Philharmonia from the RFH Thursday 28th June

[Guest]

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in Mahler's transcendental Symphony No.2 - the Resurrection. In the composer's own words, "The first movement depicts the titanic struggles of a mighty being still caught in the toils of this world; grappling with life and with the fate to which he must succumb - his death". In tonight's performance English soprano Kate Royal and Finnish mezzo Monica Groop take part in the epic finale of which Mahler wrote "The increasing tension, working up to the final climax, is so tremendous that I don't know myself, now that it is over, how I ever came to write it"

The first half of the concert features the London premiere of Rivers to the Sea by young English composer Joseph Phibbs.

Phibbs: Rivers To The Sea (London Première)

8.15: Interval

Mahler: Symphony No. 2, Resurrection

Philharmonia Orchestra
Kate Royal (soprano)
Monica Groop (mezzo-soprano)
Philharmonia Chorus
Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor).
Live from the Royal Festival Hall at London's Southbank Centre
Presented by Martin Handley
Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in Mahler's transcendental... > Show more

A mammoth symphony. I wonder how it will sound, coming from the Royal Festival Hall?

I will listen with interest to the first part of the concert. (and hope)


HS

[rauschwerk]

A mammoth symphony. I wonder how it will sound, coming from the Royal Festival Hall?

Not half as good as it should in the closing bars given the incomplete state of the organ. What a mess the London concert halls are in, what with no organ at the Barbican and only part of one for an indefinite period at the RFH.

[pastoralguy]

Kate Royal's career is really taking off. She seems to be doing Mahler 2 in some pretty august company these days.

[Tony Halstead]

The RFH did have a very good organ for many years.
I remember playing it in the Fauré Requiem, conducted by Arthur Oldham, many years ago, and in Elgar's 'Cockaigne' overture, conducted by Edward Heath (!).
I was once paid a decent fee for NOT playing it! Having been booked to play it in Mozart's Requiem, I turned up for the first rehearsal, only to be sent away by the conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas, before he had even heard a note of the organ part, saying 'we don't need the organ, thank you'.

This musical decision was evidently not relayed to the RFH staff.

Friends of mine at the concert phoned me afterwards, enquiring 'where were you, then?'
Apparently my name was still in the programme booklet and the RFH 'organ minder' , before the concert, as the orchestra and choir were taking their seats, was seen to open the organ doors, switch it on and put the music on the stand!

[salymap]

Morning waldhorn. This will make you laugh! When I first joined one or two misguided souls said "Why don't you write a book!" ME? it was laughable.
When can we read your'memoirs', as the other hornplayer puts it ?? Pretty please...

By the way, Edward Heath was my MP for several years and I heard him play piano duets at a charity do,but never saw him conduct. What was he like as a conductor?

[Hornspieler]

When can we read your'memoirs', as the other hornplayer puts it ?? Pretty please...

By the way, Edward Heath was my MP for several years and I heard him play piano duets at a charity do,but never saw him conduct. What was he like as a conductor?

He couldn't even conduct an emergency meeting! I watched him conduct a childrens concert in the Royal Festival Hall given by the "children" of the ludicrously-named Academy of the BBC. (formerly The BBC Training Orchestra)

But he did promote the cause of classical music, which is more than can be said of any other politician since Jenny Lee was Minister for the Arts in the nineteen sixties.

HS

[salymap]

Chris Newman knew Heath quite well and at lunch time used to sunbath on the roof of the building where he worked. He could eat his lunch up there and be entertained by the PM relaxing by playing the piano, with windows open wide, in his 'posh' Albany flat next door. At least Heath knew more about the arts than the present lot.

[pastoralguy]

At least Heath knew more about the arts than the present lot.

AND appeared to care!

I did see him conduct allbeit briefly. The newly formed European Youth Orchestra were giving a concert as part of the Edinburgh Festival. Tickets were very scarce but the local school children were allowed into the dress rehearsal in the morning where Heath conducted them in (I think) the Overture to 'the Marriage of Figaro'. If I'm honest, I didn't have the critical facility as a young teenager but suffice to say it sounded pretty good.

I do remember him addressing the 'audience' in the most patronising and pompous way! (At least, to my untutored ears, not having been exposed to many Tory Prime Ministers at this point!) Abaddo was the other conductor and I remember the orchestra swapping instruments. The funny thing was that he didn't appear to notice so the joke fell kind of flat as soon as he started conducting.

Bernard Levine talks about this concert in his book 'Conducted tour'.

[Petrushka]

Not half as good as it should in the closing bars given the incomplete state of the organ. What a mess the London concert halls are in, what with no organ at the Barbican and only part of one for an indefinite period at the RFH.

Indeed. I will never forget the thunderous power of the RFH organ in those closing pages in the 1989 performance with Klaus Tennstedt and the LPO and you can hear what I mean from the CD of that performance. Apparently, KT asked the organist to play as loud as possible. He certainly did that! I was pinned to my seat and totally overwhelmed.

[MrGongGong]

The RFH organ is currently in the process of being completely reinstalled

http://www.pulloutallthestops.org/

[rauschwerk]

The RFH organ is currently in the process of being completely reinstalled

Yes I know, and am seriously considering contributing. But by 2014 the hall will have been without the full instrument for seven years!

[salymap]

Tonight from the RFH.

I shall [probably} listen tomorrow.

[Alison]

Fresh, charmless, easy to enjoy the orchestral playing, too excitable in the climaxes.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Fresh, charmless, easy, too excitable in the climaxes.

Somebody call?

[MrGongGong]

Yes I know, and am seriously considering contributing. But by 2014 the hall will have been without the full instrument for seven years!

Isn't that a good reason to be happy that it's going back ?