Originally posted by Richard Barrett
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The Mathias is an attractive piece, better (I think) than the VW which has always struck me as rather empty note-spinning. Mathias seemed to get on well with the concerto as a medium for his ideas (there are a good number of them - piano, violin, flute, clarinet, horn, harp as well as oboe), whereas VW always appears slightly inhibited when writing for soloist plus orchestra (despite ascending larks). Slight diversion from the main thread topic - sorry! -
She's at Harvard, I didn't catch what subject but it's not music. She appears to be an exceptionally gifted young person(a star pupil at King Edward VI High School for Girls in addition to the music) but did say after winning YM that academia appealed so that seems to have won out as the prime focus.Originally posted by Lordgeous View Post
I agree about Anna Lapwood - capable, calm and a pleasant voice.Comment
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Anna Lapwood is a top notch presenter IMO wears her learning lightly but no gushing nonsense. All three were outstanding but the oboist’s choice of what sounded like the soundtrack to a B Movie did him no favours.Originally posted by oddoneout View PostComment
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Oddly enough, from his style I wondered if Oscar Navarro was a Vaughan Williams pupil! Not without an ouija board apparently as he's b.1981Originally posted by Roslynmuse View Post
Still a wee bit short on modern influences IMHO.
I keep hitting the Escape key, but I'm still here!Comment
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Musically a most enjoyable final with three attractive pieces I'd never heard before. IMHO all were equal winners and just the right amount of informed and enthusiastic presentation.
Visually it looked as though we were in a Scadi Noir, the lighting was so dismal.
As a horn player I was so pleased to see such a calm, confident player who could scale the heights and depths of the instrument's range. One to follow as we mark the centenary of Dennis Brain's birth in two weeks time!!
It was quite obviously an emotional concert for those in the hall, experiencing live music making with a symphony orchestra almost at full size for the first time in a year.Comment
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Glad you enjoyed it, jongan. It think the orchestra had reduced string numbers...could have done with a fuller string sound in the Ruth Gipps piece, I thought (though it didn't really matter).
Kingfisher, I didn't get any RVW vibes from Navarro at all. Gipps OTOH was, of course, one of his pupils.Comment
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Particularly for Nick Daniels, who was moved to tears by the percussionist.Originally posted by jonfan View PostComment
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I wonder how often one has been moved to tears by a percussionust?! Excited, certainly.Originally posted by oddoneout View PostComment
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There were some tender moments in that marimba piece; but I guess it was the extreme musicality of the young lad that caused Nick Daniels a 'wet-eye' moment.I wonder how often one has been moved to tears by a percussionust?Comment
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For those unable to watch any of the television coverage, this is Fang Zhang's semi final performance (which apparently you can watch without being challeged on whether you have a TV licence or not). What a talent!
It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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Thanks ff Presumably Csaba Zoltan Marjan was the composer of the marimba piece. Fabulously played with incredible range of dynamics and expression....but also what a great feat of composition, with its own distinctive harmonic language throughout.Comment
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I did watch the whole thing eventually and it wasn't as bad as my msg 3 suggested. The performances, once we got to them, were stunning.
Watching and posting in the early hours of the morning is really not a good thing to do, though I couldn't sleep that night. I reread my comments and if anyone wants me to I can delete that post or most of it.
I think a case could have been made for all the finalists. I'm glad that the percussionist who produced a brilliant performance in the earlier rounds still got an award, and maybe he'll come back and win on another occasion.
There was also an award for a very young player who we may see again in the future - well done to him too.
In the end I felt it was the usual apples and pears thing - how do you compare? The horn is undoubtedly a difficult instrument, but I'm not sure that there are many horn concertos which really show it off. To me as a non horn player I would have thought that one of the Strauss concertos would have fit the bill, but there must be terrific pressure to find something new to play. Presumably choice of piece is also taken into account when judging, as that might indicate aspects of technique and musicianship. The Ruth Gipps piece started to sound better after a few repeats, but it doesn't have the immediate impact of the pieces chosen by the other two finalists. The percussion piece had terrific impact, though in the end I thought it was a bit wearing. The oboe work was pretty much a delight from the beginning to the end - even though by the end parts were starting to sound a bit more like a film score. Nicholas Daniels' comment about not being a judge seemed very apposite. It's a pity in some ways that there can't be joint winners, though out of a field of three that would be cruel.
I hope that all of the musicians who made it to the finals and semi-finals manage to do whatever they want from now on - without being overwhelmed. They are indeed very talented, though we didn't need to be told that at every opportunity.Last edited by Dave2002; 05-05-21, 15:23.Comment
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No need to apologise for your earlier posting Dave, this latest one complements it nicely.
Very few finalists, if my memory is correct, chose obvious popular concertos. I’m sure all of them will be offered concert and recording opportunities where I’m sure popular pieces will be expected. It’s good to be alerted to the less familiar.
I used to find five intensive concertos too much for one evening; three just right.Comment
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