BBC NOW/Thierry Fischer Friday 16/03/12

[jayne lee wilson]

What a wonderful concert!

I got in too late for the Martin but the playing of soloists and orchestra thereafter was both brilliant and very affecting.
The sound was wonderful too, from a whisper quiet pp to out-of-your-seat percussive climaxes in the Lutoslawski Concerto.

As I played Munch's Honegger 4th early this morning, I though, "they'll have a hard time matching this"... well, they did and to spare! The delivery of this lovable and atmospheric piece was exciting and tender, light-on-its-feet but punching hard when it should, and all with a scintillatingly bright, warm and tuneful French orchestral style. The Stravinsky was similarly dispatched with grace, precision, and virtuosity.

Well done to all - what a shame we don't get more live events like this, with such fresh and engaging repertoire.

[jayne lee wilson]

Just thought I'd heave this into view one last time... did no-one else listen? What a shame, but it must still be available, very highly recommended!!

[Serial_Apologist]

Just thought I'd heave this into view one last time... did no-one else listen? What a shame, but it must still be available, very highly recommended!!

'Fraid not in my case Jayne - but I do know the pieces, especially the Honegger 4, my fave piece by this composer, the orchstration of which, by the way, has an extraordinary cooling effect if listened to on a hot day.

[french frank]

Well done to all - what a shame we don't get more live events like this, with such fresh and engaging repertoire.

It was an interesting choice of works from Thierry Fischer - appropriately each piece with a Swiss connection. TF must be moving into the final phase of his tenure with the BBC NOW.

[Alf-Prufrock]

I too thought this concert very well done. It reminded me of the sort of concerts I used to create for myself from my collection of LPs in the 60s and 70s, when I was a young man extending my experience in the musical world. I thought myself very daring to listen to such moderns as Stravinsky, Honegger and Frank Martin in one session!

[bluestateprommer]

I just heard this concert on iPlayer last week under the wire, before the time cutoff. Agree with all that this was a wonderfully enterprising program, the kind that pops up all too rarely and would probably never show up on this side of the pond. The only complaint was that TF perhaps let the pulse in the Honegger get slack a bit at times, but given how lovely and balm to the soul the 4th Symphony is, I was willing to overlook that and just otherwise enjoy. I wonder how much Honegger's symphonies get performed even in Switzerland now.