What was your last concert?

[Richard Tarleton]

Wonderful juxtaposition of images Cali

[teamsaint]

Mesmerising Radu Lupu recital in Reading...

BRAHMS Variations on an Original Theme Op.21 No.1

BEETHOVEN 32 Variations in C minor on an Original Theme WoO.80

MOZART Variations on a Minuet by Duport K.573

-----

SCHUBERT Sonata in G D.894

Incredible, limpid, caressing, luminous tone (on a 'house' Steinway from London prepped by chief technician Uli Gerhartz, whom I know and with whom I had an interesting chat at the interval)... not note perfect, some of the tricky corners in the first half were thrown away with a shake of the head... but it didn't matter!

The Schubert was - well, I agree with the review below (of the previous run of this programme on Tuesday)

And as an encore, the Op.90, D.899 Impromptu No.3 in G flat It had a few people audibly sobbing in the audience...

The thing I wasn't prepared for was how Radu Lupu, in contrast to most photos of him, now has snowy white hair and full white beard, and looks UNCANNILY like Brahms... As he came on, stumped round the piano, began playing leaning back on his chair back - and what's more, playing that first piece, by Brahms, which sounds almost improvisatory - it was an effortless leap to think it was Brahms himself playing for us!







.

The Guardian review:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...ms-southampton

thanks for the review Cals, sounds wonderful.


Reading? which travelzone is that then?

[pastoralguy]

Kyung wha Chung at the Perth concert Hall last nite.

Mozart. K. 379
Prokofiev no. 1
Bach Chaconne
Franck sonata.

One of the musical highlights of this year, if not of all time. Wonderful violin playing of the highest calibre.

I've been lucky enough to hear all the great fiddle players but, somehow, Ms. Chung has eluded me.

[Zucchini]

Mesmerising Radu Lupu recital in Reading...
Incredible, limpid, caressing, luminous tone (on a 'house' Steinway from London prepped by chief technician Uli Gerhartz, whom I know...

I would have loved that!

I will forgive the name-dropping (incidentally the technician who tunes my car is called Wayne) because a few years ago Alfred Brendel used to come to our music festival quite regularly and brought his own piano to be tuned by who I understood to be Steinway London's chief technician. I recall him joking that if you dropped a bag of sugar on AB's keybord the piano would remain silent and If you sprinkled a teaspoon of sugar on Horowitz's piano all hell would break loose... I don't know his name.

[Nick Armstrong]

I would have loved that!

I will forgive the name-dropping (incidentally the technician who tunes my car is called Wayne) because a few years ago Alfred Brendel used to come to our music festival quite regularly and brought his own piano to be tuned by who I understood to be Steinway London's chief technician. I recall him joking that if you dropped a bag of sugar on AB's keybord the piano would remain silent and If you sprinkled a teaspoon of sugar on Horowitz's piano all hell would break loose... I don't know his name.

Well in his more junior days (and mine! we're talking mid-90s) Uli used to come and tune the Bluthner grand we had back then, because he was a friend of a friend....

[teamsaint]

Last night, not a concert, but a bit of opera for me.

Carmen. WNO. Mayflower Southampton.

Briefly.....

Carmen. Alessandra Volpe. Great as Carmen, but the singing was a bit less than top class IMO.
Don Jose.Peter Webb. Brilliant singing, decent acting, not quite perhaps with the perfect look.

Cast and Band. very fine.
Production and sets were fine, wasn't really blown away by it, but a pretty enjoyable traditional presentation.

There were some great moments , and much to enjoy,a solid 7 or 8 out of 10.

£8 for a great view from the balcony. Stunning value entertainment.


and well done to the two people near me who were arrested for using their phones during act 2.

Inexcusable, because in the balcony at the mayflower you could easily stand at the back, see and hear, AND play with your phone without annoying folk.

Lovely night out all round.

[amateur51]

I would have loved that!

I will forgive the name-dropping (incidentally the technician who tunes my car is called Wayne) because a few years ago Alfred Brendel used to come to our music festival quite regularly and brought his own piano to be tuned by who I understood to be Steinway London's chief technician. I recall him joking that if you dropped a bag of sugar on AB's keybord the piano would remain silent and If you sprinkled a teaspoon of sugar on Horowitz's piano all hell would break loose... I don't know his name.

Brendel is one of the few pianists who bothered to learn how to tune a piano. He has written an essay on the subject and appears in this film ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pianomania

[HighlandDougie]

Handel's Messiah with Academy of Ancient Music forces conducted by Richard Egarr at the Barbican last night. Lower-pitch notwithstanding (cf Tony H's comments on the BaL Bach Orchestral Suites thread), it was a delight. I had wondered about small forces in the Barbican but there was a clarity and warmth which meant that every word could be heard from the - excellent - chorus. I'd never heard it before in the flesh - too much of a hoary old chestnut, maybe. In this typically lithe and imaginatively conducted and sung performance, though, it sounded as fresh as the proverbial paint. Egarr has a great stage persona without overdoing it a la Roger Norrington. I suspect that I will now find it difficult to hear it in future sung by larger forces. A wonderful way of being cheered up after a very long and difficult day. As an added bonus, the little AAM CD stall was selling the Bach Suites for a price rather lower than I've see elsewhere so that'll do me as my birthday present to myself.

[Keraulophone]

Hilliard Ensemble, at St Mary Magdalene, Taunton last night.

Their penultimate concert on England, with much by 12th century Anon, a fascinating composer. David James has been their countertenor since the beginning, forty years ago. He colours their sound with an otherworldly quality that is quite magical. After Vienna and Wigmore Hall, the Hilliard will be no more. Thanks for many hours of joy.

[DublinJimbo]

A marvellous performance of Handel's Messiah in Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral last Friday.

The Irish Baroque Orchestra were joined by the Resurgam choir and the excellent team of soloists were Sinéad O'Kelly (soprano), Anne-Marie Gibbons (mezzo), Eamonn Mulhall (tenor) and Own Gilhooly (baritone). Guest director for the evening was Eamonn Dougan.

It was a truly excellent evening. Resurgam is a professional choir, formed by Mark Duley (organist and director of music at Christ Church between 1992 and 2003) in 1996. Only sixteen voices on Friday (accompanied by a fifteen-strong IBO), which contributed to a degree of clarity which I've never previously heard in this work. Early in the very first chorus there was an alto line which had never registered with me up until then, and this was typical of the entire performance. The commitment and intelligence of Resurgam's singing were remarkable, and were matched by the soloists. My sum-up word afterwards was 'drama'. This was aided by the very simple device of having the soloists seated well to the side, which meant that they 'walked-on' to the performance area, which added a highly-effective degree of theatricality. There were no weak links in the solo team, but if I had to single out any it would be Sinéad O'Kelly, blessed with a beautifully pure soprano voice and an immediately engaging personality. No po-faced singing from her (nor, in fairness, from any of the soloists): her facial expressions matched the music and text to perfection, and her engagement with the audience dragged us into the narrative. That sense of drama and unfolding narrative was evident all evening, and made the work come alive as never before in my experience.

The combined forces of choir, orchestra and soloists performed at their peak for director Eamonn Dougan. Together, they encouraged me to experience Messiah anew, and to leave Christ Church in a mood of euphoria, enervated by magnificent musicality and, most of all, wondering again at the greatness of Handel's Achievement.

[MrGongGong]

Just on the way home from the dress rehearsal of the ROH/Early Opera Group/Roundhouse co-production of Orfeo.

Some wonderful music and very subtle sound reinforcement which kept the intimacy of the ensemble in the large space of the Roundhouse.

[gurnemanz]

Just on the way home from the dress rehearsal of the ROH/Early Opera Group/Roundhouse co-production of Orfeo.

Some wonderful music and very subtle sound reinforcement which kept the intimacy of the ensemble in the large space of the Roundhouse.

Going next Sunday and really looking forward to my first live Monteverdi opera.

[Nick Armstrong]

Whoops... should perhaps have posted this

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?12643-Simon-Bol%C3%ADvar-Symphony-Orchestra-RFH-January-2015

here...

... but thought it deserved a thread on its own!

[Ferretfancy]

Last night at the Barbican, a truly wonderful piano recital by Benjamin Grosvenor. This unassuming 20 year old simply goes from strength to strength.

We heard some Rameau, followed by the famous Busoni arrangement of the Bach Chaconne. The first half ended with Franck's Prelude, Chorale and Fugue, and after the interval came a Chopin sequence including the 3rd Ballade, and the evening ended with extracts from Goyescas, including The Maiden and the Noghtingale.

It's really admirable the way that Benjamin Grosvenor seems to have a distinctive sense of style in playing music by widely different composers, all with wonderful colour and attack. Virtuosity without cheap display. It was a tremendous evening.

[teamsaint]

Lighthouse Poole, January 28.

Kirill Karabits conduct the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Berlioz's Le Corsaire Overture, Chopin's Piano Concerto No 2 featuring the pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, and Schumann's Symphony No 2.

Sharp eyed forumites will have spotted this in the Radio times, and no doubt thought it looked a tempting programme for a snowy January night. Weather was kind down here, so I went along, blissfully ignorant of the R3 scheduling...but I would have gone anyway....a live Schumann 2 is a big pull, wintry conditions or no.

THe Overture has been mentioned by the wise Edashtav, and lots of spirited fun it was. Just the sort of thing that can pass one by as disc filler, but heard live makes you wonder why, for instance, it doesn't get a more regular airing in places like " Breakfast".

On to the main course, and you can hardly go wrong trying to fill a concert hall with one of the Chopin Concertos. Avdeeva is physically a very slight figure indeed. Nothing really to dwell on here for too long. Sadly, from where I was, there was a very definite muddy quality to the piano sound, and some very indistinct passages. I think on reflection , this may have been something to do with the enigmatic acoustic at the hall, although at the time I put it down to over enthusiastic pedal work.Nontheless, it was fine, some lovely passages, but certainly not a performance to transform ones view of the work . For me, the final movement came off best, but occasionally I felt a little more power wouldn't have hurt.
A good reception from the reasonably well filled hall, a quick Waltz encore, and off she went,before reappearing,looking a little bashful, in the auditorium for the symphony.

And the symphony. Not much glory for the conductor, perhaps , in a top notch Chopin 2, but what about a classic Schumann 2? Now that is a prize worth fighting for.

From well before the first note, it was clear that KK was really going for it. From the carefully prepared direction into the first notes, KK micromanaged this like a man on a very serious mission. Every small crescendo and diminuendo, every phrase end, almost note by note he guided them....pity the front bench second violins who had nowhere to hide! Did the microphones pick up all those sharp intakes of breath, grunts, a jump? that was all KK, giving it everything,and they might have been off putting if you didn't know that this came from his extreme involvement.
And it isn't as if the work doesn't demand enough from the orchestra. The violins, their sound beautiful, rich and impeccable, have plenty to do, and KK worked them hard in that second movement, and got what he wanted.

A huge (quietly observed)dramatic pause before the start of the slow movement. Recovery, or building the tension? I guess it doesn't matter, the wait worked, and the music deserves it. The movement was played for beauty and elegance, rather than the kind of rough edged Pre Mahlerian angst ( can I say that?) that it can be given. Personally, I love edge in this, but Karabits took us to a place of pure and beautiful sound, the woodwind solos were perfection , and it was utterly compelling, More than one way to skin a rabbit, I suppose.

There is huge energy required for the finale after all that emotion, and just occasionally i found myself wondering if conductor and orchestra didn't have enough in reserve. Whatever, they kept enough for the barnstorming conclusion, a true 10 second goose bump job, a really thrilling end to a special performance.
Karabits took this really seriously, and though there may be even better to come, the orchestra gave him everything, and this time the acoustic seemed to work well.
IMO, this deserved a far better ovation than it got, which was no better than average applause.

The whole thing is repeated on Friday night in Portsmouth, and well worth a trip for those within hitting distance.
What was it like on the radio?