What was your last concert?

[HighlandDougie]

The above concert sounds, well, unmissable so I'm afraid that:

Benjamin Grosvenor: in Schumann/Janáček/Prokofiev/Liszt (encores by Grieg/Ginastera)

two nights ago in Toulon hardly competes. As a BG groupie, I'm not a good person to be objective about his recitals but, as ever, technically brilliant and poetic playing. Slightly shambolic organisation of a concert in an unventilated space but, hey, a Monday night in the French equivalent of Portsmouth and "Visions Fugitives" to be going through one's head ever since. Same programme at the Barbican tomorrow, I think.

[Demetrius]

PatKop Mirga G-T/CBSO @ Symphony Hall

A full house. PatKop put her music on the stand, dropped a pile of newspapers on the floor, kicked her slippers off and was ready to go (Tchaikovsky VC).
Mirga looked and smiled from the podium, waited then with perfect timing kicked off her own shoes and we were away.

The energy, drive and technical certainty of PatKop's performance was breathtaking. The huge ovation that followed the close of the first movement was richly deserved and inevitable. How Mirga stayed with her, how the CBSO stayed with Mirga I don't know.

The encore: John Cage's speech quartet performed by PatKop, Mirga & two from the orchestra - with the newspapers. Great fun.

Before we had Weinberg's Rhapsody on Moldavian themes, displaying all the beauties and power of Mirga's magnificent machine.

Lastly a complete performance of the Firebird, Mirga keeping wonderful transparency throughout. Off stage trumpets blazing sent us all away feeling better!

Brilliant programming, brilliant performance.

Went to the same program in Dortmund on Wednesday. Except for the concerto (which in my case was supposed to be Yuja Wang and Prokofiev 5 , but due to illness turned out to be Kit Armstrong with Schumann ) But the Firebird and the Weinberg Rhapsody were indeed brilliant. Dortmund will get to hear the CBSO and MGT quite a lot over the next few years, lucky bastards. I don't think I will be able to travel there every time.

[cloughie]

Chipping Campden Festival again this year -Faure:Masques et Bergamasques, Berlioz: Nuits d’Ete and Mendelssohn Scottish Sym. The orchestra was the Chipping Campden Academy Festival Orchestra, cond Thomas Hull, leader Ruth Rogers (who clearly inspires the young string players). Soloist in the Berlioz, Sarah Connolly. The orchestra is a mix of experienced mainly London orchestral players and young recently graduated music students. Again a joy to hear and to watch! The Mendelssohn was a really spirited performance - Movt 2 taken very swiftly and the strings were terrific, a couple of woodwind muffed entries towards the end of the finale but otherwise an excellent and uplifting performance.

[Zucchini]

Chipping Campden Festival again this year -Faure:Masques et Bergamasques, Berlioz: Nuits d’Ete and Mendelssohn Scottish Sym. The orchestra was the Chipping Campden Academy Festival Orchestra, cond Thomas Hull, leader Ruth Rogers (who clearly inspires the young string players). Soloist in the Berlioz, Sarah Connolly. The orchestra is a mix of experienced mainly London orchestral players and young recently graduated music students. Again a joy to hear and to watch! The Mendelssohn was a really spirited performance - Movt 2 taken very swiftly and the strings were terrific, a couple of woodwind muffed entries towards the end of the finale but otherwise an excellent and uplifting performance.

You've summed it up nicely. I'm lucky enough to live a couple of miles away so am a regular attendee. Was a bit disappointed by Sarah C, still a fine voice but not a very engaging interpretation, I thought (maybe just me). Academy Orchestra was spirited and sounded super, as always..

Saw London Mozart players in Handel, Bach & Vivaldi last week. What a delight Ruth Rogers is! Her solo violin danced in performances full of snap, crackle & pop. A brilliant night.

I've been keen to find Leeds winner, Eric Lu and will see him on Sat with the Academy Orchestra, led by Ruth R & her old man Thomas Hull.

[Zucchini]

Great evening at the Anvil, Basingstoke, last Friday. The first time we have seen Mirga and easy to see why people are so enthused ... CBSO is setting out on a European tour. https://cbso.co.uk/on-tour Audiences are in for a treat.

Quite a tour with Yuja Wang calling in sick! Six done and six to go. A standing ovation after Firebird at the Concertgebouw last night

https://twitter.com/TheCBSO

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Stockhausen, "Donnerstag"; RFH, Tues 21st & Weds 22nd May, 2019

Having missed the only previous performances of this work back in 1985, I decided to get tickets for both performances this time round - if it's another 34 years before it's done again in the UK, I'll be in my 90s!

I know the work from the DG 4-CD boxed set, but the visual nature of the work (it is as much a ballet as an opera) - and the physical experience of the sound (the electronic Music creating genuine "surround sound") - means that so much is gained from Live performance. And this was a superb performance - right from the students of the RAM performing the brass & percussion "Greeting" in the foyer of the Hall [tighter and more invigorating on the second night]. The constantly-changing moods of the work - by turns intensely harrowing and traumatic (some of the first Act is based on Stockhausen's experiences growing up in Nazi Germany), hilarious, tender, lyrical - frequently baffling, occasionally disturbing, always astonishing ... and just overwhelming. And so many "earworms" buzzing through my head, too - including the smacked lips, hissing and kissing sounds; it somehow seems odd to describe Stockhausen as "delightful", but so often that's exactly what his Music is.

Act To is often described, rather lazily, as a "Trumpet Concerto", which it sort-of is - but it's even more so a Concerto Grosso, with prominence given to Basset Horn, a pair of Clarinets, solo Tuba, a pair of flutes, solo viola, solo Double Bass, solo Trombone as well as the Trumpet. And it's a ballet for instrumentalists - and an acknowledgement of German Operatic History (Siegfried is obviously here - slaying Fafner, Journeying [a bit further than just] Down the Rhine - but so are Papageno & Papagena as well as Tamino and Pamina ... and Sarastro and Monastos). And, similarly, the last scene of Act One is a "Piano Etude" for solo piano with four singers, trumpet, Basset Horn, and dancer.

A huge undertaking - the core performers coming from Parisian company, Le Balcon (with whom the impetus to create the production originated), but with the London Sinfonietta, the New London Chamber Choir, and brass and percussion from the RAM Manson Ensemble - all conducted by Maxime Pascal.

The production cleared up many of the seemingly bonkers aspect of the "storyline" - many but not all; the narrative follows Musical patternings more closely than it does linguistic logic; absurdity is embraced and incorporated just as vocal and instrumental "extended techniques" are used in melodic lines - to enhance, to contrast with, and to reflect on each other.

Nor was it forgotten that this is both a complete work in itself, but also a part of an enormous larger design - the projected close-up of Trumpeter Henri Deléger's exaggerated eye and eyebrow movements in Act Two, reflected in Vision (the concluding scene of Act 3) in the archive film of the Indian Eyebrow dancing - and setting the precedent for the Eyebrow Dances in Samstag). The production showed meticulous belief in the composer's intentions and achievement both in this particular work, and in Licht cycle as a whole - lighting, movement, performance, direction ... all revealing just what an excellent work this is. Hostile critics during Stockhausen's later years often enjoyed predicted was that once the composer had died, and his influence on his immediate performer associates became something of the past, the entire "megalomanic" project itself would be forgotten; so it is reassuring that all of the principal performers were in their early teens when Stockhausen died - they have come to this Music with no direct contact with the composer, and have dicovered for themselves that the Music - the Licht project - gives them things that speak directly to them, and that they feel the necessity to commit themselves to, and to present to audiences.

And, praise be! - it's the first in a project to present the Licht cycle in its entirety for the first time, one work a year over the next six years: as these performances of Donnerstag were being given, Le Balcon company is rehearsing Samstag ready for performance in Paris next month.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I could go on ... it was so good ... but just a comment on audience numbers: the seats at the sides of the RFH were used for performers, and to accommodate some of the laser lighting effects, so they weren't available to the public; but a nice chap on the RFH staff told me that there were 1800 people for the Tuesday performance, and 1500 for Wednesday (which I thought was marginally the better of the two - although Tuesday's "Farewell" I found more atmospheric).

With any luck, such numbers - and, for goodness' sake, the sheer marvellousness of the whole production - will encourage the RFH to move heaven and earth to get the remaining operas performed in London as well.

And, perhaps, get the Beeb to go along and film the damn things for BBC4!

[Joseph K]

And, perhaps, get the Beeb to go along and film the damn things for BBC4!

I started listening to this work the other week (as I said on the What are you listening to now thread) unbeknownst to me that a performance was coming up. I shall listen some more to it today.

[Richard Barrett]

Having missed the only previous performances of this work back in 1985

The only previous UK performances - there were also productions in Milan and Basel.

The first performance of the complete LICHT planned for the Holland Festival in a few weeks' time, by the way, was eventually shrunk down to a weekend of highlights... which unfortunately don't coincide with my monthly visit there... plus I wasn't offered free or even reduced tickets despite having written and presented a series of lectures for the associated Masters course for no extra dosh... grumblegrumblegrumble

[Joseph K]

I started listening to this work the other week (as I said on the What are you listening to now thread) unbeknownst to me that a performance was coming up. I shall listen some more to it today.

Oof! My bad! It was actually Dienstag I was listening to!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oof! My bad! It was actually Dienstag I was listening to!

You posted about Donnerstag, though, Joseph (post 7682, on 18th May) - it struck me, because I'd also been playing the discs you gave the link to.

I'd thought you were also "preparing" for the performances; if I'd known you hadn't known about the performances, I'd've given you a pointer.

[Joseph K]

You posted about Donnerstag, though, Joseph (post 7682, on 18th May) - it struck me, because I'd also been playing the discs you gave the link to.

I'd thought you were also "preparing" for the performances; if I'd known you hadn't known about the performances, I'd've given you a pointer.

Oh, you are right. It was Donnerstag I was listening to.

How much was a ticket? I'll see if I am able to get to the one next year.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Tickets were from £15 to £70 (+£3 "booking fee" wherever you sat) with 25% off for some concessions (none of which I was eligible for). I went fo a £40 seat - perfectly fine view and sound - bit of a climb to get to level 6!

If you're in Paris next month, they'll be doing Samstag at the Philharmonie. I hope they'll be able to bring it to London (or even, say, Huddersfield ... ) but there's nothing showing on the 2019/20 South Bank programme as yet. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

[Joseph K]

Tickets were from £15 to £70 (+£3 "booking fee" wherever you sat) with 25% off for some concessions (none of which I was eligible for). I went fo a £40 seat - perfectly fine view and sound - bit of a climb to get to level 6!

If you're in Paris next month, they'll be doing Samstag at the Philharmonie. I hope they'll be able to bring it to London (or even, say, Huddersfield ... ) but there's nothing showing on the 2019/20 South Bank programme as yet. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Well, Herbie Hancock set me back over 60 quid (for a good seat, mind) so between 15 and 70 for a long work with lots more people involved sounds reasonable.

[Bryn]

Tickets were from £15 to £70 (+£3 "booking fee" wherever you sat) with 25% off for some concessions (none of which I was eligible for). I went fo a £40 seat - perfectly fine view and sound - bit of a climb to get to level 6!

If you're in Paris next month, they'll be doing Samstag at the Philharmonie. I hope they'll be able to bring it to London (or even, say, Huddersfield ... ) but there's nothing showing on the 2019/20 South Bank programme as yet. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

I cheated and used the lift with its very silly sound effects, to get to level 6. I paid the minimal £15 and both sound and view were just fine, as far as I'm concerned.