What was your last concert?

[CallMePaul]

Quaruor Danel @ Manchester University yesterday evening: Shostakovich 1, Beethoven op135, Weinberg 2 plus Who Found it? by contemporary Japanese composer Jumpei Koyama.

These concerts are not well-publicised and most of the disappointingly small audience seems to have some connection (present or past) with the University. The standard is such that Radio 3 should consider negotiating with the quartet and university to broadcast at least some of this series.

[Zucchini]

CBSO/Chorus/BCMG mini-residence at Elphi, Hamburg - and Mirga!

The Guardian 21 Oct '19

"The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has just returned from touring an all-British programme in Germany - possibly its last tour as a member of the EU. From new repertoire to cold beer, its chief executive [Stephen Maddock] offers his 10 post-Brexit touring tips:"

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/21/post-brexit-britten-the-cbso-guide-to-touring-stephen-maddock-mirga-grazintye-tyla

All three CBSO concerts were sold out. Our first visit to Elphi. A wonderful experience. Wow, does Mirga G-T have charisma! We felt very proud of the beautiful sounds, confidence and transparency of everything they did.

[MG-T does Mahler Symphony of 1000 twice in Jan. Virtually sold-out but I know some of you like his stuff)

[gurnemanz]

Took the bus to Oxford on Tuesday for a lunchtime Oxford Lieder concert. Australian mezzo, Cailtlin Hulcup, delivered a very fine recital accompanied by Gary Matthewman. An interesting programme with Schumann's Belsatzar and late Maria Stuart songs, Berlioz, La Captive, Ravel's three Shéhérazade songs and two Sibelius songs, with Schumann's Widmung as an encore. Strong communication and a beautiful mezzo tone in the ideal setting of the Holywell Music Room.

[Padraig]

Heard Bruckner Mass no 2 in St Eugene's Cathedral, Derry, Thursday evening. Huge turnout, due to the Choir Festival currently running in the City. As expected, live performance vastly more engaging than the best CD and the Agnus Dei did indeed grant us peace. I saw cameras, so maybe there will be a video later.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-50190219/derry-international-choir-festival-attracts-singers-from-around-the-world

[edashtav]

Gerald Barry: The Intelligence Park (Libretto: Vincent Deane) at the Birmingham Rep. 04.11.19

Robert Paradies - Michel de Souza, D'Esperaudieu - Adrian Dwyer, Sir Joshua Cramer - Stephen Richardson, Jerusha Cramer - Rhian Lois, Serafino - Patrick Terry, Faranesi - Stephanie Marshall; Director and Designer - Nigel Lowery, Conductor - Tim Anderson, Lighting assistant - Fridthjofur Thorsteinsson, London Sinfonietta

What a wonderful evening -all for £10, yet the Rep. was less than 40% full. Barry's music is full of disrupted lines, tunes and ostinati. It is brass and wind heavy but the production's assistant conductor Tim Anderson kept the wilful and exuberant score under control and whilst it was 'in yer face', I could hear 90% of Vincent Deane's richly poetic, subversive text over the pitless orchestra. Is Barry more than a composer of pick and mix favourites mashed up through a zany prism and served with regular injections of Speed? I'm unsure, so I'm tempted to book for his newest Opera at the ROH next February.
I must admit that that 3rd Act was meaningful and moving.
Barry could not ask for more from any component in this rich, undigested, indigestible feast.
What was it all about?
Don't ask Barry, and judging from interval comments from orchestra and audience last evening they won't enlighten you, either.
It was disrupting, disturbing, enigmatic and... an unforgettable experience.

[Richard Barrett]

Barry's music is full of disrupted lines, tunes and ostinati. It is brass and wind heavy but the production's assistant conductor Tim Anderson kept the wilful and exuberant score under control and whilst it was 'in yer face', I could hear 90% of Vincent Deane's richly poetic, subversive text over the pitless orchestra.

That's very good to hear, because it wasn't really the case in the first production. in London some years ago, where it seemed that the score was often specifically calculated to blot out the voices. Nevertheless I think it's an original and as you say subversive piece of work, and I'm glad to see it's been staged again, which happens to very few new operas these days unless they're by one of the handful of usual suspects. I think GB's music is always worth hearing, and often powerful and memorable, although it can sometimes be infuriating too.

[rauschwerk]

Saturday at the RFH: Roderick Williams/LPO & Choir/Marin Alsop

Butterworth: Shropshire Lad Rhapsody
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast

Nothing routine about this concert, either the playing or the singing. I chose it because I hadn't heard a live performance of the Walton for over 50 years (Sargent at the Proms) and hearing it again was on my bucket list. Excellent sound from Row C of the balcony. Unfortunately my hearing loss (20 dB mid range) now prevents me from hearing such a piece as really loud, and even my pricey hearing aids cannot cope. Still, it was well worth the effort of turning up!

I intend to return in April to hear the same forces under Edward Gardner do the Glagolitic Mass.

[ardcarp]

I'm envious! Sorry about your hearing loss, rausch. I hope it didn't prevent your appreciation of "Praise ye the god of gold, silver, brass, iron" etc and its associated bits of kitchen equipment! Belshazzar is a wonderful piece. And I hope you enjoy the Glagolitic next year. It's difficult for choral singers to get their heads round, but I'm sure the LPO choir will do so in spades. And I'm sure you'll hear the organ solo!

[Keraulophone]

.

Anush Hovhannisyan (soprano) and Sam Jewison (tenor & piano)

Sat 9 Nov, St Mary's Church, Penzance

A return visit to Pz by this Armenian soprano, though I missed her last time. The programme of 'Gershwin and Friends' was "an opportunity to let our hair down; those of us, that is, who are lucky enough...” [RFH General Manager at Hoffnung concert, 1958].

Ms Hovhannisyan, from Yerevan, graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2013, was a finalist at Cardiff 2017 and has sung Violetta for Scottish Opera and WNO, and Musetta for Opera North. The versatile Mr Jewison won the 2019 Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Competition and is an accomplished pianist and conductor with his own orchestra. He improvised all the piano accompanients during the evening, occasionally adding the flavour of well-known composers suggested by his partner.

Gershwin's friends included Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Frederick Loewe and Duke Ellington, the two singers exchanging lines with ease and enchanting their smiling audience on a windswept evening yards from the foaming sea. AH has a charismatic stage presence to match her even tone, all the way up from smokey lows to gleaming highs. A rising star of the opera world to be sure, doing a favour for her former mentor in Glasgow, who has retired to Pz.

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[cloughie]

.

Anush Hovhannisyan (soprano) and Sam Jewison (tenor & piano)

Sat 9 Nov, St Mary's Church, Penzance

A return visit to Pz by this Armenian soprano, though I missed her last time. The programme of 'Gershwin and Friends' was "an opportunity to let our hair down; those of us, that is, who are lucky enough...” [RFH General Manager at Hoffnung concert, 1958].

Ms Hovhannisyan, from Yerevan, graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2013, was a finalist at Cardiff 2017 and has sung Violetta for Scottish Opera and WNO, and Musetta for Opera North. The versatile Mr Jewison won the 2019 Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Competition and is an accomplished pianist and conductor with his own orchestra. He improvised all the piano accompanients during the evening, occasionally adding the flavour of well-known composers suggested by his partner.

Gershwin's friends included Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Frederick Loewe and Duke Ellington, the two singers exchanging lines with ease and enchanting their smiling audience on a windswept evening yards from the foaming sea. AH has a charismatic stage presence to match her even tone, all the way up from smokey lows to gleaming highs. A rising star of the opera world to be sure, doing a favour for her former mentor in Glasgow, who has retired to Pz.

.

Sorry I missed that - I must keep my eye on the What’s Ons!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Ms Hovhannisyan can be heard tonight (and on Thursday & Friday) at Salford Quays, as Musetta in Opera North's production of La Boheme.

[pastoralguy]

Elgar’s late chamber music.

The violin sonata, the string quartet and the piano quintet.

The Brodsky Quartet with Martin Roscoe who was the pianist with The Brodsky’s leader, Gina McCormack in the violin sonata.

Very fine playing from all concerned. The piano quintet was, for me, the highlight.

Queens Hall, Edinburgh. 11/11/19

[Dave Payn]

I don’t get to see as many concerts as I like these days but that goes with the territory of living on a tiny Inner Hebridean island, I guess! The last one I saw was in September and it was a free lunchtime concert given by the Scottish Ensemble at Seil Island Hall. They played Mendelssohn’s Octet in Eb. Fine playing but the I guess I also saw the advance of technology as all eight players were reading from music on their iPads (with foot pedals connected to them to action page turns).

[ardcarp]

I also saw the advance of technology as all eight players were reading from music on their iPads (with foot pedals connected to them to action page turns).

I always worry about that. Yes it's great for the VS, but what happens if a gremlin gets into the system, i.e. 'the computer says no'.

[Bryn]

I always worry about that. Yes it's great for the VS, but what happens if a gremlin gets into the system, i.e. 'the computer says no'.

Thank goodness that, with the old system, music never falls off the stand, nor do two pages ever get turned at once.