Lunchtime Concerts one stop shop

[gradus]

I attended the Radio 3 lunchtime concert today at LSO St Luke's which was recorded for transmission on Tuesday 25th September. I highly recommend it, providing one is a fan of Chopin of course, since it was an all Chopin recital by Ingrid Fliter. A bit of a tour de force, she played the entire programme without interruption ( as we were advised by Fiona Talkington prior to the concert ) Three nocturnes, a polonaise, mazurka, waltz and ballade with a further nocturne as an encore.

Thanks for flagging this up. She is one of the pianists I make an effort to hear - a fine Schumann player too.

[Zucchini]

Top quality Mozart when I last heard her

[Constantbee]

NI Opera Festival of Voice 2018

Lunchtime Concert 20-09-2018

Recommended. A fine programme, and a rare opportunity, first time for me, to hear some Sibelius songs. The lyrics appear to be in Swedish not Finnish. I would like to have heard what they were and why that was, that’s all. The concert concludes with six songs by modern British composer Jonathan Dove, also new for me, and someone I’ll certainly keep an ear open for, especially for the recent operas.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Recommended.

A fine programme, and a rare opportunity, first time for me, to hear some Sibelius songs.

The Sibelius songs are a new discovery for me, too, having bought the DECCA "classic recordings" box a few months ago, which has Flagstad and Nilsson in a collection of songs with orchestra (a couple of which were part of yesterday's programme in their piano accompaniment versions). They are superb; sort of somewhere between Grieg and Strauss, with little hints of the earlier symphonies peeping out here & there. I'm sure they'd be much more popular if they were performed more often. (That sounds like a tautology, but I know what I meant! )

The lyrics appear to be in Swedish not Finnish. I would like to have heard what they were and why that was, that’s all.

Sweden ruled Finland from the 13th - early 20th Century, and Swedish was the composer's first language - as it was for most educated Finns born in the 19th Century - and he only started to learn Finnish when he was about ten years old. Many of the texts (by Finnish poets) that he set were from earlier in the 19th Century were written in Swedish (as was the libretto of the first Opera by a Finnish composer, Pacius' The Hunt of King Charles - although the only (AFAIK) recording uses a Finnish translation). The Finnish Nationalist movement - of which Finlandia is a part - was against Swedish rule.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Finland#Finland_under_Swedish_rule

The concert concludes with six songs by modern British composer Jonathan Dove, also new for me, and someone I’ll certainly keep an ear open for, especially for the recent operas.

Hmmm. I wasn't as impressed - they sounded to me as if the composer had heard various other examples of lied and melodie and really wanted to copy the characteristics rather than producing something of his own.

But, fresh off the press:

https://www.nmcrec.co.uk/recording/brief-history-creation

[kuligin]

The Sibelius songs are a new discovery for me, too, having bought the DECCA "classic recordings" box a few months ago, which has Flagstad and Nilsson in a collection of songs with orchestra (a couple of which were part of yesterday's programme in their piano accompaniment versions). They are superb; sort of somewhere between Grieg and Strauss, with little hints of the earlier symphonies peeping out here & there. I'm sure they'd be much more popular if they were performed more often. (That sounds like a tautology, but I know what I meant! )



Sweden ruled Finland from the 13th - early 20th Century, and Swedish was the composer's first language - as it was for most educated Finns born in the 19th Century - and he only started to learn Finnish when he was about ten years old. Many of the texts (by Finnish poets) that he set were from earlier in the 19th Century were written in Swedish (as was the libretto of the first Opera by a Finnish composer, Pacius' The Hunt of King Charles - although the only (AFAIK) recording uses a Finnish translation). The Finnish Nationalist movement - of which Finlandia is a part - was against Swedish rule.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Finland#Finland_under_Swedish_rule

Hmmm. I wasn't as impressed - they sounded to me as if the composer had heard various other examples of lied and melodie and really wanted to copy the characteristics rather than producing something of his own.

But, fresh off the press:

https://www.nmcrec.co.uk/recording/b...story-creation

Sweden lost control of Finland to Russia in the early 19th century, it was then a Russian "Grand Duchy" and so not incorporated into Russia proper, so although the Finnish National movement was instrumental in the rise of Finnish as against Swedish as the primary language, the political aim was independence from Russia. I think Swedish is still common in the West of the country.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Sweden lost control of Finland to Russia in the early 19th century, it was then a Russian "Grand Duchy" and so not incorporated into Russia proper, so although the Finnish National movement was instrumental in the rise of Finnish as against Swedish as the primary language, the political aim was independence from Russia. I think Swedish is still common in the West of the country.

- thanks for this correction.

[Constantbee]

- thanks for this correction.

Thanks, everyone

For the still curious here’s a link to a Finnish academic’s blog with more detail about the settings. Recommended for a bitesized summary.

https://relatedrocks.com/2007/10/01/jean-sibelius-a-selection-of-songs/

A more detailed treatment of historical recordings of the songs can be found in the following book:

https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/music/twentieth-century-and-contemporary-music/sibelius-studies?format=HB&isbn=9780521624169

It’s in Chapter 2, From Kajanus to Karajan, by Robert Layton.

[zola]

I attended the Radio 3 lunchtime concert today at LSO St Luke's which was recorded for transmission on Tuesday 25th September. I highly recommend it, providing one is a fan of Chopin of course, since it was an all Chopin recital by Ingrid Fliter. A bit of a tour de force, she played the entire programme without interruption ( as we were advised by Fiona Talkington prior to the concert ) Three nocturnes, a polonaise, mazurka, waltz and ballade with a further nocturne as an encore.

Quoting my own message ! It was a pity we did not get the encore she played on today's broadcast. But I enjoyed listening again.

[gradus]

Thanks for flagging this up. She is one of the pianists I make an effort to hear - a fine Schumann player too.

This was the kind of playing that I like. I enjoy high voltage performances but I wish more young pianists would play in this style the emphasis on sensitivity to dynamics and fast but not breakneck speeds. A welcome contrast to some of the virtuosi making careers now.

[Pianorak]

This was the kind of playing that I like. I enjoy high voltage performances but I wish more young pianists would play in this style the emphasis on sensitivity to dynamics and fast but not breakneck speeds. A welcome contrast to some of the virtuosi making careers now.

[jonfan]

I don’t remember being so moved by a concert that consisted of just Bach’s keyboard works as I was by the recital broadcast on 27 September at lunchtime from a recording at LSO St Luke’s given by Vikingur Olafsson. This was a seemless hour of music moving from one JSB work to another. The whole was a still moment in time which seemed like an eternity of bliss. Effortless playing and a beautiful piano sound. Huge recitals of the complete 48, for example, are draining to even endure to the end despite the huge effort on the part of the player. No, this is how to perform Bach and I felt JSB would have approved. Highly recommended.

[oddoneout]

The whole was a still moment in time which seemed like an eternity of bliss.

Seconded, and I was sorry to only hear just over half of the recital. I'm glad I didn't read the blurb on the BBC schedule though - if I'd seen the bit about being Iceland's Glenn Gould I wouldn't have switched on in the first place.

[gradus]

Catriona Morrisson sang beautifully in the Wigmore Hall recital repeated today. Lovely repertoire exactly right for her voice

[gurnemanz]

Catriona Morrisson sang beautifully in the Wigmore Hall recital repeated today. Lovely repertoire exactly right for her voice

I managed to to get to this concert, determined to do so having loved her Cardiff Singer contributions. Very glad I made the effort. I've just listened on iPlayer. Lovely tone and excellent German. I read that her father is a German teacher so a kind of distant colleague of mine.

[gradus]

I managed to to get to this concert, determined to do so having loved her Cardiff Singer contributions. Very glad I made the effort. I've just listened on iPlayer. Lovely tone and excellent German. I read that her father is a German teacher so a kind of distant colleague of mine.

I wish I'd been there. She has a natural, well-placed unforced voice and I look forward to hearing more from her.