Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Tonight live from the Lighthouse Poole

[jayne lee wilson]

Which opens up the subject of what might an inaccessible percussion concerto sound like?

Probably a lot more interesting! Another "Panic" would be good, booing, leaving the hall...
But "accessible" in contemporary music is a word, or a concept, with a subtext or two...

[jayne lee wilson]

Of course, the other way to look at it is that over 250 people (and counting) have viewed the thread which suggests that your opinions are highly respected. I hope you won't be offended if I say that I frequently use your concert reflections as a supplement to the concert reviews in the national press; as an aid in deciding which to seek out on the iplayer. In this instance, and in many others, I frequently listen to concerts several days, if not weeks (no names, no packdrill!) after the actual performance. I suspect others do likewise, which means that many of us haven't as yet got round to listening to this one. Having said that, noone who has posted on this concert has appeared to have much enthusiasm for it, which may be another reason why few other responses have been elicited.

That's fair enough SV, but those us who persist in our post-concert opinionations would still welcome other points of view, and preferably soon after the live event. This has happened at the Proms a fair bit, so why not after RFH or Bridgewater? Yes, I too worry about putting others off if I go on a bit, but then I post late at night and there's still little to respond to from earlier...

[Hornspieler]

That's fair enough SV, but those us who persist in our post-concert opinionations would still welcome other points of view, and preferably soon after the live event. This has happened at the Proms a fair bit, so why not after RFH or Bridgewater? Yes, I too worry about putting others off if I go on a bit, but then I post late at night and there's still little to respond to from earlier...

Your support is most welcome, Jayne, but are you suggesting that some message boarders only listen to the Proms because they are Proms and have no interest in listening to the same music; often better played and with a better acoustic (not to mention a better behaved and attentive audience) being broadcast on other evenings during the year?

I sincerely hope that it is not true - otherwise the "Performance" thread is not serving any useful purpose on this R3 forum, since the Proms have their own separate section.

HS

[salymap]

Morning all. Perhaps it's because we know the Proms will come along day by day for a number of weeks.

Next week I see we have a mix of a jazz concert, opera, chamber music and perhaps two live orchestral evening concerts. Actually after another look at RT one is all Vivaldi so unlikely to get a review from HS or a 'listen' from me. {EOE}

Perhaps we should include some of the daytime orchestral concerts, even if not live. just an idea.

bestio

[amateur51]

Your support is most welcome, Jayne, but are you suggesting that some message boarders only listen to the Proms because they are Proms and have no interest in listening to the same music; often better played and with a better acoustic (not to mention a better behaved and attentive audience) being broadcast on other evenings during the year?

I sincerely hope that it is not true - otherwise the "Performance" thread is not serving any useful purpose on this R3 forum, since the Proms have their own separate section.

HS

I confess that I don't have a brilliant stereo system and I do have duff hearing (two digital hearing aids plus tinnitus) so frankly I don't trust my perceptions of concert for public consumption.

However when I attend a public concert (and the hearing aids really do come into their own then) I do write reports.

So it's not a wilful ignoring of these broadcasts on my part HS - I greatly appreciate the service that you, jayne, Alson and a few others offer - it's horses for course

[aeolium]

I confess that I don't often listen to the Po3 broadcasts as they quite frequently contain very well known orchestral music, and I'm not so interested in hearing the umpteenth performance of X's symphony no 3 or whatever. Over and above that, orchestral music is not the music that is most important to me: I much prefer listening to chamber music and piano and lieder recitals, as well as some operas, so these are what I mainly listen to R3 for (and some of the plays and talks). That makes me ill-equipped to comment on many of the Po3 concerts, though like others I am interested in reading personal reactions to them.

[ahinton]

(moved)

[Hornspieler]

Much as I appreciate Jayne's typically elegant and persuasively written review and despite having been around to hear only part of the second movement and the final of the Rachmaninov last night, I find it hard to concur with the notion that the third symphony is more Hollywood than nostalgia for his Russian past, not least because it seems to me to have an abundance of both and quite subtly blended at that and, since the composer had been a US resident for quite some time before writing it, this is perhaps less surprising than it might seem.

It's sad (for me, at any rate, however) to see trotted out versions of the same old time-dishonoured barbs that Rachmaninov had nothing new to say but still said it and which greeted almost every new work that he wrote after leaving his native land for good; indeed, some of the reviews that he received seemed almost hell-bent on promoting this idea as though there could be no credible argument against it and, as often as not, Rachmaninov would be set up as the great pianist that he was purely in order then to be knocked down as a composer rooted firmly in his past with his head firmly in the sand and nothing fresh to convey. It's interesting, however, to contrast this attitude of mind with Jayne's "more Hollywood than Russia" idea, for it would surely take quite a leap of imagination for them both to be right?!

As to the part of the performance that I heard, I had no especial objections on the grounds of undue or otherwise inappropriate rubato and, whilst perhaps an approach that lent greater priority to tight architectonic organisation would have helped the work to come across more persuasively, I have heard quite a few performances of the symphony over the years that were a good deal less convincing that Elder's.

Is it Rachmaninov's weakest symphony? I wouldn't say so, not least because all three are so very different, despite having their composer's stamp firmly upon them. OK, even a self-confessed Rachmaninov devotee such as yours truly might allow that the fugato section in the finale could be made to sound as though a somewhat workmanlike excuse for where to take the music next, as if to say "oh, well, I suppose I may as well have a fugue here - it served William Walton well enough in his first symphony!" but, even then, this section is so brief as to sweep away such a reaction almost as soon as it had begun, so even this doesn't really bother me.

...... your message #22:
An interesting viewpoint, ahinton, but on the wrong thread. It was the Hallé last night who played Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony.
Perhaps you can copy your post onto its appropriate place. (or ask one of the hosts to do it for you)

HS

[teamsaint]

Just a quick response to HS's post.

Just because you don't get a huge number of responses really doesn't mean that other folk aren't reading your comments, or taking something from them.
Even a serial mouther- off like me sometimes knows when to keep it shut.Even on a board like this, professionals like HS or those who listen as closely and comment as carefully as JLW are in a minority. Personally, I stick to commenting where I feel I have something to add, (even if it is just an opinion) or asking questions where I feel another person might like to to help or guide me.
I certainly do read reviews on here, and there is frequently little point in responding other than to say "great post" or that it the review has enthused me to "listen again". I was certainly prodded into catching up with the Tippett triple Concerto by JLW's "admonishment" recently !!

[Hornspieler]

Just a quick response to HS's post.

Just because you don't get a huge number of responses really doesn't mean that other folk aren't reading your comments, or taking something from them.
Even a serial mouther- off like me sometimes knows when to keep it shut.Even on a board like this, professionals like HS or those who listen as closely and comment as carefully as JLW are in a minority. Personally, I stick to commenting where I feel I have something to add, (even if it is just an opinion) or asking questions where I feel another person might like to to help or guide me.
I certainly do read reviews on here, and there is frequently little point in responding other than to say "great post" or that it the review has enthused me to "listen again". I was certainly prodded into catching up with the Tippett triple Concerto by JLW's "admonishment" recently !!

.......... from your message #24 on this thread.

Points taken, TS but to which of my posts are you referring? (Certainly not my message #23 to ahinton)

I am becoming particularly aware that the absence of identifying not only the sender (when replying with post) but also the message number (top right of the message) can and often does lead to wrong attribution and confusion.

I'm probably as guilty as anyone in this respect (especially when posting a reply without an identifying quotation).

I'm sure that many misunderstandings and even arguments arise because of this omission and in future I shall endeavour to remember always to identify other people's posts by their message numbers - as I have done in this post.

HS

[teamsaint]

.......... from your message #24 on this thread.

Points taken, TS but to which of my posts are you referring? (Certainly not my message #23 to ahinton)

I am becoming particularly aware that the absence of identifying not only the sender (when replying with post) but also the message number (top right of the message) can and often does lead to wrong attribution and confusion.

I'm probably as guilty as anyone in this respect (especially when posting a reply without an identifying quotation).

I'm sure that many misunderstandings and even arguments arise because of this omission and in future I shall endeavour to remember always to identify other people's posts by their message numbers - as I have done in this post.

HS

HS, I was responding to your #12, and also making a general point.
Hope that clears it up.

[ahinton]

...... your message #22:
An interesting viewpoint, ahinton, but on the wrong thread. It was the Hallé last night who played Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony.
Perhaps you can copy your post onto its appropriate place. (or ask one of the hosts to do it for you)

I know that it was and therefore offer all sincere apologies for causing confusion here; I cannot imagine how I managed to do that and have removed the post from this thread and put it where it should be!

Many thanks for drawing this to my attention. I may have no bus pass but that evidently does not stop me from having senior moments!...

[teamsaint]

I know that it was and therefore offer all sincere apologies for causing confusion here; I cannot imagine how I managed to do that and have removed the post from this thread and put it where it should be!

Many thanks for drawing this to my attention. I may have no bus pass but that evidently does not stop me from having senior moments!...

Wouldn't worry AH, I put a post about trains on something entirely unconnected ! Nobody noticed, or cared.
Shame about the bus pass. They will keep raising the age so we never get one...like the missions in Catch 22.

[ahinton]

Wouldn't worry AH, I put a post about trains on something entirely unconnected ! Nobody noticed, or cared.

Well, in this instance, someone evidently cared enough to mention it, so I acted accordingly!

Shame about the bus pass. They will keep raising the age so we never get one...like the missions in Catch 22.

Is it a shame? And who's "we" in this context? I don't have a bus pass because I have no use for one, since the usefulness of a bus pass is (as far as I know, never having had one and having hardly ever travelled by bus anywhere) restricted to those who wish to take advantage of a bus service and, since the nearest such service to where I am now is more than two miles distant, there would simply be no point!

[teamsaint]

Your post suggested to me that you weren't yet of bus pass age....but were close enough to make it worth mentioning !
We?...those who don't yet qualify , an probably never will.
I am lucky enough to live in a village which still has a half decent bus service...though deteriorating rapidly.
To limp feebly back almost on topic, the Salisbury/Bournemouth bus service might just be good enough to get a person home from a Poole concert...last leg of the journey would be the problem.

Bus travel can seem like a nice change when you do 40k miles a year.