported from the combined BBCPhil/Halle in the Alpensinfonie at the Bridgewater last year that I felt was extremly well conducted by Juanjo Mena. At Dresden as with the Liverpool Phil I could hear the off-stage brass but had left each respective hall before the players appeared on the stage for the applause.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

At Dresden as with the Liverpool Phil I could hear the off-stage brass but had left each respective hall before the players appeared on the stage for the applause.

When the Dresdeners played is at the Proms a few years ago, there was no off-stage brass - just cues played by the on-stage brass with mutes. Not good.
The superb Halle/BBC Phil/Mena performance was a moment to savour, though why there was (apparently) no wind machine is very difficult to understand.
Let's try to forget the 70+ minutes Maazel.

[Flay]

Closeby was also Tommy Ducks but that's for another day.

Eh?

[Stanfordian]

Eh?

The ceiling of Tommy Ducks pub was covered with womens knickers that had been donated and pinned-up. I kid you not.

[Flay]

The ceiling of Tommy Ducks pub was covered with womens knickers that had been donated and pinned-up.

sorry I asked

[jean]

Friday evening I was at Preston Guild Hall for the performance of the Strauss 'An Alpine Symphony' by the Liverpool Phil. I've heard the 'Alpine' 3 times in the last 2 seasons the finest was in June 2014 by the Staatskapelle Dresden under Christian Thielemann from the Semperoper, Dresden. The Liverpool Phil also played 4 pieces from 'The Seasons' and a selection from 'Songs of the Auvergne'. Petrenko's brass in particular was loud, very loud, too loud.

That was this afternoon's programme, too; I'd rather have missed the first half, frankly, though Jennifer Johnston sang well (didn't realise she was 'Liverpool's own star mezzo'). I'd have preferred the Berio, which they did on Thursday.

I enjoyed the Strauss very much, though as I've never heard it before, I'm no judge. The brass certainly wasn't too loud in the Philharmonic Hall. Was the offstage brass really there at all? Or did they just record them? I wasn't at all sure what sort of noise the wind machine was producing, for all that apparent effort.

I had an image in my mind of the Gran Paradiso where I have just been, but whether that was only because I'd been nudged in that direction by the programme note, I cannot say.

.

[Stanfordian]

That was this afternoon's programme, too; I'd rather have missed the first half, frankly, though Jennifer Johnston sang well (didn't realise she was 'Liverpool's own star mezzo'). I'd have preferred the Berio, which they did on Thursday.

I enjoyed the Strauss very much, though as I've never heard it before, I'm no judge. The brass certainly wasn't too loud in the Philharmonic Hall. Was the offstage brass really there at all? Or did they just record them? I wasn't at all sure what sort of noise the wind machine was producing, for all that apparent effort.

I had an image in my mind of the Gran Paradiso where I have just been, but whether that was only because I'd been nudged in that direction by the programme note, I cannot say.

.

Hiya Jean,

The extremly loud brass volume was mainly down to the terrible and variable acoustics in the Guild Hall which was generally louder, clearer and more variable than usual depending on where one was sat. To accomodate the expanded orchestra the small boxy stage had been taken down and the strings were positioned on the hard wooden floor. Undertaking a sound check must have been a nightmare. The single wind machine was a waste of time too. Last season for Strauss's Don Quixote by the BBC Phil at the Bridgewater, Junjo Mena employed 3 wind machines which could barely be heard.