I heard the Hallé play the fourth a year or two ago: nothing 'frightening' as far as I can remember. Can't bring any of it to mind, so I think I'll dig out a recording to prepare for tomorrow.
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I dug out my Rattle recording tonight as well. Looking forward to the concert. I see Thursday's concert was reviewed by the Guardian 3 stars....Originally posted by Andrew Slater View PostComment
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as Jayne mentioned earlier Sibelius 2 and 4 today, Sunday at 2pm on R3.
Recorded from last night's concert, so as LIVE as we will have but welcome.Comment
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NOW on R3.
To my ears [not not reliable] no 2 is coming over as better than no 4. ON NOW Am I right ?Comment
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salymap,
I was there last night and you and I are in agreement. I was very disappointed with the performance of the 4th. But I must say, I thought it sounded better on R3 today than in the hall. AS for 2nd. What can you say, it is a finale symphony and they played it very well. I was truly happy to have been there for the performance. Although as mentioned I was not blown over by the 4th.
I am now anxiously waiting for Thursday when I am back for the final performances. Then off to Leeds on Saturday for Siegfried. A big 2 weeks for me.Comment
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Thanks Black Swan, I don't trust my hearing now but no 4 is more difficult to 'get into' I find.
Enjoy Thursday and Siegfried, lucky man
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Only one! It's something I've seen in studios, say BBC Maida Vale, where I have counted over 30 microphones on occasions. I think the mike close to the bass is to give extra kick and grunt to the performances. Alternatively it might just be to keep employment up, as some quite decent recordings were made many years ago without such extra microphones.Originally posted by Roslynmuse View PostComment
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I wonder how many of you remember Anthony Hopkins 'Talking about Music'. Over 40 years ago I heard him talking about Sibelius4. I bought a recording, listened and just didn't get it at all. I loved all the other Sibelius symphonies but not No.4. Then about 5 years ago Paavo Berglund conducted it with The Halle. I remember the concert well because I only went because they were performing Brahms 2. Berglund had to be helped to the podium he was so frail but the moment he picked up his baton he 'came alive' and he conducted the performance of Sibelius 4 which made sense of it for me. Since them I have played it often and grown to love it as I do the others. I was present at last night's performance and for me it was a very fine one. I suspect by the audience reaction that many of them need to get to know it over a period of time as I had to do.
Last night's Sibelius 2 was a good one but - imo - nowhere near as good as The Halle's at the beginning of the season.Comment
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I haven't yet caught up with the broadcast of Symphonies 4 and 2 but on the whole I thought the standard of playing on Saturday was better than that on Thursday.
I agree with AjAjAjH that Elder's No 2 last September with the Hallé (just out on CD) was better - somehow more integrated, especially in the 2nd mt, and less heart-on-sleeve (ie less cheap and vulgar), more emotionally genuine in the finale. The BBC Phil lacked clarity in the 3rd mt although I though some of the detail of those often interminable scale passages in the finale was well-shown.
No 4 seemed also to be performed as a succession of moments rather than a cohesive whole, and I find that to be my main criticism of this cycle so far.
Andrew Manze did a rather good 3rd Symphony with the Hallé at the end of April and it will be interesting to see how next Thursday's performance compares.Comment
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Today at 7.30pm no less than three glasses of clear cold water. Sibelius Symphonies 3,6 and 7.
Good programme planning? We shall see.Comment
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I just discovered that one can now listen to these for around 4 weeks, rather than the 1 week which was possible until recently.
Will probably try to catch up with these in due course.Comment
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Where did you glean that information, Dave? 7 days maximum is still shown regarding most Radio 3 items on the iPlayer. There are but 2 hours left to catch last Thursday's Performance on 3, for instance.Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostComment
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A little disappointed with this Sibelius 3, I'm afraid. Sounding more like a final rehearsal than a performance, emotionally cool, a little slack in delivery and leaving a rather routine impression overall. Not much atmosphere in the andante, or much sense of culmination in the finale, apart from the very last pages, where the conductor seems to have asked the timpani for greater emphasis than usual, with powerful results. I noted throughout a nicely weighty balance of both timps and double-basses, a strength of the R3 HD webcast which I imagine was an accurate relay of the balance in-hall. The emergence of the main finale theme sounded rather fussily phrased, almost as though Storgards was using a different edition, or perhaps taking a cue from a score marking. Does anyone know what the score says as the chorale emerges?
Not encouraged to go much further this evening, though the attractively dark, bass-emphasised balance might draw me back...Comment
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a tempo, con energica and a metronome mark of crotchet = 112.Originally posted by jayne lee wilson View Post
The strings are marked f poco f; the first minim of the first bar is accented, as are the two quavers and minim of the second (TAA-taa TATA-TAA)- but no markings (or simile thereafter, leaving the conductor to decide if the accents should appear only the once, or at every appearance of the theme.[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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You've not mentioned the diminishing fifthOriginally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post
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