Yuri Temirkanov's 75th Birthday Concert at RFH : Prokofiev & Rachmaninov

[amateur51]

I was at the RFH last night - first time I've sat in the choir there - and agree with much of edashtav's review. The Classical symphony opened rather untidily and, despite pretty dashing speeds in the outer movements, wasn't always as light-footed as it (IMV) should be. Some excellent, characterful woodwind playing, though.

My seat position probably distorted the balance between soloist and orchestra in the violin concerto, but I thought Vilde Frang had the measure of the piece both technically and musically. I was happy with the speed chosen for the slow movement and didn't detect any signs of disagreement between conductor and soloist - indeed, they seemed to work well together, although not always quite together in the last movement. I liked the encore, but didn't recognise it - anyone know what it was?

The Rachmaninov had terrific sweep and verve and deservedly got the loudest ovation. I was behind the trombones and tuba, so got the full force of the well-shaped bass lines. Like others, I thought the Philharmonia played superbly and responded very well to YT's direction (I'm not sure I would find it very clear at times!), lovely clarinet solo in the third movement and (again) woodwind excelled throughout.

Nice report Rolmill, many thanks

Was Temirkanov using a stick or was it all done with his hands? He was the first conductor I saw holding his stick about half-way down - very odd but effective. Whichever, I'm sure his eyes were hard at work too

[Rolmill]

Was Temirkanov using a stick or was it all done with his hands? He was the first conductor I saw holding his stick about half-way down - very odd but effective. Whichever, I'm sure his eyes were hard at work too

No stick, just the hands - as was the case the only other time I have seen him (many years ago at the Proms). It seems quite an unusual conducting style to me (and one which I might struggle to follow were I playing under him!), but the orchestra didn't seem to have a problem - though the leader (not sure who this was) was very mobile and expressive throughout, so may have been helping to ensure co-ordination

[amateur51]

No stick, just the hands - as was the case the only other time I have seen him (many years ago at the Proms). It seems quite an unusual conducting style to me (and one which I might struggle to follow were I playing under him!), but the orchestra didn't seem to have a problem - though the leader (not sure who this was) was very mobile and expressive throughout, so may have been helping to ensure co-ordination

Cheers Rolmill

No sign of a video of Termirkanov conducting Rachmaninov symphony no 2 but here he is with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC_izDht2jU

[Rolmill]

That's interesting Am51, thanks for finding it - looks like it was around 30 years ago? No stick, same style of conducting, but more defined beats back then - for parts of last night he didn't really bother with the beats, just shaped phrases! I have heard orchestral players say that they don't like conductors who don't use a baton, but his gestures on that video look large and clear.

[secondfiddle]

Twenty years ago when Temirkanov brought the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra to the Barbican and gave this symphony he used a cut version. Thankfully, he does not seem to have done that this time!

[Pabmusic]

Cheers Rolmill

No sign of a video of Termirkanov conducting Rachmaninov symphony no 2 but here he is with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC_izDht2jU

Thank you for posting this. This is one of my 'top ten' pieces. I always become tearful when the motto theme from the first symphony appears. No-one at the first performance can have recognised it, nor understood its significance. Wonderful (though I'm not so sure about the performance - I think no-one equals Previn with the LSO).

[PJPJ]

Twenty years ago when Temirkanov brought the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra to the Barbican and gave this symphony he used a cut version. Thankfully, he does not seem to have done that this time!

At barely 51 minutes, it was shorter than I'd expected. I understand the scherzo suffered most.

http://classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=11497

[amateur51]

Thank you for posting this. This is one of my 'top ten' pieces. I always become tearful when the motto theme from the first symphony appears. No-one at the first performance can have recognised it, nor understood its significance. Wonderful (though I'm not so sure about the performance - I think no-one equals Previn with the LSO).

Just for you Pabs here's Previn in the Symphonic Dances ... but not with the LSO, but rehearsing with the LSSSO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is84ss_Xc3c

I love this piece of film and it makes me grin & fill up every time

[Pabmusic]

Just for you Pabs here's Previn in the Symphonic Dances ... but not with the LSO, but rehearsing with the LSSSO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is84ss_Xc3c

I love this piece of film and it makes me grin & fill up every time

Truly wonderful. I have played the glockenspiel in this piece, so I sympathise (greatly!) with that poor percussionist - you can't retune!.

[Nick Armstrong]

Only heard the Rachmaninov: magnificent, I thought - rich yet with such impetus, wonderful sweep yet details I've never noticed before (and I've played in it!). I want to hear this performance again as soon as possible.

I've now listened to the whole thing twice, having missed most of the first movement when I wrote the above. I'd qualify my enthusiasm in one respect - to my ears, YT's extremes of tempo in the first movment lost the flow of the overall structure... the pulse got lost. (Oh, and in the romantic 'trio' section of the scherzo, he milked - no, double creamed - a particular portamento moment which stuck out like a very sore whatsit).

But I found the orchestral playing utterly magnificent from start to finish. Even in the tugged-about first movement, it was all so gorgeous or exhilarating that I want to go back and listen again and again. Wonderful rich fluid clarinet solo... but everything was so well played and balanced too, with a broadcast (I downloaded from iPlayer) to match.

Stop-in-your-tracks stuff!!

[Nick Armstrong]

the Philharmonia and Termirkanov on Thursday with the violinist Vilde Frang. It opened with a nicely pointed performance of Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, especially nice in the third movement, but then, when do you ever hear a really bad performance of this symphony ?

This was followed by Prokofiev's second Violin Concerto. Vilde Frang is an excellent performer with a strong tone and eloquent phrasing, but I have to admit that listening to it i began to think that perhaps I do not like this concerto as much as I thought I did. Why? I think it was the rather lumpy contribution of the orchestra which seemed to emphasise the slightly repetitious nature of some of the material.

The fault in the case of the Prokofiev may have been mine, but I don't think this was so with the performance of the Rachmaninov Second Symphony after the interval. This was almost constantly loud and brash, with very little romantic drama in evidence. I felt that Temirkanov was aiming at a very objective performance, playing down all the yearning which a proper sense of light and shade brings. The string playing in particular was very matter of fact, it was if they would have liked to expand a little more in their phrasing, but had been told not to -very odd.
Everybody knows the sense of release that the huge climax towards the end of the slow movement can bring, here it went for little, sinse there was no sense of build up in the sections that preceded it. I was baffled by the storm of applause and cheers at the end,but I stand my ground on this one.

Fascinated to come across this on another thread, Ff.... Gosh, that's not at all how it came across on the radio. One that sounded better through the mikes, then...