What was your last concert?

[Ferretfancy]

Salonen/Philharmonia at the RFH this evening in an almost all (bar La Mer) Lutoslawski concert. Blissfully quiet and attentive (relative to the appallingly disruptive rabble for the LPO a few weeks ago) and surprising sizeable crowd.

The high point was the Lutoslawski cello concerto (soloist Truls Mork complete with music flying off stand at inopportune moments), crisp, alive and expertly marshalled by Salonen, particularly in the semi-improvisational bits.

The Concerto for Orchestra (which can hardly fail, providing the torrent of notes and technical challenges are dashed off with panache!) just fell very slightly short of out and out brilliance. One or two moments were ever so slightly tentative relative to the ideal let-rip performance. Maybe the lion's share of rehearsal went on the less familiar cello concerto? Still pretty thrilling though.

I was there as well, and enjoyed the evening, although I did not think that the orchestra was on absolutely top form. What did you think of La Mer? It seemed a bright but rather disconnected performance, a bit lacking in that surging feeling that I expect, maybe a little too swift? The famous entry of the cellos in the first section did not feel like an announcement of something significant as it surely should do, and at the very opening of the Concerto for orchestra they seemed to be overpowered by the splendidly played tymps. I know this is nit picking, but the opening phrase is key to the whole work.

I'm afraid that I failed to suppress a cough myself tonight in spite of every effort, actually a single explosion with my head buried beneath the rail, I hope you didn't notice!

[hmvman]

Was in Glasgow this weekend to see Steve Reich and the Scottish première of Radio Rewrite. It was a great weekend and good to have the opportunity to see Reich in person performing Clapping Music.

The whole thing was amazing value for money too: a four-hour concert on Saturday night, an hour's 'in conversation' and questions with Reich on Sunday followed by a performance of Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings. £15 for the Saturday concert, the others were free!

[Flosshilde]

Bach's St John Passion performed by the Dunedin Consort at the Kelvingrove Museum. Something I'd been looking forward to, although I was doubtful about the venue - I though it might have rather too much reverberation, which proved to be the case. I'm afraid I left before the end. I've heard some good concerts by the Dunedins, but this wasn't one of them -slow in the extreme. They may have been trying to improve clarity in an echoey accoustiic but it just made the performance seem flabby. John Butt is a notable academic, but I feel that in this case he wasn't quite on the ball in performing.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Tonight in Truro, the Schubert Ensemble:

Huw Watkins: Piano Quartet (2012)
Mozart: Piano Quartet in G minor K478
Elgar: Piano Quintet

The Elgar in particular was stunning. Should have bought their CD of it but was beaten to the last copy Did snap up their Enescu Quintets though

[HighlandDougie]

Last night, Teatro Cabrera, Savona, Benjamin Grosvenor playing Bach transcriptions (by Wilhelm Kempff, Saint-Saëns et al), Chopin, Scriabin, Granados and a showy transcription of the Blue Danube by Schulz-Evler. Impeccably behaved audience, impeccably played programme: BG just gets better and better. Well worth the drive, including lunch in Alassio, where a toast was drunk (alas, in acqua minerale con gaz) to Sir Edward Elgar.

[BBMmk2]

Worth Abbey, Turners Hill, West Sussex.

Yesterday a coincert of music contemplating the Passion of Christ. D'Arcy Trinkwon, organist, Worth Abbey.

J S Bach: Chorale prelude O Mensch, bewien' dein' Sunder gross, BWV622.

Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur(1908-2002): Scene de la Passion

Eduardo Torres(1872-1934): Saetas III & IV

Alan Ridout(1934-1996) The Seven Last Words

Charles Tournemire(1870-1939): Choral-Paraphrase sur le Victimae Paschali

[amateur51]

Last night, Teatro Cabrera, Savona, Benjamin Grosvenor playing Bach transcriptions (by Wilhelm Kempff, Saint-Saëns et al), Chopin, Scriabin, Granados and a showy transcription of the Blue Danube by Schulz-Evler. Impeccably behaved audience, impeccably played programme: BG just gets better and better. Well worth the drive, including lunch in Alassio, where a toast was drunk (alas, in acqua minerale con gaz) to Sir Edward Elgar.

Sounds a lovely experience HD and bravo on the toast to Elgar

[clive heath]

Sunday, 17.3.2013, 11 a.m. (!) Festival Hall for the Bach Choir, Florilegium conducted by David Hill in Bach's St. Matthew Passion

As this is my first Matthew not involving me singing in the tenors, it was very enjoyable for that alone. Over and above, the conductor, who alternated his double orchestra and double choir in most if not all the permutations, conjured up from the instrumentalists an almost indecently sprightly rhythm for the arias, especially those in the second half, which got under way at 2.15 p.m. after much picnicking in the interval. Very much an atmosphere of conviviality. The choir are remarkably brisk considering the large numbers and achieved a creditable pian(-issim?)o in the crucial (literally) chorale which they sang from memory. A very satisfying experience with the contributions from the soloists perhaps blending in more with the instrumental texture from the front row of the balcony than they would have done from the stalls but none the worse for that. I especially enjoyed the cantabile of the tenor, Andrew Kennedy. As I had forgotten to bring the little book of words from my CD (Naxos, Hungarians) we were grateful for the clarity of the Evangelist, James Gilchrist, not to mention his musicality.

..including the words from recit 58 "parted his garments, casting lots", referring to the dice in Eric Gill's 10th "Station of the Cross" in Westminster Cathedral.

[Mahler's3rd]

Was at Symphony Hall on Saturday night for Wagner's Flying Dutchman CBSO/Andris Nelsons, wonderful evening, Jennifer Wilson superb as Senta

[Simon B]

Was at Symphony Hall on Saturday night for Wagner's Flying Dutchman CBSO/Andris Nelsons, wonderful evening, Jennifer Wilson superb as Senta

Ditto. James Rutherford (with notably immaculate diction) wasn't exactly bad either... Jennifer Wilson's acting was distinctly hammy (yes, I know this is a bit of a ridiculous objection in a concert performance) but what a voice... I think the loudest, yet not shrill, soprano I've ever heard - no trouble at all in being heard over the CBSO at full pelt. I'm too young to have heard Birgit Nilsson live, but at least in terms of sheer power I suspect a distinct resemblance!

[Mahler's3rd]

Yes indeed Simon B James Rutherford was also excellent, looking forward to seing him at The Wagner Gala concert on The 22nd May at the RFH, that's three years running now the CBSO/Nelsons have done a superb Wagner concert performance, Lohengrin, Tristan & Isolde last year and now The Flying Dutchman, hopefully next season the combination will do Tannhauser The Power in Jennifer Wilsons voice was awesome

[Russ_H]

Last night in Gateshead: The Fine Arts Quartet.

Mozart K575

Shostakovich No. 1

Verdi's only quartet

Glazunov - Waltz and Orientale from Novelettes, Op15

I greatly enjoyed this recital. The Shostakovich, in particular, was delightful. The Glazunov was
new to me. Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjSgMB37D9k

[Ferretfancy]

The Philharmonia were in top form tonight for the last in their series commemorating Lutoslawki. Tonight we heard the 4th Symphony, an amazing piece with wonderful orchestral textures, a superb soloist in Mathias Goerne for Les Espaces de sommeil, and Jennifer Koh as violin soloist in Chain 2. I didn't really know the 4th Symphony, and was bowled over by it, neither did I know Jennifer Koh. She has a bold sound, and I know that the RFH acoustic is not always kind to solo violin. No problems this evening!

The concert began with Ma Mere l'Oye, just the suite this time, what is it about this piece that stimulates the sea lions in the audience ? they weren't quite as bad as the last time I heard this work, which was beautifully realised.

I'm not sure if I dare mention La Valse, which ended the evening, since it is certainly overplayed on R3. Suffice it to say that it received a devastating performance. I don't think I have heard it played with such a sense of dissolution and collapse, reflecting the end of an era, after all it was composed in 1920 and surely should be harrowing and not a piece of orchestral excitement.

This was a challenging and outstanding evening. Shostakovich 8 at the Barbican tomorrow !

[Ferretfancy]

The BBC SO were on outstanding form at the Barbican tonight with Alexander Vedernikov conducting. The concert began with John Adams' The Chairman Dances, followed by Tippett's Piano Concerto with Steven Osborne..For me, this is a work that doesn't really register. Obviously , Steven Osborne played well, but to my mind Tippett failed to achieve a satisfactory dialogue between the piano and the orchestra. I'm not expecting a classically proportioned concerto, but for much of the time the orchestra completely outguns the soloist, especially because of its use of high woodwind piercing through a congested texture. When the soloist can be heard there doesn't seem to be anything much on offer.

Things changed after the interval, with what I can only call an incandescent performance of Shostakovich's 8th, which did not lose a moment's tension from first to last. All the sections of the orchestra played at their very best, with that beautiful cor anglais solo in the first movement beautifully realised by Alison Teale The concert was broadcast live and is available on iPlayer for the usual duration of a week. The platform was heavily miked, so let's hope it may appear as a BBCMM DVD

This was one of those evenings where you wanted to leave the hall and not speak to anybody.

[Richard Tarleton]

Cardiff last night - CBSO with Andris Nelsons. Flying Dutchman overture, Mozart K488 with Paul Lewis, and Beethoven 7 .

A lovely, thoughtful, collaborative K488. I'd listened to a couple of versions at home the day befgore to refresh my memory. Lewis actually joined in the opening tutti before his solo entry, playing some chords very quietly (almost inaudibly from our 5th row seats) - the only time I've been aware of this before was V Mullova joining in the opening tutti of the Beethoven Violin concerto. He is a most expressive player, the slow movement was meltingly beautiful.

The Beethoven 7, my favourite Beethoven symphony, positively blazed. Brisk tempi (so often I'm disappointed by performances of this work), the orchestra were on great form. A taut, driving scherzo and trio (nearer the Toscanini than the Klemperer end of the scale ) and blistering last movement.

This was the first time I'd seen Nelsons conduct. Idiosyncratic scarcely does it justice! Clearly some great work must take place beforehand, in rehearsal. A great shambling bear of a man (in a good way), at times he leaned on the podium rail, holding it with one hand, every so often cranking himself up, leaning forward, lunging with his baton, flinging his arms in the air, becoming airborne a couple of times - I realised early in the Beethoven that his conducting style reminded me powerfully of Boris Yeltsin's. But whatever he does, it works brilliantly, because this was a truly superb performance. Most of all he seemed to be conducting with a glittering eye, ready to pounce at crucial moments. I'd love to hear more from CBSO regulars.