Vienna Phil 2012 New Year's concert

[alywin]

In the ORF broadcast, the presenter quoted Jansons from an interview which they had broadcast in the interval.

'Musik war mein erstes Spielzeug' - 'Music was my first toy'.

Oh? Does he give interviews in German these days, or was the presenter just translating?

I'm away from home at the moment, so have only managed to listen to it on the radio so far. Will wait until I get home and view the recording to see what I think about the dancing and so on.

[Sydney Grew]

. . . A woman leader of a VPO section by 2025 perhaps?

Ahh - the fallacy of progress, what.

[Mahlerei]

I've been watching some of Thielemann's VPO Beethoven performances - his conducting has become very strange of late, starting symphonies before the audience has finished applauding, lots of crouching and lunging and much staring at the woodwind and holding his left hand out as if he wants it to dry. He started Beethoven symphony no 7 as though he was assisting an Airbus in landing. He clearly wants it to mean something but .... what?!

Yes, his podium manner is frankly bizarre. His Beethoven is even more so. Most of the time he's like a marionette, while at others he seems to be shooing a gaggle of geese into a barn.

[Barbirollians]

I enjoyed the concert. Not sure about the Tchaikovsky as the Sleeping Beauty extracts stood out as vastly superior music !

Thought Trelawney was appalling leaving aside his bad German pronunciation. Horribly sickly and schmaltzy like pouring condensed milk over a sachertorte !

[John Skelton]

I enjoyed the concert. Not sure about the Tchaikovsky as the Sleeping Beauty extracts stood out as vastly superior music !

They didn't to me . In what way are they vastly superior? (That's not to denigrate the Tchaikovsky extracts - actually I much preferred everything else in the concert, but that's just a personal response - I have a lot of time for much of the music by the Strauss family that I've heard). What is it makes them "vastly superior" music? Just out of curiosity?

[Mr Pee]

I enjoyed the concert. Not sure about the Tchaikovsky as the Sleeping Beauty extracts stood out as vastly superior music !

I think this whole Tchaikovsky/Strauss comparison, which was discussed earlier in the thread as well, is pretty pointless; you're not comparing like for like. Tchaikovsky's waltzes are written in a completely different style, as part of a a romantic ballet or other symphonic composition. They are waltzes just as is Ravel's "La Valse"; it's like comparing a Haydn Symphony with one by Mahler- they both share the name, but that's where the comparison ends.

Johann and Josef Strauss wrote music that is perfectly structured and beautifully orchestrated, with some memorable melodies. But it is what it is- light music, written for entertainment; it's not aspiring to great depth or profundity. Not all classical music has to. That does not make it any less worthy of our attention.

[Pabmusic]

I think this whole Tchaikovsky/Strauss comparison, which was discussed earlier in the thread as well, is pretty pointless; you're not comparing like for like. Tchaikovsky's waltzes are written in a completely different style, as part of a a romantic ballet or other symphonic composition. They are waltzes just as is Ravel's "La Valse"; it's like comparing a Haydn Symphony with one by Mahler- they both share the name, but that's where the comparison ends.

Johann and Josef Strauss wrote music that is perfectly structured and beautifully orchestrated, with some memorable melodies. But it is what it is- light music, written for entertainment; it's not aspiring to great depth or profundity. Not all classical music has to. That does not make it any less worthy of our attention.

With you 100%.

Almost all Strauss waltzes were written to a formula - they had to be, they really were for dancing - introduction (which could be omitted for dancing), four or five waltzes, and a coda. Each waltz would be AABB, AABBAB or A(A)BBA. There are almost no examples that depart from this. Josef's Perlen der Liebe is one, though, and represents a genuine attempt at a concert waltz (his term, by the way; it was the first conzert-walzer). However, the publishers generally refused concert waltzes as they weren't commercial.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Each waltz would be AABB, AABBAB or A(A)BBA. There are almost no examples that depart from this.

True as the scores indicate, but less true yesterday, with repeats omitted from many of the waltzes, even from The Blue Danube.

[Pabmusic]

True as the scores indicate, but less true yesterday, with repeats omitted from many of the waltzes, even from The Blue Danube.

Absolutely right.

[John Skelton]

Josef's Perlen der Liebe is one, though, and represents a genuine attempt at a concert waltz (his term, by the way; it was the first conzert-walzer). However, the publishers generally refused concert waltzes as they weren't commercial.

Pabmusic - do you know the performance on volume 17 of Marco Polo's Josef Strauss edition? Is the CD recommendable? There are some fine things on that disc - I'm tempted!

[Roehre]

I think this whole Tchaikovsky/Strauss comparison, which was discussed earlier in the thread as well, is pretty pointless; you're not comparing like for like. Tchaikovsky's waltzes are written in a completely different style, as part of a a romantic ballet or other symphonic composition. They are waltzes just as is Ravel's "La Valse"; it's like comparing a Haydn Symphony with one by Mahler- they both share the name, but that's where the comparison ends.

Johann and Josef Strauss wrote music that is perfectly structured and beautifully orchestrated, with some memorable melodies. But it is what it is- light music, written for entertainment; it's not aspiring to great depth or profundity. Not all classical music has to. That does not make it any less worthy of our attention.

Couldn't agree more

[amateur51]

Like it does for Count Nikolaus de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzag? Or for Pierre Boulez?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNzZw5RQXs

Don't think so.

I suspect that your comment suggests that my comment (gasp!) suggests that the VPO was on autopilot for Thielemann. I meant to convey that I think that the VPO is a very fine orchestra and that the podium antics of maestro Thielemann didn't put them off

[amateur51]

Yes, his podium manner is frankly bizarre. His Beethoven is even more so. Most of the time he's like a marionette, while at others he seems to be shooing a gaggle of geese into a barn.

A great description

[Pabmusic]

Pabmusic - do you know the performance on volume 17 of Marco Polo's Josef Strauss edition? Is the CD recommendable? There are some fine things on that disc - I'm tempted!

Yes, I'd recommend it, partly because it also contains Music of the Spheres and Village Swallows, which are also great waltzes. As usual with extended Naxos series, the performances can be variable. I think Ernst Märzendorfer could generate a bit more life occasionally, but there's nothing less than good playing. And the music's lovely.

Perlen der Liebe was Josef's wedding present for his bride, Caroline.

[John Skelton]

I suspect that your comment suggests that my comment (gasp!) suggests that the VPO was on autopilot for Thielemann. I meant to convey that I think that the VPO is a very fine orchestra and that the podium antics of maestro Thielemann didn't put them off

Our porpoises were crossed . If there is a problem with the VPO's music-making I suspect it's an endless ability to auto-pilot being the VPO.

Perhaps Thielemann is doing those strange things for a bet?