I went to the Royal Festival Hall last night for the Philharmonia and Esa Pekka Salonen. I was really looking forward to hearing Ligeti's Clocks and Clouds because I have never heard a live performance.
Notice the word 'never' since they had decided to cancel the Ligeti in favour of Stravinsky's recently discovered Funeral Song.
The Stravinsky was mildly interesting as one of the composer's earliest works, worth one hearing but in no way characteristic, with maybe a few hints of the Firebird to come.
As it was, Ligeti's Piano Concerto was to follow, a splendid performance by Pierre-Laurent Aimard and a first class group of Philharmonia players, and after the interval came the complete Ravel Daphnis et Chloe.
The Ravel was brilliant in a rather noisy upfront manner. There was little real nuance and certainly no magic. Salonen tended to rush his fences in the more rapid passages while the birdsong in the famous dawn scene was far too loud.
I know that I'm whinging a bit, but the point is that the programme change was planned well in advance, since a new programme for the next few concerts had been published some time ago. There was not even a slip of paper at the door announcing the alteration for those like me who are not on the Philharmonia's advance boking list.
Of course, sometimes schedules have to be changed when soloists are ill or otherwise unable to appear, but in last night's case all the platform resources were available, and at worst the evening would have been perhaps 15 minutes longer if the Stravinsky had been an extra rather than a replacement.
My bus broke down on the way home !
Notice the word 'never' since they had decided to cancel the Ligeti in favour of Stravinsky's recently discovered Funeral Song.
The Stravinsky was mildly interesting as one of the composer's earliest works, worth one hearing but in no way characteristic, with maybe a few hints of the Firebird to come.
As it was, Ligeti's Piano Concerto was to follow, a splendid performance by Pierre-Laurent Aimard and a first class group of Philharmonia players, and after the interval came the complete Ravel Daphnis et Chloe.
The Ravel was brilliant in a rather noisy upfront manner. There was little real nuance and certainly no magic. Salonen tended to rush his fences in the more rapid passages while the birdsong in the famous dawn scene was far too loud.
I know that I'm whinging a bit, but the point is that the programme change was planned well in advance, since a new programme for the next few concerts had been published some time ago. There was not even a slip of paper at the door announcing the alteration for those like me who are not on the Philharmonia's advance boking list.
Of course, sometimes schedules have to be changed when soloists are ill or otherwise unable to appear, but in last night's case all the platform resources were available, and at worst the evening would have been perhaps 15 minutes longer if the Stravinsky had been an extra rather than a replacement.
My bus broke down on the way home !