LSO/Davis 6/12/11

[jayne lee wilson]

Just wanted to acclaim a superb performance of Nielsen's 2nd Symphony, live from the Barbican on Tuesday night.

A finely engineered broadcast (though I would still like a wider dynamic range..), revealingly the splendour of the LSO at their best for their (and our) beloved octogenerian, with a sound both full and rich, transparent and crisp. The anger was ferocious, the melancholy truly tragic, the final sanguinity the more impressive and joyful for being so relaxed, dancing springily rather than charging headlong.

What a lovable piece it is - wonderful how in the midst of all the bile, the second group of the first movement is so life-affirmingly glorious!

He may have come to Nielsen a little late, but Sir Colin is at one with the idiom - a true Nielsen - er, what DO you call someone who loves Nielsen or performs him greatly?

A Nielseneer, perhaps...?

[Chris Newman]

- er, what DO you call someone who loves Nielsen or performs him greatly?

A Nielseneer, perhaps...?

A god?

[Dave2002]

A god?

It was superb in the hall, particularly the first movement. The rest of the concert was merely very good. I await the LSO Live disc with keen anticipation.

[Ferretfancy]

Dave2002

Nice to know that you were there too, and we agree on the performances. The first half just didn't take flight for me ( see the last concert thread ) and perhap sit was partly my mood, but the Nielsen was terrific. I'm looking forward to next Sunday.

[johnb]

I was listening to R3 and certainly agree about the Nielsen.

Perhaps it was just my mood but I couldn't 'settle' to the Beethoven concerto. One thing that kept jarring me was the balance between piano and orchestra. The piece should be a conversation between the two but so very often the balance leant towards the piano so much that it totally dominated everything, even when it shouldn't. (I realise that some additional 'help' for concerto soloists is frequently used, both in recordings and Radio 3 broadcasts, to help offset the lack of visual clues - but it is often overdone IMO.)

Was it the R3 balance engineers or was it the same in the hall? (Or was it me being unjustifiably hyper-critical?)

[Ferretfancy]

johnb

The balance in the hall was good, although I wish that I had been in the stalls. I find that the sound in the balcony at the Barbican is a bit upfront, coming in a block as it were. This suited the Nielsen better than the Beethoven and Haydn, together with the splendid performance.

[Chris Newman]

The Nielsen was gorgeous. The first three movements really were the bee's knees. The balance (radio) got bungled towards the end of the finale (so many Barbican broadcasts sound like underground gents' loos). If the recording on lso.live is as good as usual it will be another for the list.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

(so many Barbican broadcasts sound like underground gents' loos). If the recording on lso.live is as good as usual it will be

... "Loosless"?