Lucerne Festival Orchestra from the RFH

[Petrushka]

Still on a high from being there. No orchestra I've ever heard in the RFH has ever played that well. I feel privileged to have heard Abbado and his orchestra in the flesh

Me too, HD. Can't believe some of the negative comments on here. This was playing of a very high order indeed. The strings had a wonderful warm and sonorous sound and the brass was superlative while timps were as powerful as you could wish. I'll listen to my recording later to see if there were any tschnocal shortcomings that could account for the negative comments.

A great evening in the hall anyway.

[gedsmk]

It may be a case of "you had to be there". I was one of the lucky ones: the orchestra played the Royal Festival Hall as if they belonged there. Abbado was tremendous and at the heart of the interpretation. I wish the Philharmonia could regularly field 10 world class Double Basses and 16 cellos too!

[Colonel Danby]

I've long admired Bruckner Five among his best works and one of the greatest symphonies of the 19C: it was a treat to listen to the broadcast, and listen again on the net. Lucky people who managed to get tickets for a wonderful concert. It was interesting, though, to compare Abbado's Lucerne concert with his interpretation of the fifth he gave a few years ago at the Proms with another of his creations the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, which I was at: both accounts were very fine, but I think that Lucerne project is the result of the wisdom of an old man, and it shows. Chanting his nunc dimissitis, perhaps?

[Petrushka]

I've just listened to my recording of this concert again and have to say it's pretty damn good. The Freeview sound was first rate and a fair reflection of how this came across in the hall. Once again, I repeat that I cannot understand the negative comments of some on here,

Ii's onteresting to note that this broadcast of a major concert event with a world class orchestra under one of the greatest living conductors, a broadcast that is surely at the heart of what R3 does, can manage less than 20 replies on a forum supposedly dedicated to the station. I have to side with Ventilhorn when he 'has a go' about this. Did so few people on this forum listen to it? No-one need feel afraid about making a comment. If this had been a Prom we'd probably have passed the 100 reply mark by Wednesday lunch-time.

Rant over.

[Curalach]

I was unable to listen to the broadcast but recorded it and burned it to CD. It is a very fine performance which makes complete sense of the work. As someone who saw Abbado conduct many times over the years I think we are privileged to be able to hear his thoughts in his autumnal years.

[Bryn]

I was unable to listen to the broadcast but recorded it and burned it to CD.

Same here, sourcing from the HD Sound stream via iTunes. What a noisy inattentive audience they sounded. Good performance with much texture revealed which is all to easily missed.

[PJPJ]

Same here, sourcing from the HD Sound stream via iTunes. What a noisy inattentive audience they sounded. Good performance with much texture revealed which is all to easily missed.

I did hear this concert. Thought the Mozart terrific, though the slow movement seemed rather too quick. The audience coughing and so on at the start of the Bruckner put me off listening past the first movement, and I've saved it for listening later when I'm up to it.

[GrahamMca]

The audience coughing and so on at the start of the Bruckner put me off listening past the first movement

What a shame. The Monday performance was listened to in almost total silence, apart from the usual eruptions between movements, which seemed to amuse the orchestra. Actually they (especially that wonderful wind group) were easily amused throughout, having a really happy gig.