CBSO tonight at 7.30

[Hornspieler]

Wednesday 30 January 2013 at 7.30pm Live from Symphony Hall Birmingham

Poulenc: Suite Française
Mozart: Concerto in E flat for Two Pianos, K.365
INTERVAL
Poulenc: Concerto for two pianos
Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E Flat K543

Fifty years after Poulenc's death, the CBSO and Nicholas McGegean with the French sisters Katia & Marielle Labèque present some of the composer's most effervescent music alongside a classical master he greatly loved - Mozart

So you can compare K543 with the previous night's performance by the OEA. Which did you prefer?

[MrGongGong]

The Poulenc concerto is an extraordinary piece
and well worth hearing (or seeing with the Labèque's )
thanks

[Hornspieler]

The Poulenc concerto is an extraordinary piece
and well worth hearing (or seeing with the Labèque's )
thanks

An interesting opening to the concert. Francis Poulenc has always been one of my favourite 20th century French composers; along with Jean Francaix and Darius Milhaud. I love his Organ Concerto and this Suite Française was a very unusual combination of instruments.

For me, Mozart's concerto for two pianos does not stand comparison with any of his solo piano concertos, but the explanation of why he wrote it (for his sister to play with him) is sufficient reason.

Vronsky and Babbin. Ogden and Lucas. Eden and Tamir. Smith and Sellick. Rawiwitz and Landauer. Joan and Valerie Trimble - so many others and such a limited repertoire - and of course, the Lebèques.

So last night, we had an example of Mozart's gift for his sister. I rather enjoyed it, without getting too deeply involved in the actual performance, but did I detect a slight problem in the last movement?

No matter. Poulenc's double concerto was very different. Some ingenious writing and good entertainment.

And finally, Mozart's 39th in E flat. A businesslike start and the impetus was maintained throughout. I could not fault it as a performance, but it did not leave me aglow with satisfaction. I preferred the OAE performance for its "touch" (for want of a better word) and my general reaction to last night's concert was that it was predictable - no more than that.

HS

[Hornspieler]

The Poulenc concerto is an extraordinary piece
and well worth hearing (or seeing with the Labèque's )
thanks

... and Thanks to you, Mr GongGong for the courtesy of your reply. Did you enjoy the broadcast?

It would appear from scouring this Performance forum that the majority of Message Boarders are neither for nor against apathy.

Heigh Ho

HS

[salymap]

I haven't finished my 6 page thesis on Mozart's symphonies yet HS and then I might getround to listening to the Poulenc. Seriously, nice to be reminded of the great 2 piano duos of the past.

bestio.

[MrGongGong]

... and Thanks to you, Mr GongGong for the courtesy of your reply. Did you enjoy the broadcast?

It would appear from scouring this Performance forum that the majority of Message Boarders are neither for nor against apathy.

Heigh Ho

HS

I didn't catch it
but did hear them play it at Verbier a few years ago
and it was one of the "why haven't I heard this ?" moments
so will try and listen on iPlayer

[jayne lee wilson]

Having put off Tuesday's jobs till Wednesday to attend to Mr Rattle's latest, I was too exhausted to listen closely but I lent a close ear to No.39 inbetween chopping and cooking...

Yes, HS, it was businesslike, even quite polished. But I would go further and say swift, efficient and rather dull. The andante had little or none of the OAE's expressive warmth and seemed to go very con moto. Listening attention wasn't ideal but I've had similar experiences with McGegan in the past and this month's Gramophone makes similar comments on his new recording of Brahms' 2 Serenades with the (unrelated!) Philharmonia Baroque. Rob Cowan found himself "longing for something more flexibly expressive".

Somewhere in the house there's an HDCD of less familiar Vivaldi Concertos from McGegan and the P-B... the fact that I have no idea where it is tells you all you need to know.

I adore the Poulenc Concerto but couldn't catch it last night. Poulenc's own recordings (with Fevrier), one mono (Dervaux) and one stereo (Pretre) with those irreplaceable Paris orchestral sonorities, are unmatchable now (shame that Anima Eterna are so fast and loose with their keyboard choices...). I love the work dearly, and remember first hearing it (on borrowed vinyl with Pretre) as dusk fell upon the avenue, marvelling at the two-piano effect at the end of the 1st movement and only reading the notes about the Balinese inspiration afterwards!
The innocent ear, etc...

PS - just posted a link to the Rattle/OAE/Mozart review by Martin Kettle (in the Guardian) on that thread...

[Hornspieler]

Having put off Tuesday's jobs till Wednesday to attend to Mr Rattle's latest, I was too exhausted to listen closely but I lent a close ear to No.39 inbetween chopping and cooking...

Yes, HS, it was businesslike, even quite polished. But I would go further and say swift, efficient and rather dull. The andante had little or none of the OAE's expressive warmth and seemed to go very con moto. Listening attention wasn't ideal but I've had similar experiences with McGegan in the past and this month's Gramophone makes similar comments on his new recording of Brahms' 2 Serenades with the (unrelated!) Philharmonia Baroque. Rob Cowan found himself "longing for something more flexibly expressive".

PS - just posted a link to the Rattle/OAE/Mozart review by Martin Kettle (in the Guardian) on that thread...

Well we agree about the Symphony, Jayne. I would be interested to read your view of the Mozart double concereto in particular, as it really didn't speak to me.

I read the review by Martin Kettle. Seemed more of a report of what happened than a critique. Don't you agree?

HS

[jayne lee wilson]

Yes HS, I see what you mean but Kettle's enjoyment and enthusiasm were very obvious - I felt the same!

But whether he was responsible for the headline "EVENING OF REDISCOVERY AS RATTLE BRINGS NEW LIGHT TO MOZART" I'm not sure....
I did enjoy the comparison to David Beckham though...

(I'm tempted to put "Discuss" under that one...)

[mercia]

just stumbled upon video of Poulenc and Fevrier playing the double concerto - well the first movement anyway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC4kJiTHTtQ

always nice to see a composer in action
oops, found the rest of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2B5xTGInzI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7j7Vss8BSI

[bluestateprommer]

Thread recycling for this CBSO concert tonight @ Symphony Hall, Birmingham:

https://cbso.co.uk/event/holst%CA%BCs-the-planets

Holst:
(a) Sāvitri
(b) The Planets

Yvonne Howard – Sāvitri
Robert Murray – Satyavān
James Rutherford – Death

CBSO Youth Chorus
Nicholas Collon – Conductor

If I were anywhere near Birmingham, I would go to see this concert live in a heartbeat. Not the case, of course, being across Big Pond West; oh well. Would be nice to hear from anyone who catches this concert.

[bluestateprommer]

Next-gen (props for anyone who gets the in-joke) thread recycling, with the CBSO and MG-T traipsing to Saffron Walden this Saturday night, for anyone who wants to check it out:

https://cbso.co.uk/event/the-cbso-in-saffron-walden

If nothing else, this might be your only chance in life to hear Mahler 4 performed with 3 boy trebles singing "Das himmliche Leben" in the finale.

[ardcarp]

er...what are they doing in Saffron Walden? I mean, I know what they're doing; I just wonder what the connection is?

[Bryn]

er...what are they doing in Saffron Walden? I mean, I know what they're doing; I just wonder what the connection is?

They're on tour, innit.

[gradus]

er...what are they doing in Saffron Walden? I mean, I know what they're doing; I just wonder what the connection is?

They're playing here and there's some distinguished company expected in the near future:

https://saffronhall.com/