What was your last concert?

[Pulcinella]

Can't immediately find the 'Concerts you're going to' thread, so posting here instead.

Hoping to go to this tonight.
Joe Bates is one of three UofY students who were commissioned to write a piece for the choir I sing in.
UofY Music Press will be publishing all three.

Palestrina Stabat Mater
Jonathan Harvey Mortuos plango, vivos voco
Josquin des Prez Inviolata à5
Jonathan Harvey The Annunciation
Joseph Bates Ceasing
Rhiannon Randle O nata lux
Palestrina, arr. Harvey Stabat Mater

The vocal collective SANSARA thrives in the space between ancient and modern. Spanning centuries in sound, they showcase the same vocal artistry in music by Palestrina, Josquin and Jonathan Harvey. University of York Music student Joseph Bates’s 2020 work Ceasing is paired with a rare performance of Jonathan Harvey’s ground-breaking electronic reworking of Palestrina’s Stabat Mater, heard here for one of the first times in the UK. This is music that collapses time itself, generating sounds of kaleidoscopic beauty.

[Jonathan]

Earlier this evening, the ensemble "Concert Royal" playing Music for a Georgian Drawing Room in the church hall at Burnby Hall in Pocklington, East Riding. Programme included music by J.Oswald, J.Gunn, J.E.Galliard, Dr.E.Miller, Handel, J.C.Bach and anon. Excellent and thoroughly enjoyable.

[ostuni]

Budapest Festival Orch/Ivan Fischer, playing Mahler 9 at the RFH tonight. Every bit as good as I'd hoped for - his is one of my two or three favourite recordings of this piece, which has held a special place in my heart since getting to know it as a student 50 years ago. Wonderful to be so close to the musicians (I was in the choir seating), and witness the sheer amount of physical effort that goes into playing a piece like this.

[Bryn]

The revised version, which suited me fine.

The Netopil 'live' performance of the newish critical edition of the original score was again broadcast during TtN, last night. I particularly like the cross-rhythms in the Úvod, see https://www.gramophone.co.uk/other/a...lagolitic-mass. I must admit that I prefer the revised version of the Věruju, shorn of the timpani interjections.

[agingjb]

Angela Hewitt at the Turner Sims (Mozart and Beethoven); splendid.

[Bryn]

Last night at Iklectik: Daragh Morgan and Steve Beresford playing works by Cage, Feldman, and Stockhausen.

[kernelbogey]

Sunday last (4/6) Chiaroscuro Quartet: Purcell, Haydn & Beethoven. Brilliant.

[ostuni]

Also last Sunday, at the Barbican: the LSO, under F-X Roth, Beethoven 9. A stunningly good performance, with a standing ovation from the audience. As with Roth's LSO Beethoven 5, a couple of months ago, if you closed your eyes, you could imagine yourself listening to an HIP string section (which is my preferred choice for this repertoire): expressive, vocal phrasing and minimal vibrato. Very fine playing from the whole orchestra: unfazed by some very fast tempi.

Really tremendous singing from the LSO chorus: rhythmically precise, every syllable clearly enunciated, and all those dozens of high As sounding bright and unstrained. And Mika Kares was a truly excellent bass soloist. (I thought I recognised the name: he's Bluebeard in Mälkki's Bartók recording)

[Barbirollians]

Tonight at Symphony Hall - CBSO/Yamada

A proper programme to put some of those short Proms to shame - Holst's Japanese Suite ( charming - didn't know it at all. In the second half a sumptuous and stunningly well played Rachmaninov Symphony No2 which i think is Yamada's signature piece

The highlight , however, was a terrific performance of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto from Seong Jin Cho . I have been very impressed by a number of his records of Debussy and Chopin but he showed tonight that he is in the first rank in Beethoven. It was a mercurial, fiery yet searching performance . The slow movement entrancing, the cadenza in the first movement was real pin drop territory and a cartwheeling finale .An encore from his Handel project disc has led me to order it on the train on the way home . He is such a talent .

[edashtav]

Tonight at Symphony Hall - CBSO/Yamada

A proper programme to put some of those short Proms to shame - Holst's Japanese Suite ( charming - didn't know it at all. In the second half a sumptuous and stunningly well played Rachmaninov Symphony No2 which i think is Yamada's signature piece

The highlight , however, was a terrific performance of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto from Seong Jin Cho . I have been very impressed by a number of his records of Debussy and Chopin but he showed tonight that he is in the first rank in Beethoven. It was a mercurial, fiery yet searching performance . The slow movement entrancing, the cadenza in the first movement was real pin drop territory and a cartwheeling finale .An encore from his Handel project disc has led me to order it on the train on the way home . He is such a talent .

See approx. 3pm, 7th June on Afternoon Concert: Ian Skelly chose Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
perfirmed by Seong-Jin Cho with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Conductor: Andrés Orozco‐Estrada, recorded in Salzburg. A delightful performance.

[Petrushka]

Went to the Barbican last night for the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle in the Messiaen Turangalila Symphony. Terrific performance as you would expect but the LSO brass sounded much, much too loud, uncomfortably so at times, from my seat in the Circle. There seemed to be no roundness in tone, just a total blasting it out. The percussion, however, was just right, The Barbican probably isn't the ideal venue for a piece like this but the heavy brass really did need toning down, if only for the sake of everyone's hearing.

Was anyone else there last night, or for the repeat tonight? I'd be interested in any comments.

Incidentally, tonight's performance is on Radio 3 on June 30.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Went to the Barbican last night for the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle in the Messiaen Turangalila Symphony. Terrific performance as you would expect but the LSO brass sounded much, much too loud, uncomfortably so at times, from my seat in the Circle. There seemed to be no roundness in tone, just a total blasting it out. The percussion was just right, The Barbican probably isn't the ideal venue for a piece like this.

Was anyone else there last night, or for the repeat tonight? I'd be interested in any comments.

Incidentally, tonight's performance is on Radio 3 on June 30.

That , unfortunately, is a feature of the Barbican . The brass are hard up against a reflective surface in a way they aren’t at the RFH or RAH. I went to a Gergiev LSO Tschaikovsky perf where the woodwind were completely inaudible thanks to the brass. Also a Shostakovich which was painfully loud. Either the brass tone it down or they should put perspex acoustic screens in front of them. I personally think the LSO brass are possibly simply too loud which is bad news for the violas’ ears.

It’ll be fine on R3 thanks to the wonders of microphone placement.

Went to the BBC Phil at Snape two nights ago. A vastly superior hall and an excellent orchestral balance.

[Pulcinella]

Went to the Barbican last night for the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle in the Messiaen Turangalila Symphony. Terrific performance as you would expect but the LSO brass sounded much, much too loud, uncomfortably so at times, from my seat in the Circle. There seemed to be no roundness in tone, just a total blasting it out. The percussion, however, was just right, The Barbican probably isn't the ideal venue for a piece like this but the heavy brass really did need toning down, if only for the sake of everyone's hearing.

Was anyone else there last night, or for the repeat tonight? I'd be interested in any comments.

Incidentally, tonight's performance is on Radio 3 on June 30.

Times review here:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lso-rattle-review-exit-simon-rattle-with-ecstasy-and-laughter-2kn3hprv9?shareToken=a75aa12289c94dd45998ac0c8524d663

[Bryn]

Times review here:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/l...98ac0c8524d663

It's good that these days, Rattle has lifted his conducting of Turangalîla-Symphonie way above that of his recording with the CBSO, which I found rather disappointing. His 2008 Proms performance already showed a far firmer grasp and I look forward to hearing the broadcast of this new performance at the end of this month.

[LHC]

Went to the Barbican last night for the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle in the Messiaen Turangalila Symphony. Terrific performance as you would expect but the LSO brass sounded much, much too loud, uncomfortably so at times, from my seat in the Circle. There seemed to be no roundness in tone, just a total blasting it out. The percussion, however, was just right, The Barbican probably isn't the ideal venue for a piece like this but the heavy brass really did need toning down, if only for the sake of everyone's hearing.

Was anyone else there last night, or for the repeat tonight? I'd be interested in any comments.

Incidentally, tonight's performance is on Radio 3 on June 30.

I was there as well, although in the stalls rather than the circle. The balance did seem a bit better from my seat, although as others have noted the Barbican can be a difficult hall as there is not as much space around the orchestra, especially when its as large as it was last night.

I thought it was a superb performance and it was no surprise that the LSO and Rattle were given a standing ovation.

As it was also being filmed (and is Rattle's last concert with the LSO at the Barbican as its music director) I wonder if it will be released as a blu-ray on the LSO Live label in due course.