What was your last concert?

[pastoralguy]

Newcastle International Chamber Music Series
Borodin Quartet

Borodin String Quartet no 2 in D
Shostakovich String Quartet no 8 in C minor
Beethoven String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op 131

Encore - Shostakovich - Elegy for String Quartet

That is a huge programme. Would love to have been there.

[zola]

Wigmore Hall 30th April

Alina Ibragimova, Cedric Tiberghien : Mozart violin sonatas K454, 27, 296, 547, 31, 306

Sonatas from juvenilia to mature works. They are a real partnership of equals and showed how many of these sonatas were originally intended as piano sonatas with violin accompaniment. I hope Hyperion have a recording project in the pipeline for these. A certain Radio 3 / BBC4 presenter was seated a few rows ahead of me and while I would love to think he was attending for the pleasure of the concert, suspect a Guardian review may be forthcoming. Concert was a sell out but that is not such a novelty for the Wigmore ( thankfully )

Forget the remark concerning Guardian review, subsequently found out said presenter is now Alina Ibragimova's husband, so congratulations !

[Russ_H]

That is a huge programme. Would love to have been there.

Yes, it was a substantial concert.

The Borodin was rich and luxuriant. The Shostakovich 8 was, I think, the best live performance I have ever
attended. I can't really comment on the Beethoven, as it's a piece that, so far, I've never been able to grasp.
I find it very episodic, but I'll keep trying.

I would strongly recommend attending a Borodin Quartet recital.

[clive heath]

About a week ago we saw the Clark Tracey Quintet at a familiar venue of ours, the Church in Pinner , most frequently visited to see the Alan Barnes group, the elder Dankworths and Scott Hamilton, the tenor sax man. I was apprehensive because the sound man there (as is that tribe's way) can be more concerned with everybody hearing his sound system than with anybody hearing the musicians directly even when you are only say 12 ft away. At least my fears on that score where unfounded and the sound was fine as was the large part of the performance. But.....these young and undoubtedly talented musicians coralled by a jovial Clark were peforming a very dated set. One unfamiliar title has, IIRC, been mentioned hereabouts recently, namely, "A Pint of Beer" which was the opener. Otherwise there were a raft of standards, the ballads were great; "I Loves ya Porgy", "We'll Be Together Again" but two of the numbers were far too fast. "A Moments Notice" should go at a respectable pace but not to my mind so fast that the very complicated chord sequence, (which I do know and stumble thro' from time to time) is overrun. "It Could Happen To You" was also taken at a frenetic pace out of kilter with the sentiments of the lyric. I recall the group I played with in the mid 60s and as you can hear with the link below there were mostly own compositions several with "free" form which more or less means "on the nod". Maybe the organizer had specified the sort of music he thought us "old greys" would prefer. I wonder. The group was the same as on this link

http://www.clarktracey.com/albums.htm

and the trumpet/flugel guy was amazing. The pianist, classically trained, had his foot almost welded to pedal as they do.

A footnote: Clark is named after Stan Tracey's father who was wounded in the Battle of Loos which happened almost exactly 100 years ago and was the battle in which Rudyard Kipling's son Jack died. In the same battle a likely distant relation of mine was commended for Not carrying forward an attack which had been ordered by his senior officer who had the misfortune to put his head above the parapet and was shot. The reason why he wasn't Court-Martialled as you might expect was that the wind had changed and the gas sent toward the German lines was now dispersing in No-Mans-Land through which the intended attack would have proceeded. Well Done that Burrard.

The music from the group I played with is here

http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/vinyl6.php

[David-G]

Wigmore Hall 30th April

Alina Ibragimova, Cedric Tiberghien : Mozart violin sonatas K454, 27, 296, 547, 31, 306

... A certain Radio 3 / BBC4 presenter was seated a few rows ahead of me and while I would love to think he was attending for the pleasure of the concert, suspect a Guardian review may be forthcoming. ...
Forget the remark concerning Guardian review, subsequently found out said presenter is now Alina Ibragimova's husband, so congratulations !

Said presenter observed with soloists in "Le Comptoir Libanais" across the street before the concert. My congratulations likewise!

[Dave2002]

Inverness, Eden Court, 2nd May

Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oaks
Britten, Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge
Prokofiev arr. Swensen, Cinq Mėlodies
Barber, Violin concerto

Joseph Swensen, conductor and violin soloist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The Stravinsky was (as one might expect) a bit dry, but perhaps this was too much for the first work in a concert, at least as it was played. The Britten was more enjoyable, and well done. The outstanding piece was the Barber which Swensen played very ably, and the sonority was beautifully blended. A lovely experience.

[MrGongGong]

Inverness, Eden Court, 2nd May

Do they still do Haggis Pakora in the cafe?

[gurnemanz]

Riveting show at Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradfordon-Avon last Friday with Barbara Hannigan and Britten Sinfonia in an imaginative and unusual programme:

RICHARD STRAUSS Dance from Capriccio (1941)
SCHOENBERG Six pieces for piano duet
BERG Hier is friede Op 4 No 5
CHAUSSON Chanson Perpetuelle
STRAUSS arr. SCHOENBERG Lagunen-Walzer
MAHLER Piano Quartet in A minor
SCHOENBERG String Quartet No 2

Repeated at Barbican on election night

[Dave2002]

Do they still do Haggis Pakora in the cafe?

Sorry, I don't know. The restaurant at John o' Groats does Haggis Panini.

[pastoralguy]

Yes, it was a substantial concert.

The Borodin was rich and luxuriant. The Shostakovich 8 was, I think, the best live performance I have ever
attended. I can't really comment on the Beethoven, as it's a piece that, so far, I've never been able to grasp.
I find it very episodic, but I'll keep trying.


I would strongly recommend attending a Borodin Quartet recital.

We've been lucky enough to hear the Borodins a few times at the Edinburgh Festival over the years and have always found them to be very convincing. Their DSCH is always worth hearing.

I came to op. 131 through the Vienna Phil. under Bernstein (!!) which is well worth hearing. As the years have gone by, I've found it more convincing in its proper quartet guise but Lenny's version is worth hearing at least once!

[Dave2002]

Stunning concert RPO, Otaka, Bach Choir, Sarah Conolly, Neal Davies, RFH

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/rpo-tadaaki-otaka-conducts-wa-82258

Elgar: Cockaigne
Elgar: Sea Pictures
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast

There were too many empty seats - this was truly a mega event - absolutely brilliant. Where was the audience?

[teamsaint]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No.27 in B flat, K.595
Interval
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.10 (compl. Cooke)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Till Fellner piano
Election night saw a much anticipated, (by me at least) concert on the Southbank, a pleasant antidote to politicians and pollsters. A bright cool evening helped to attract a strong early evening audience to a double bill of works by the mid- century, Italian aristocrat Scelsi, an event which proved, if proof were needed, how much live performance can add to appreciation of the unfamiliar. It was a fine concert, and his work is well worth seeking out, for the adventurous minded.
A few brief words on the later concert. The Mozart was all smoothness, with the Philharmonia making beautiful sounds, elegantly led by Petrenko, and sensitively played by Tilner. However, there was a distinct lack of definition in some of the faster passages, and I am going to put this down to a rear stalls seat, or the acoustic, and give Felner the benefit of the doubt. Although, I have to say that the audience seemed a little underwhelmed, and the applause wasn’t much more than cursory, in truth. Perhaps he just isn’t a big enough star yet for some tastes.
I would imagine that most were there for Petrenko and the Mahler though, and they were not disappointed.
I can’t pretend to know every nook and cranny of this work yet, but from the start the playing was of the very highest order. Petrenko took a fairly leisurely route through the first movement, bringing out all the emotion that Mahler soaked the score in. The playing of the orchestra was as good as I have ever heard it. It’s surely hard not to commit everything to playing this music with your soul bared, collective effort though it is.
The third movement exemplified the performance, exquisite music, exquisitely played. We approached the finale knowing that it would leave us breathless, almost literally, and it did. The coda was utterly magical, one of those very special moments, where deep down you realise that the memory will always affect you. Throughout, the quiet passages were beautiful, but here the control from the orchestra and Petrenko was a thing to behold: perfection, and appreciated close to rapturously by a fully appreciative house.
Petrenko, (who dedicated this to the memory of his recently departed mother) really is pretty special. He clearly commands huge respect from the players, and he just oozes understanding and control of both players and music. I’d go out any night of the week to see him conduct.
And the Mahler? You can love something that is not completely perfect, and that you don’t fully understand, can’t you? That’s how I feel about it.

Edit: fortunately, whilst writing this, my memories of the music helped me forget the utterly dismal effort by the audience. The very opening of the piece, straight after the interval, was greeted by a series of coughs and splutters. Bottles fell over, bottle tops hit the deck, the bloke next to me stood up and stretched....twice....coughing was close to endemic, and seemingly without effort at control. Really poor. But a special concert nonetheless.

second edit: Bachtrack reviewer not so knocked out.....but I expect you guys trust me .

http://bachtrack.com/review-fellner-petrenko-philharmonia-may-2015

[Beef Oven!]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No.27 in B flat, K.595
Interval
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.10 (compl. Cooke)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Till Fellner piano
Election night saw a much anticipated, (by me at least) concert on the Southbank, a pleasant antidote to politicians and pollsters. A bright cool evening helped to attract a strong early evening audience to a double bill of works by the mid- century, Italian aristocrat Scelsi, an event which proved, if proof were needed, how much live performance can add to appreciation of the unfamiliar. It was a fine concert, and his work is well worth seeking out, for the adventurous minded.
A few brief words on the later concert. The Mozart was all smoothness, with the Philharmonia making beautiful sounds, elegantly led by Petrenko, and sensitively played by Tilner. However, there was a distinct lack of definition in some of the faster passages, and I am going to put this down to a rear stalls seat, or the acoustic, and give Felner the benefit of the doubt. Although, I have to say that the audience seemed a little underwhelmed, and the applause wasn’t much more than cursory, in truth. Perhaps he just isn’t a big enough star yet for some tastes.
I would imagine that most were there for Petrenko and the Mahler though, and they were not disappointed.
I can’t pretend to know every nook and cranny of this work yet, but from the start the playing was of the very highest order. Petrenko took a fairly leisurely route through the first movement, bringing out all the emotion that Mahler soaked the score in. The playing of the orchestra was as good as I have ever heard it. It’s surely hard not to commit everything to playing this music with your soul bared, collective effort though it is.
The third movement exemplified the performance, exquisite music, exquisitely played. We approached the finale knowing that it would leave us breathless, almost literally, and it did. The coda was utterly magical, one of those very special moments, where deep down you realise that the memory will always affect you. Throughout, the quiet passages were beautiful, but here the control from the orchestra and Petrenko was a thing to behold: perfection, and appreciated close to rapturously by a fully appreciative house.
Petrenko, (who dedicated this to the memory of his recently departed mother) really is pretty special. He clearly commands huge respect from the players, and he just oozes understanding and control of both players and music. I’d go out any night of the week to see him conduct.
And the Mahler? You can love something that is not completely perfect, and that you don’t fully understand, can’t you? That’s how I feel about it.

Edit: fortunately, whilst writing this, my memories of the music helped me forget the utterly dismal effort by the audience. The very opening of the piece, straight after the interval, was greeted by a series of coughs and splutters. Bottles fell over, bottle tops hit the deck, the bloke next to me stood up and stretched....twice....coughing was close to endemic, and seemingly without effort at control. Really poor. But a special concert nonetheless.

second edit: Bachtrack reviewer not so knocked out.....but I expect you guys trust me .

http://bachtrack.com/review-fellner-...monia-may-2015

Most excellent review ts, many thanks for sharing it with us. Sounds like it was a great gig.

Don't worry about Bachtrack, your review is better (and at least you agree about the finale).

Regarding the audience, I know you would have been in worse behaved audiences than that one - are you turning into a grumpy old man?

[teamsaint]

Regarding the audience, I know you would have been in worse behaved audiences than that one - are you turning into a grumpy old man?

The audience weren't as bad as the one for Stiff Little Fingers at Bath Pavilion, on the Nobody's Heroes tour, if that was what you meant. Really much more violent than is strictly necessary.

As regards being a grumpy old man....well, I am getting older, but ever more genial.


i like to think.

have a nice evening.

[verismissimo]

Adderbury Ensemble in Adderbury last night, led by David LePage, playing Mozart, Schoenberg and Brahms.

The Schoenberg was Verklaerte Nacht, which I've known for decades but heard live for the first time at this concert. On record, I always think it outstays its welcome - in general I prefer later, tauter Schoenberg. But last night it was utterly entrancing.

The Brahms was the op 36 sextet in G. Such a great work.

The audience was a bit thin. Still scared off by the S-word?