Sounds Venezuela 2012, South Bank this weekend

[Nick Armstrong]

It was amazing... More tomorrow.

It sounded it (after the sound problem was rectified) on the live stream. The storm sequence sounded ... electrifying!!

Look forward very much to reading a more detailed ear-witness account tomorrow

(Incidentally that principal horn whose solo towards the end (after the organ chorale) was so sweetly immaculate, has just won a major conducting competition http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classica...ko-competition )

[bluestateprommer]

I've only seen the 1st concert from "El Dude" and the SBSO, the Beethoven/Britten concert, on the video from the South Bank Centre's page (much better to handle on my computer than off The Guardian's site, where the feed froze every few seconds, like with the Glyndebourne Cunning Little Vixen recently - but I digress). This was a good (not great) concert, but good will suffice. In the Eroica, it was interesting to note some past "old school" traits, besides the obvious one of the enlarged orchestra (6 horns, 4 bassoons, 4 clarinets, for example), like no exposition repeat in the 1st movement and the fairly stretched out pace for the Funeral March. I agree with Guy Dammann's review in The Guardian that "the funeral march sagged". The Britten came off the best of the bunch, IMHO. What's great about seeing the SBSO isn't the technical level, or the depths of interpretations, but the sheer achievement over the past 35 years of El Sistema that puts us in the USA to shame. Will hopefully get around to the 2nd concert in due course.

[PJPJ]

Esteban Benzecry: Rituales Amerindios - I'm very taken with this piece. As soon as Dudamel and the SBSO had finished their South Bank concerts, they were off to Amsterdam to do the Benzecry and Strauss (+ encores). I've just finished listening to that concert, broadcast by RN 4, a splendid affair made better by the Concertgebouw's organ and acoustic.

[Prommer]

Belatedly: a really great concert. I was sitting in the Choir, and though the balance is a little disturbed there, I had a good vantage point of the orchestra at work. I found the Rituales piece quite interesting on first hearing, and a good curtain raiser to the nature themes of the Strauss. The Alpine Symphony was a treat: huge orchestra, a little uncertain at the start, but then majestic, with many glorious moments along the way, nearly all very well realised. They are incredibly attentive to Dudamel - I've never seen so many musicians hanging on a conductor so obviously and thoroughly, even the best of the best. This has its benefits but also, sometimes, its drawbacks I would think. The encore was a delight, taken very slowly (Goodall would have been proud), and with the closing pages of the entry of the gods into Valhalla tacked straight on to Abendlich Strahit, which I have never heard - is this a usual concert bleeding chunk or did they make this up on the day? It did sound a little patched together...

[Nick Armstrong]

Cheers Prommer. Just a reminder that you can hear it on Classic FM tomorrow from 8pm

Just been listening to the CFM transmission of Saturday's concert - the Britten if anything sounded even more impressive than on the video stream; the Eroica is on as I type.

[amateur51]

(Incidentally that principal horn whose solo towards the end (after the organ chorale) was so sweetly immaculate, has just won a major conducting competition http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classica...ko-competition )

Here he is, with a beautifully beseeching left hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezeh3MuNAGk

Remember the name: Rafael Payare

[Nick Armstrong]

a beautifully beseeching left hand

Better beautifully beseeching than wickedly wandering, say...

Cheers ammy!

PS: just watched that - very good indeed. Wonder if HS or ariosto would care to opine...

[amateur51]

Better beautifully beseeching than wickedly wandering, say...

Cheers ammy!

PS: just watched that - very good indeed. Wonder if HS or ariosto would care to opine...

And waldhorn and MrGongGong

[bluestateprommer]

Finally got to see the 2nd SBSO/Dudamel concert stream, again from the South Bank Centre's website. The Esteban Benzecry work, Rituales Amerindios, was definitely in the "audience-friendly" category of new music, sort of a mash-up of Bartok, Stravinsky, and Golijov in various parts. It was amusing to hear Marshall Marcus talk about those influences as well, while bending over backwards not to criticize or talk the music down in any way. Goodness knows what he thought of it truly.

As also remarked in the recent BBC NOW thread with Thierry Fischer leading Richard Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie, the work is always great fun to listen to, and it was so again here. The bass "growl" in the deep strings at the start was particularly striking to me. Likewise, excellent first horn player, as others have noted. It was also a droll treat to see Bryn Terfel stride on stage for the encore (happily avoiding injuring anyone with the prop spear). The catch with the video treatments is the same phenomenon that I've seen with the LA Phil HD-movie casts, namely a bit too much Dudamel and not enough of orchestra members, sometimes in important solo moments. But he's obviously the main draw and one can't fight that too much, in terms of visual presentation.