Sounds Venezuela 2012, South Bank this weekend

[Nick Armstrong]

Anyone going, inc. to the two Simon Bolivar SO / Dudamel concerts?

http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/festivals-series/sounds-venezuela-2012

I shall be at the informal event on Sunday evening - can't wait to hear the brass players nail Richard Strauss's "Festmusik der Stadt Wien" !

[french frank]

Ze pahzhe to bookmark if you live too far away from ze Grand Wen:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/interactive/2012/jun/21/simon-bolivar-symphony-orchestra-live-stream?newsfeed=true

Saturday 23rd and Tuesday 26 at 7.30pm.

[Nick Armstrong]

hang on a minute, do i gather that having dumped all your angst at mr gong's gong's door, nobody actually watched the live stream from the barbican?

No sign that they did, hf (I confess to having remembered too late this evening)... But one can see it in full from tomorrow using the link posted by frenchie above

[handsomefortune]

No sign that they did, barking.


.... i've already watched it ....enjoyed the beethoven courtesy of 'shell'.

[Nick Armstrong]

I can't make the Guardian page work... (it does say 'come back this evening')... but last night's concert is viewable here: http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co....venezuela-2012

Particularly good to see this orchestra tackle Britten's 'Young Persons' Guide' - starting just after 22' in (with a wonderful opening tuba rasp!! )

Argue all you like about sistemas and Dudamel - that's one cracking performance of the piece... Electrifying woodwind and brass solos in particular (the piccolo at the start of the final peroration )

[Nick Armstrong]

Incidentally, for those who want to listen on their big stereos rather than the computer, I just saw that the two main orchestral concerts will be broadcast... but not by Radio 3

ClassicFM are doing the honours on 1 and 2 July http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/...nds-venezuela/

[Northender]

Did you wear your jacket and/or manage to catch another one?

[Nick Armstrong]

The concert last night by the percussion and brass sections of the orchestra was one of the most sheerly joyous and enjoyable I've ever been to.

Before the interval, the Percussion ensemble (including piano and bass) ranged from a couple of Pat Metheny pieces to Latino pieces, via some clowning around and almost circus performance... Most memorable, 6 or 7 side drums of various sizes lined up across the front of the stage, and the players doing incredible tricks with the drumsticks, twirling, twirling, juggling, exchanging, making the sticks hit each other in mid-air as part of the rhythms... all done with those mischievous broad South American grins... Mesmerising and hilarious.

Then after the interval - wow. Richard Strauss's 'Festmusik' with (by my count) 18 trumpets, 10 trombones, 8 horns (a number of young ladies among the two latter sections), 6 tubas plus the most charismatic of the percussion players on timps: knockout. And then more and more Latin-based music - with four or five encores, plus the usual instrument twirling, dancing, slightly raunchy rear-end wiggling... and one marvellous moment where a soupy duet for French horn and trombone was dramatised with the female horn player and male trombonist standing and playing looking deep into each other's eyes, and anyone else with a spare arm holding it aloft and swaying to the tango rhythm, with fingers making like palm fronds... And then another moment as another piece started to crescendo: the three largest percussionists (all fairly enormous guys) theatrically took off their black jackets in the midst of everything and rolled up their sleeves, and then let rip on their drums at the climax.

Pure 100% high-octane brilliance!

[Nick Armstrong]

Did you wear your jacket and/or manage to catch another one?

Neither!

[amateur51]

The concert last night by the percussion and brass sections of the orchestra was one of the most sheerly joyous and enjoyable I've ever been to.

Before the interval, the Percussion ensemble (including piano and bass) ranged from a couple of Pat Metheny pieces to Latino pieces, via some clowning around and almost circus performance... Most memorable, 6 or 7 side drums of various sizes lined up across the front of the stage, and the players doing incredible tricks with the drumsticks, twirling, twirling, juggling, exchanging, making the sticks hit each other in mid-air as part of the rhythms... all done with those mischievous broad South American grins... Mesmerising and hilarious.

Then after the interval - wow. Richard Strauss's 'Festmusik' with (by my count) 18 trumpets, 10 trombones, 8 horns (a number of young ladies among the two latter sections), 6 tubas plus the most charismatic of the percussion players on timps: knockout. And then more and more Latin-based music - with four or five encores, plus the usual instrument twirling, dancing, slightly raunchy rear-end wiggling... and one marvellous moment where a soupy duet for French horn and trombone was dramatised with the female horn player and male trombonist standing and playing looking deep into each other's eyes, and anyone else with a spare arm holding it aloft and swaying to the tango rhythm, with fingers making like palm fronds... And then another moment as another piece started to crescendo: the three largest percussionists (all fairly enormous guys) theatrically took off their black jackets in the midst of everything and rolled up their sleeves, and then let rip on their drums at the climax.

Pure 100% high-octane brilliance!

Sounds a great evening Caliban - many thanks for your vivid description

[aeolium]

I just caught up with the evening concert of the 23rd today (for some masochistic reason allowed myself to be distracted by some wretched football on that evening) - very enjoyable, especially the performance of the Eroica. I also liked the open-air performance of the Egmont overture on Friday,when some of the Raploch kids were on stage with the SB orchestra. Looking forward to the concert tomorrow.

[Prommer]

I am going to the concert tonight - a Venezuelan piece in the first half (I think - anyone know more?), and then the Alpine Symphony. Or should that be the Andean Symphony?! Could be interesting... Have never been to a SBSO concert before. Given they seem to do encores as a matter of course, what on earth would one select to follow the Strauss? More Strauss? Or some percussive Venezuelan numbers?

[Nick Armstrong]

I am going to the concert tonight - a Venezuelan piece in the first half (I think - anyone know more?), and then the Alpine Symphony. Or should that be the Andean Symphony?! Could be interesting... Have never been to a SBSO concert before. Given they seem to do encores as a matter of course, what on earth would one select to follow the Strauss? More Strauss? Or some percussive Venezuelan numbers?

Probably the latter as it's the end of their residency, and they did the 'tribute to England' thing with Nimrod on Saturday...

Please let us have a review in due course!

[Nick Armstrong]

Given they seem to do encores as a matter of course, what on earth would one select to follow the Strauss? More Strauss? Or some percussive Venezuelan numbers?

....Only Bryn Terfel (in eyepatch and animal skin) coming on to sing Wotan....

(Might as well use those Wagner tubas!)

[Prommer]

It was amazing... More tomorrow. What a coup to have a Wagnerian encore with BT! Leaflets were cannily being handed out afterwards for the upcoming 'Brynfest' at the RFH...