What was your last concert?

[Richard Barrett]

Interesting thoughts. Because Beefy is so enthusiastic, I have given their records a decent listening to, and I never got it at all really. It sounds as if the live package is the way in though.
Possibly not one for a first date though ?

Possibly not. But yes, I came away with the feeling that if you only hear the music you're only getting half of what they're about. If I've given the impression that the video component is just crass, it isn't just that, there's a lot of sophistication going into it as well. I can't pretend to see to the bottom of all the layers of irony and satire involved in their work, which is sort of fascinating in itself.

[ardcarp]

A superb alto sax and piano recital by Dominic Childs and Simon Callaghan.

Programme

Claude Debussy Rapsodie
Fernande Decruck Sonate
Steven Sondheim Three Waltzes (arr. Bennett)
Amy Beach Romance Op 23 (arr. Roberts)
Paule Maurice Tableaux de Provence
Georges Bizet Fantaisie brilliante sure themes de Carmen (arr. Borne)

Seldom have I heard such technical mastery, combined with absolute rapport between the two, amazing dynamic range and musical sensitivity.

If these two rising stars come your way, you will not be disappointed!

Or there's this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tableaux-Pr.../dp/B07KLS2WWM
(Decruck, Beach and Maurice are female composeres whom Dominic was keen to feature.)

[Bryn]

Messiaen: Vingt regards (Ian Pace, City Unuversity Performance Space, early yesterday evening). A very powerful, if not, to my mind the most idiomatic performance, which appeared to manage to knock some upper register strings out of tune somewhat. I was put in mind of the way Bouleez took to ignoring Messiaen's desire for resonances to be allowed to decay before pressing on. That said, the overall duration of the performance was no shorter than is usual.

I should add that Ian provided some excellent programme notes which, alongside a useful introduction and analysis of the wrk, put it in the context of the composer acception Vichy government teaching post turned down by supporters of its previous appointee, Andre Bloch, a jew. (However, it appears that Bloch was not removed due to his being jew but because he had rached retirement age, something that Ian failed to mention.

[Beresford]

Did anyone hear the concert last night (Friday) at Kings Place by Explore Ensemble playing premieres by Saariaho, Bailie, and Rebecca Saunders? I had tickets, but a stomach bug caused us to abandon the planned rare trip to London.

[Bryn]

Now relaxing during the brief interval between the 2 sets at an iklectik matinee with Ed Lucas (trombone), Sue Lynch (tenor sax/clarinet, N.O. Moore (guitarism) and Eddie Prévost (basic jazz drum kit). Very much looking forward to the second set in a few minutes.

[CallMePaul]

Quauor Danel with Nicholas Cox (Clarinet) and David Fanning (Piano), Manchester University, Friday 13 Decmber: -

Weinberg - Quartet no 8 in C minor Op 66
Alexander Krein - Jewish Sketches Op 12
Ustvolskaya - Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano
Shostakovich - Quartet No 5 in B flat Op 92

Very good concert as usual at this venue. the Ustvolskaya was a major discovery for me. Manchester University is fortunate to have the Danels as Quartet in Residence, and David Fanning, probably the country's leading authority on music in the former USSR as one of its music professors. He has a major input into the programming of these concerts. I am always surprised that they are as low-profile as they are (not seriously marketed outside the University) and Radio 3 should certainly consider recording them for wider transmission!

[Bryn]

Wojtek Blecharz et al: Rhythm Ritual (Vocal Constructivists, at the Swiss Church, 79 Endell St, WC2H 9DY).

[Part of https://www.artrabbit.com/events/jemp-2019-mechanical ]

[zola]

Radio 3 lunchtime concert at LSO St Luke's today. JS Bach sonatas for violin and harpsichord with Alina Ibragimova and Carole Cerasi. It will be broadcast on February 5th. Should be self recommendable but I'll add my recommendation anyway. Don't miss it !

[Bryn]

Last night at Cafe OTO, Cornelius Cardew: The Tiger's Mind - Day Piece (John Tilbury). I made two simultaneous ambisonic recordings, one with the Zoom H3-VR from near ceiling height, and the other with the Røde NT-SF1 from a metre or so from the piano, facing the soundboard. The event was to promote the release of a Swiss CD of The Tiger's Mind - Night Piece.

[Nick Armstrong]

Igor Levit playing Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes & Fugues at the Barbican this Sunday evening

What a concert it was! Countless things I’d never noticed before (in works I’ve known over 40 years) from this phenomenal pianist. Plus the contrasts and cumulative effect from hearing the set from end to end.

Unforgettable

[richardfinegold]

I was in Detroit last weekend, and heard the DSO with their new Italian Conductor, Jader Bignamini, who had just been signed to a 7 year deal, in the Paganini Concerto with Agustin Hadelich and the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique. Orchestra Hall in Detroit has great acoustics and the SF was fantastic, with particularly good wind playing. Bignamini has gobs of charisma and this appears to be a great partnership.

[LMcD]

19th January: Philharmonia/Salonen:Vaughan Williams 6th/Strauss Oboe Concerto/Stravinsky Symphony in 3 Movements (Royal Festival Hall). The soloist in the Strauss was the Philharmonia's 22-year-old principal oboist. His performance was very enthusiastically received.
20th January: Jerusalem Quartet: Haydn/Bartok (Wigmore Hall, Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert). I'm no nearer to understanding Bartok's quartets but it was fascinating to see what he subjected the players to!
Part of a rare foray into the capital.

[MrGongGong]

I was here
listening to a performance of North Indian music for Sitar, Tabla and Indian Cello
rather wonderful

Amer fort near Jaipur

[vinteuil]

.

... lucky you!

Amber Fort is magical. (Tho' I always found Jaipur itself a bit of an armpit... )

.

[ostuni]

What a concert it was!

[Igor Levit, Barbican Hall, Shostakovich 24 Preludes & Fugues]

Agreed, 100%. It was the first time I'd heard Levit live: remarkable playing and, as you say, the effect of hearing the cycle complete is very powerful indeed.

I'd done some preparatory listening, over the previous couple of days, from Melnikov's recording (easily the best, IMO), and had been wondering how Levit would match up. I'd heard Melnikov do a number of the pieces live, in a fascinating recital in Aix en Provence, shared with Andreas Staier playing pieces from the Bach 48 on the harpsichord (July 2011, my journal tells me). At the time, I noted that Melnikov seemed to be so much more interesting, so much more varied, than any of the other pianists I'd heard in these pieces (and, on my return from France, I immediately bought his new recording).

But Levit last night won me over, totally. His soft playing in the opening C major Prelude at first seemed unwisely quiet for such a large hall - but no: you concentrate, recalibrate your ears, and get thoroughly drawn in! Daringly, constantly pianissimo during the long and wonderful Bbmi fugue (Melnikov, like Shostakovich in his own recording, gets louder in the middle, but the score suggests otherwise), and thunderously triumphant in the final Dmi fugue. A long, and utterly glorious evening.