Ashkenazy and Rachmaninov

[Nimrod]

Am I alone amongst the fellow members of this forum in having gone to hear Vladimir Ashkenazy conduct the Philharmonia in The Isle of the Dead and Symphonic Dances this week? I went to the De Montfort Hall in Leicester ( a first visit to that venue for me) and I understand the same programme was played in Basingstoke and the RFH on succeeding nights. Prokofiev's 2nd piano concerto was also played.

Money well spent? You bet your life it was! What fabulous interpretations of the Rachmaninov pieces! It was the first time I've heard the Isle of the Dead live and I doubt that I could have chosen a finer interpreter anywhere on the planet! As you know Ashkenazy was recently selected in BAL as the best choice for the Symphonic Dances, a CD I've enjoyed listening to for many years. What struck me on hearing him conduct it live, at the age of 79, was that he'd not lost any of his rhythmic drive, passion and ability to excite his listeners found on the recording he made 33 years ago. I've since bought the CD with The Isle od the Dead recording, and the same can be said of that, too.

Wonderful stuff!!

[makropulos]

Am I alone amongst the fellow members of this forum in having gone to hear Vladimir Ashkenazy conduct the Philharmonia in The Isle of the Dead and Symphonic Dances this week? I went to the De Montfort Hall in Leicester ( a first visit to that venue for me) and I understand the same programme was played in Basingstoke and the RFH on succeeding nights. Prokofiev's 2nd piano concerto was also played.

Money well spent? You bet your life it was! What fabulous interpretations of the Rachmaninov pieces! It was the first time I've heard the Isle of the Dead live and I doubt that I could have chosen a finer interpreter anywhere on the planet! As you know Ashkenazy was recently selected in BAL as the best choice for the Symphonic Dances, a CD I've enjoyed listening to for many years. What struck me on hearing him conduct it live, at the age of 79, was that he'd not lost any of his rhythmic drive, passion and ability to excite his listeners found on the recording he made 33 years ago. I've since bought the CD with The Isle od the Dead recording, and the same can be said of that, too.

Wonderful stuff!!

No, you weren't the only one. I was there too (at the Leicester concert), and thought the evening got progressively better as it went on. Working backwards, the Symphonic Dances were tremendous, and the Prokofiev Piano Conc. No. 2 was wonderfully muscular (Denis Kozhukin was a superb soloist, I thought - a fine late replacement for Berezowsky). The Isle of the Dead I personally found a lot less successful than you did: Ashkenazy's idiosyncratic conducting technique made for some shaky moments and muddy ensemble (he's a conductor I find it impossible to watch with any pleasure, though sometimes the results make him well worth hearing - as in the Symph. Dances). It was certainly a very interesting programme, and for me the best came last with the thrilling performance of the Symphonic Dances. An evening I'll certainly remember for good reasons, but above all for the second half.

[BBMmk2]

Envy, would be the word I would use, here, Nimrod! :)

[secondfiddle]

[What fabulous interpretations of the Rachmaninov pieces!
Wonderful stuff!![/QUOTE]

Haven't visited the Forum for several days and so missed this post re the Ashkenazy concert.

I went to the RFH to hear the Rachmaninov and Prokofiev. The Isle of the Dead was magnificently done - one could feel the energy going in to the rowers as that boat approached the island in the Bocklin picture, and Ashkenazy paced the different sections of this work, I thought, to perfection. The Prokofiev was equally good and was greeted with tremendous audience applause. The concert ended with a fine performance of Symphonic Dances, a work that doesn't quite have the passion of The Isle of the Dead but was nonetheless greatly enjoyable.

The good news is that the concert was recorded, either by the BBC, or perhaps by the Philharmonia for them to issue on their own label. Let's hope all three works will be issued. With Ashkenazy one gets the feeling that this is real music making; nothing is routine. I was only sorry to have missed his earlier concert with Rachmaninov's Second Symphony.

[Nimrod]

I heartily agreed secondfiddle, the Isle of the Dead was interpreted as good as it gets, a real privilege to hear. I was new to the Prokofiev and will remain so (!)
The Symphonic Dances were also terrific. The 79 year old has lost none of his fire!

[DracoM]

Got it on an old Cd - magic. The thing itself.