BBC PO Strauss season

[Barbirollians]

BBCPO/Mena in Also Sprach , three Hymns with Soile isokowski ( talk about luxury casting who is getting the Four Last Songs if not her ) and Don Quixote with Stephen Isserlis .

A terrific line up and so far so good on ASZ but whole evenings of R Strauss strike me as a little indigestible.

The Strauss's voice season looks excellent though including some talks by Michael Kennedy .

[Quarky]

Switched on at 5 pm and still listening. Will I make it through to TTN, I wonder?

[Barbirollians]

I enjoyed the concert a great deal - a particularly fine Don Quixote .

[Simon B]

Just to note that the series is a combined undertaking by the Philharmonic, Halle and, I think, the Manchester Camerata.

The concert on the coming Thu 23rd including the understated morsels of the Festival Prelude and Alpine Symphony features the combined forces (presumably not in their entireties!) of both the big orchestras.

An enjoyable concert as heard in the hall this evening, though Isokoski was fairly comprehensively overwhelmed by the orchestra a lot of the time. It's a difficult acoustic for singers, sopranos in particular seem to get swallowed by it. Possibly better on the broadcast.

I may be misremembering but I think the Four Last Snogs are to be sung by Anne Schwanewilms with the Halle.

[Black Swan]

I was in the hall tonight as well. I agree with Simon B. Isokoski was overwhelmed by the orchestra allot. This often seems to be a problem for singers in the Bridgewater Hall.
I have to admit, I don't know Don Quixote. Tonight was my first hearing and unfortunately I was underwhelmed by the work. I did enjoy Isserlis as a soloist but Quixote is not something I am looking to add to my CD collection. I plan on listening to the iPlayer tomorrow to see if it changes my opinion.

I am back on Thursday to hear the Festival Prelude and Eine Alpensinfonie .

Ann Schwanewilms, will be the soloist in the Four Last Songs.

[Petrushka]

I was in the hall tonight as well. I agree with Simon B. Isokoski was overwhelmed by the orchestra allot. This often seems to be a problem for singers in the Bridgewater Hall.
I have to admit, I don't know Don Quixote. Tonight was my first hearing and unfortunately I was underwhelmed by the work. I did enjoy Isserlis as a soloist but Quixote is not something I am looking to add to my CD collection. I plan on listening to the iPlayer tomorrow to see if it changes my opinion.

I am back on Thursday to hear the Festival Prelude and Eine Alpensinfonie .

Ann Schwanewilms, will be the soloist in the Four Last Songs.

Black Swan: Don Quixote is a wonderful work, full of humour and pathos BUT it is vital to know what is going on as regards the relationship of the music to the various episodes in the book. I learnt the work from the excellent analysis in Norman del Mar's Strauss biography allied to the Dresden Staatskapelle/Kempe recording. You don't have to read Cervantes' book to understand the Strauss but armed with a good analysis you will find much to enjoy next time you hear Don Quixote. I swear you will be laughing out loud in places at Strauss's comic touches and you will shed a tear at the portrait of the Don's sad end.

[jayne lee wilson]

Just to note that the series is a combined undertaking by the Philharmonic, Halle and, I think, the Manchester Camerata.

The concert on the coming Thu 23rd including the understated morsels of the Festival Prelude and Alpine Symphony features the combined forces (presumably not in their entireties!) of both the big orchestras.

An enjoyable concert as heard in the hall this evening, though Isokoski was fairly comprehensively overwhelmed by the orchestra a lot of the time. It's a difficult acoustic for singers, sopranos in particular seem to get swallowed by it. Possibly better on the broadcast.

I may be misremembering but I think the four last snogs are to be sung by Anne Schwanewilms with the Halle.

A Kiss Before Dying, perhaps... ...

[Stanfordian]

I was in the hall tonight as well. I agree with Simon B. Isokoski was overwhelmed by the orchestra allot. This often seems to be a problem for singers in the Bridgewater Hall.
I have to admit, I don't know Don Quixote. Tonight was my first hearing and unfortunately I was underwhelmed by the work. I did enjoy Isserlis as a soloist but Quixote is not something I am looking to add to my CD collection. I plan on listening to the iPlayer tomorrow to see if it changes my opinion.

I am back on Thursday to hear the Festival Prelude and Eine Alpensinfonie .

Ann Schwanewilms, will be the soloist in the Four Last Songs.

I enjoyed the concert last night at the Bridgewater especially the stunning performance of the opening work Also sprach Zarathustra. Now in his third season chief conductor Juanjo Mena is a great find for the BBC Phil. I shall be returning on Thursday for the Alpine Symphony.

[Black Swan]

Stanfordian,

As I said in my post I enjoyed the first half of the concert immensely. It is probably my naivete and not being familiar with the final work that caused my dissatisfaction. I too will be back on Thursday.

I totally agree with your comments about Junjo Mena, I think he has done a fantastic job and has held put the standard of performance built by Noseda and previous conductors of the BBC Phil.

[Barbirollians]

Just to note that the series is a combined undertaking by the Philharmonic, Halle and, I think, the Manchester Camerata.

The concert on the coming Thu 23rd including the understated morsels of the Festival Prelude and Alpine Symphony features the combined forces (presumably not in their entireties!) of both the big orchestras.

An enjoyable concert as heard in the hall this evening, though Isokoski was fairly comprehensively overwhelmed by the orchestra a lot of the time. It's a difficult acoustic for singers, sopranos in particular seem to get swallowed by it. Possibly better on the broadcast.

I may be misremembering but I think the Four Last Snogs are to be sung by Anne Schwanewilms with the Halle.

Love it JLW - Ms Schwanewilms is an attractive woman quite a few people might be keen on four last snogs with her !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Isokoski was overwhelmed by the orchestra allot. This often seems to be a problem for singers in the Bridgewater Hall.

When you have a huge orchestra pitted against one singer, it's inevitable that the soloist will be swamped at some time. We get so used to recordings in which the singers are miked up to compensate that we forget the real concert hall balance - something very special that is captured rarely in recordings, an exception being the initial Eminence release of Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony with Vernon Handley and the RLPO. Unfortunately the critics moaned about it and the balance was remixed to a more conventional recorded balance.

Heaven forbid the day when the soloists are miked up in concert as they are in West End musicals. I do recall the time when I heard Elgar's Sea Pictures performed in thus way.

[Stanfordian]

When you have a huge orchestra pitted against one singer, it's inevitable that the soloist will be swamped at some time. We get so used to recordings in which the singers are miked up to compensate that we forget the real concert hall balance - something very special that is captured rarely in recordings, an exception being the initial Eminence release of Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony with Vernon Handley and the RLPO. Unfortunately the critics moaned about it and the balance was remixed to a more conventional recorded balance.

Heaven forbid the day when the soloists are miked up in concert as they are in West End musicals. I do recall the time when I heard Elgar's Sea Pictures performed in thus way.

If you can't hear the singer then it defeats the object of having one. Few singers have the voice projection to overcome the Bridgewater hall acoustic and Strauss's sumptious orchestration.

[Honoured Guest]

If you can't hear the singer then it defeats the object of having one. Few singers have the voice projection to overcome the Bridgewater hall acoustic and Strauss's sumptious orchestration.

So, do you "blame"/"accuse" the composer or the conductor or the designer of the hall or the concert's programmer or the soloist?

Do you mean specifically in this piece, or more generally? Don't soloists and instrumental groups emerge into, and drop out of, audibility through the course of many works?

[Quarky]

When you have a huge orchestra pitted against one singer, it's inevitable that the soloist will be swamped at some time. We get so used to recordings in which the singers are miked up to compensate that we forget the real concert hall balance - something very special that is captured rarely in recordings, an exception being the initial Eminence release of Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony with Vernon Handley and the RLPO. Unfortunately the critics moaned about it and the balance was remixed to a more conventional recorded balance.

Heaven forbid the day when the soloists are miked up in concert as they are in West End musicals. I do recall the time when I heard Elgar's Sea Pictures performed in thus way.

Don't think there have been any comments on the balance between Singer and Orchestra in the broadcast last night. I certainly had the impression that the voice had been emphasised in the transmission.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Don't soloists and instrumental groups emerge into, and drop out of, audibility through the course of many works?

This would be my view, and allowing this to happen gives the musical experience greater depth.