What was your last concert?

[amateur51]

.... would have been a bummer had "Free on Friday" meant anything else!

Good to read that review! Those Friday gigs are brill, aren't they...

Pedants are everywhere, Cali - a chap has to be on his guard 24/7!

[amateur51]

.... would have been a bummer had "Free on Friday" meant anything else!

Good to read that review! Those Friday gigs are brill, aren't they...

Brill they are indeed. The next biggy (for which tickets need to be obtained in advance - still free! - via RAM Box Office) is on Friday 14 June and it's R Strauss' Ein Heldenleben conducted by Semyon Bychkov who conducted a wonderful Mahler symphony no 5 with RAM Academy orchestra last Summer

Don't say I didn't warn you, Londoners

[rauschwerk]

Last Monday at the RFH: Budapest Festival Orchestra/Ivan Fischer.

Dohnanyi: Symphonic Minutes
Beethoven: Piano Concerto 1 (Imogen Cooper)
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra

I booked this concert months ago and was very much looking forward to hearing the Bartok (which I have loved for many years) live for the first time, and by the performers whose recording was a BaL recommendation a while ago. I was not disappointed. Even Bartok's finest music can seem episodic in the wrong hands but there was no risk of that here. It was good to see the orchestra really enjoying a piece they must play a great deal.

The Dohnanyi (his orchestration of his Ruralia Hungarica piano suite) was a pleasant, if rather unmemorable, curtain raiser. I think one could call Imogen Cooper's playing of the Beethoven aristocratic, but conveying all the necessary joie de vivre in the finale. She chose the big cadenza with the false endings, and it was nice to see orchestra and conductor playing along, pretending to be taken in.

Plenty of HIPP in the Beethoven: natural horns and trumpets, small timps (though modern technology) played with hard sticks. A novel seating arrangement too: oboes replacing second desk of first fiddles, clarinets replacing first desk of seconds and flute and bassoons in front of the cellos. This last gave a pleasing prominence to the flute in the tuttis. Second fiddles were on the right for the whole concert.

One moment I shall not forget was the tam-tam player failing to put a restraining hand on the stand in the fourth movement of the Bartok, with the result that gong and (rather top-heavy) stand fell right over!

[amateur51]

Last Monday at the RFH: Budapest Festival Orchestra/Ivan Fischer.

Dohnanyi: Symphonic Minutes
Beethoven: Piano Concerto 1 (Imogen Cooper)
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra

I booked this concert months ago and was very much looking forward to hearing the Bartok (which I have loved for many years) live for the first time, and by the performers whose recording was a BaL recommendation a while ago. I was not disappointed. Even Bartok's finest music can seem episodic in the wrong hands but there was no risk of that here. It was good to see the orchestra really enjoying a piece they must play a great deal.

The Dohnanyi (his orchestration of his Ruralia Hungarica piano suite) was a pleasant, if rather unmemorable, curtain raiser. I think one could call Imogen Cooper's playing of the Beethoven aristocratic, but conveying all the necessary joie de vivre in the finale. She chose the big cadenza with the false endings, and it was nice to see orchestra and conductor playing along, pretending to be taken in.

Plenty of HIPP in the Beethoven: natural horns and trumpets, small timps (though modern technology) played with hard sticks. A novel seating arrangement too: oboes replacing second desk of first fiddles, clarinets replacing first desk of seconds and flute and bassoons in front of the cellos. This last gave a pleasing prominence to the flute in the tuttis. Second fiddles were on the right for the whole concert.

One moment I shall not forget was the tam-tam player failing to put a restraining hand on the stand in the fourth movement of the Bartok, with the result that gong and (rather top-heavy) stand fell right over!

I'm glad that it was worth your wait, rauschwerk

[Mahler's3rd]

Last Friday at Bristol St Georges, The Smith Quartet, with the Philip Glass String Quartet's

[Ferretfancy]

A fascinating concert at the Barbican tonight with the BBC SO under Stephane Deneve. In Poulenc's Les Animaux Modeles Suite the actor Stephen Mangan gave us some of the fables of La Fontaine on which the original ballet was based. This was a work first performed during WWII in Paris, and at the first performance Poulenc managed to slip in some sly digs at the occupying German officers seated in the stalls.

After the interval, students from the RAM were superb in a truly magical performance of Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges, with very imaginative video projections providing haunting imagery to accompany the tale. The BBC SO were superb throughout the evening.

[amateur51]

A fascinating concert at the Barbican tonight with the BBC SO under Stephane Deneve. In Poulenc's Les Animaux Modeles Suite the actor Stephen Mangan gave us some of the fables of La Fontaine on which the original ballet was based. This was a work first performed during WWII in Paris, and at the first performance Poulenc managed to slip in some sly digs at the occupying German officers seated in the stalls.

After the interval, students from the RAM were superb in a truly magical performance of Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges, with very imaginative video projections providing haunting imagery to accompany the tale. The BBC SO were superb throughout the evening.

That sounds to have been a treat, Ferret - many thanks for your report. Was the hall pretty full?

[BBMmk2]

My school is going to throw open its doors to the public for an Arts Festival, from thye 24/062013 for four days. Please PM me for further info.

[Ferretfancy]

That sounds to have been a treat, Ferret - many thanks for your report. Was the hall pretty full?

As usual for these Friday evening BBC SO concerts, the stalls were fairly full but upstairs was thinner. These are not wildly expensive concerts by the price standards of other London orchestras, and they have very imaginative programming and generally fine performances. Unfortunately, papers like the Guardian rarely cover them, which is a great pity.
I encountered a whole bunch of Proms chums last night, they know a interesting concert when they see one!

[amateur51]

As usual for these Friday evening BBC SO concerts, the stalls were fairly full but upstairs was thinner. These are not wildly expensive concerts by the price standards of other London orchestras, and they have very imaginative programming and generally fine performances. Unfortunately, papers like the Guardian rarely cover them, which is a great pity.
I encountered a whole bunch of Proms chums last night, they know a interesting concert when they see one!

And not a note of Wagner in it, Ferret - it sounds a lovely programme

[Curalach]

A fascinating concert at the Barbican tonight with the BBC SO under Stephane Deneve.

SD tells me it will be broadcast on 14 May. Not to be missed.

[amateur51]

SD tells me it will be broadcast on 14 May. Not to be missed.

Hooray! Many thanks for the alert, Curalach

[Curalach]

Hooray! Many thanks for the alert, Curalach

I may have given you a bum steer! This Arts Desk review suggests 14 July. No doubt it will become clear
http://http://www.theartsdesk.com/cl...-barbican-hall

[Ferretfancy]

The Rest is Noise season continued at the RFH last night with the LPO and Jurowsky. Last night we heard European works written during the 1930s, Webern's Variations for Orchestra, Berg's Lulu Suite, Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste, and Martinu's Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Piano and Timpani.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the hall was only about two thirds full for some splendid playing. The excellent soprano soloist in the Berg was Barbara Hannigan, who I believe has just released a recording of Britten's Les Illuminations. She sidled slowly onto the platform as Lulu, slouching with folded arms against the side wall, which perhaps was a stand in for a lampost, and then ambled forward to sing.

Jurowski was his usual precise self, although I do question his decision to give us all a fifteen minute lecture on the music at the start of the programme. I think it's safe to assume that last night's audience would either be familiar with the works, or at least have done some homework.

After the interval, the Bartok featured the two string orchestras, with five basses each side and an extra desk in each string section making about 70 players with the centrally placed piano and percussion. Jurowski tended to be a bit fast in places, I thought, but all the key moments were superb. The Martinu capped the evening's music making for me. Why is this marvellous piece not heard more often? The piano and timps were played by Catherine Edwards and Simon Carrington, both orchestra principals. The massed string sound was magnificent, and we were lucky to have a bird's eye view from a box, which really adds to the pleasure.

I probably won't be free for more concerts until the Proms begin, this was a fine evening before taking a pause !

[amateur51]

The Rest is Noise season continued at the RFH last night with the LPO and Jurowsky. Last night we heard European works written during the 1930s, Webern's Variations for Orchestra, Berg's Lulu Suite, Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste, and Martinu's Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Piano and Timpani.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the hall was only about two thirds full for some splendid playing. The excellent soprano soloist in the Berg was Barbara Hannigan, who I believe has just released a recording of Britten's Les Illuminations. She sidled slowly onto the platform as Lulu, slouching with folded arms against the side wall, which perhaps was a stand in for a lampost, and then ambled forward to sing.

Jurowski was his usual precise self, although I do question his decision to give us all a fifteen minute lecture on the music at the start of the programme. I think it's safe to assume that last night's audience would either be familiar with the works, or at least have done some homework.

After the interval, the Bartok featured the two string orchestras, with five basses each side and an extra desk in each string section making about 70 players with the centrally placed piano and percussion. Jurowski tended to be a bit fast in places, I thought, but all the key moments were superb. The Martinu capped the evening's music making for me. Why is this marvellous piece not heard more often? The piano and timps were played by Catherine Edwards and Simon Carrington, both orchestra principals. The massed string sound was magnificent, and we were lucky to have a bird's eye view from a box, which really adds to the pleasure.

I probably won't be free for more concerts until the Proms begin, this was a fine evening before taking a pause !

Yes another concert I'd hoped to get to but my energy levels weren't up to going. Many thanks for this report on what sounds to have been an unusual concert, Ferret. I'll play the Martinu today, sometime