Mozart and Mahler live tonight from the Barbican

[Guest]

Mozart:Piano Concerto Nº 20
-
Mahler: Symphony Nº 7

BBC symphony orchestra

HS

[amateur51]

Jiří Bĕlohlávek conductor
Jan Lisiecki piano

[Alison]

Dear Chris Newman most probably queueing at the door now !

[salymap]

The one Mozart concerto I have a little trouble with. At 18 a close friend practised the Romanza, middle movement, for what seemed like years, for a concert at her College. She even played it on my piano when she visited us. It's a lovely work though, one of the two in minor keys I believe.

[Chris Newman]

Dear Chris Newman most probably queueing at the door now !

'Fraid not, Alison. I had a cold two weeks ago and it is still getting on my chest. I wouldn't want to join the coughers club. Then I could pretend to be a cow bell? Not conviced by cow bells in this symphony....sound too much like someone mixing cocktails in the back row

[Curalach]

....sound too much like someone mixing cocktails in the back row

Now, there's an idea that could catch on!

[3rd Viennese School]

Mahler 7! I'll be there!

Well, in my flat anyway.

Discovering Music sounds interesting but I dont think they are going to cover Mahler 7 in 20 minutes!

By the time they've mentioned the boat rowing, Castrol GTX, Johnny remember me , Red Dwarf and the witches sabbath time will be up!

3VS

[jayne lee wilson]

Well!! Got your breath back yet? A truly wonderful Mahler 7, I'm still drying my eyes after as crazily brilliant a finale as I've heard, the manic mood-switching, irony and humour worthy of Bernstein himself...

And a Mozart D Minor both fiery and finely drawn, fully sung out by the BBCSO with some wonderful string and wind playing, and a young soloist who combined brilliant virtuosity - and power, especially in LVB's cadenzas - with a warmly expressive interpretative approach.

And after that terrific VW6 last night! Goodness me, I'm off to celebrate, or recover, or just remember that the real world still exists...

[Alison]

Yes, a freshly minted Mahler 7, with not a hint of that old BBCSO generalised mush.

Just about Gustav's finest finale after all !

[Chris Newman]

Yes, a freshly minted Mahler 7, with not a hint of that old BBCSO generalised mush.

Just about Gustav's finest finale after all !

Ah! Bliss! I am so happy that you are catching up with the much underestimated Jiří.

[Alison]

I really wish we could kick into touch once and for all the 'cinderella of Mahler
symphonies' myth.

It's a staggering work, from beginning to end.

Ok, he's got a good radio voice (and doesn't he know it!) but largely a load of waffle
from Stephen Johnson in the interval talk, thrillingly tossed aside by the music itself.

[jayne lee wilson]

...and at some point we should reiterate just how fine the R3 HDs 320kbps stream sounds these days. The last few weeks of concerts, going back to the Philharmonia/Dohnanyi Brahms Requiem, have been superbly produced and engineered.

[mercia]

Ok, he's got a good radio voice (and doesn't he know it!) but largely a load of waffle
from Stephen Johnson in the interval talk

that's interesting. In my humble opinion he has a terrible radio voice - it sounds to me as if he has permanent laryngitis.

admittedly I don't know the Mozart inside out but was there a short memory lapse by the soloist leading up to the last movement cadenza? something sounded odd to me at that point.

[Alison]

There seems quite a buzz at these Friday night BBCSO gigs at the Barbican.

Shame its the worst night to travel home by train.

Are the tickets still unreserved for these events ?

[Bryn]

I have not previously held HB's direction in, high regard. However, I must concur. This was, indeed a particularly fine Mahler Seven.