What was your last concert?

[pastoralguy]

A very odd affair that was the RSNO's last concert of the season. The First half was much better than the second which consisted of Walton's score for Henry the 5th which involved the RSNO Chorus, the RSNO Junior Chorus and a narrator.

The choir had very little to do and every time the Orchestra got going the narrator would interrupt with narration! (As a linking device it would have been fine but not during the music). Somehow, for me, it never really gelled and everything seemed to be incidental - neither fish nor fowl.

It was made worse by the narrator's groupies sitting in front of us making a heck of a racket.

[teamsaint]

Mozart Violin Concerto #3/ Mahler 4. RPO/ Zukerman in Salisbury Cathedral.

i thought there were intonation issues in the high registers of the Mozart, but to say that is probably blasphemous.
Arianna Zukerman,The soloist in the Mahler made a decent fist of it (despite a ropey start), though it did rather sound like she was singing very well, but from the cloisters.

Lovely sound from the orchestra, and a really enjoyable Mahler 4.

[Thropplenoggin]

Mozart Violin Concerto #3/ Mahler 4. RPO/ Zukerman in Salisbury Cathedral.

i thought there were intonation issues in the high registers of the Mozart, but to say that is probably blasphemous.
Arianna Zukerman,The soloist in the Mahler made a decent fist of it (despite a ropey start), though it did rather sound like she was singing very well, but from the cloisters.

Lovely sound from the orchestra, and a really enjoyable Mahler 4.

One of my favourite slow movements...incredible ending. I have my eye on a December performance at the RFH.

[BBMmk2]

The Sixteen Choir with Harry Christophers will be coming to my school this Friday!! Report will follow!

[pastoralguy]

Mozart Violin Concerto #3/ Mahler 4. RPO/ Zukerman in Salisbury Cathedral.

i thought there were intonation issues in the high registers of the Mozart, but to say that is probably blasphemous.
Arianna Zukerman,The soloist in the Mahler made a decent fist of it (despite a ropey start), though it did rather sound like she was singing very well, but from the cloisters.

Lovely sound from the orchestra, and a really enjoyable Mahler 4.

Pinchas Zuckermann? Surprised to hear he had intonation problems. Arianna is his daughter. Nothing like keeping nepotism in the family...

[teamsaint]

Pinchas Zuckermann? Surprised to hear he had intonation problems. Arianna is his daughter. Nothing like keeping nepotism in the family...

well, a Cathedral acoustic, seated towards the side, I would be happy to admit I was wrong. However he did retune after the first movement. I felt there were still some issues in the slow movement, but the third sounded perfect. Sorry, should have mentioned that.
Oh, and should have said, What a fabulous noise he makes. Extraordinary.

Yes nepotism certainly works best that way, as R3 has demonstrated.

"Take our daughters to work" on the grand scale !

[pastoralguy]

well, a Cathedral acoustic, seated towards the side, I would be happy to admit I was wrong. However he did retune after the first movement. I felt there were still some issues in the slow movement, but the third sounded perfect. Sorry, should have mentioned that.
Oh, and should have said, What a fabulous noise he makes. Extraordinary.

Yes nepotism certainly works best that way, as R3 has demonstrated.

"Take our daughters to work" on the grand scale !

I suspect that Zuckermann, like the rest of us, is getting older! I saw him four years ago playing the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with Itzhak Perlman in Washington and they were just incredible. Perlman seems to have gone into semi-retirement with but Pinky is still playing. I do hope he's not going to go on too long and mar his reputation.

I heard him play the Beethoven concerto with the SCO in ?1987 and it was, for me, the most wonderful piece of violin playing I've EVER heard.

[Thropplenoggin]

Yesterday, RFH, my first visit:

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, 'Eroica'

Christoph von Dohnányi, Philharmonia Orchestra w. Pierre-Laurent Aimard

I wanted to hear Beethoven's 3rd live, and this looked like the best option for doing so in the short term. I was sat in the balcony with Mrs. T, £15 a pop. I'm not a huge fan of Brahms's PC 1, and here felt that PLA, a pianist I have never warmed to, seemed to struggle in the slow, eloquent episodes, and excel in the fast'n'furious episodes. In the slower movement, he overegged the custard and, in doing so, fluffed notes. There was a distinct lack of chemistry 'twixt orchestra and pianist, though I put this down to PLA seeming rather detached. The PO were utterly magnificent and I found von Dohnányi compelling in his understated gestures and total command of the orchestra (reminding me of videos I've seen of Carlos Kleiber). The string section, timpanist and woodwinds were so synchronised, so on the ball, it made me eager to get PLA off the stage and here them given free rein. From the 'Eroica's first chords, I found this was an enlightening performance...I was gripped from start to finish, heard details I'd never noticed before, found the crescendos thrilling, and liked how vD () seemed to give the volume a boost in the 3rd Movement.

I was incredibly impressed with the comfort, coolness (on a lovely sunny day) and acoustics of the RFH, and loved the buzz and mixed population swirling around the Southbank Centre. The views from the balcony up to Westminster are wonderful, the G'n'Ts not too expensive, and I can't wait to return.

I'd heard the PO were a top-notch orchestra c/o these boards, but this performance has made me very eager to see them live again. I'm now eyeing the Brahms cycle with Nelsons in late '13 and early '14, along with several other concerts. I'd happily hear them under von Dohnányi's baton again, too.

[teamsaint]

Always working on the basis that "if @noggin does it , it must be worth doing", and noting Amateur 51's comments about the spectacular value of the less expensive tix at the RFH, I took a trip there to see the Philharmonia and Ashkenazy play the Elgar Violin Concerto, Walton 1, and a premiere by Borenstein on Thursday night.
Who said Thursdays are all bad?

Like @Noggin, not a bad word to say about the venue, facilities or anything. (Visited the SBC a couple of years ago for a new years eve bash, but they used the Clore Ballroom.) A really top place to spend an evening, with a good mixed crowd. Londoners are VERY lucky to get such great entertainment, although living in London needs compensations (especially financial) IMO.

Anyway, the music.

Borenstein's "If you will it...." will make a popular concert opener if there is any justice. 10 minutes of fun, with lots of Jewish (and a hint of South American?) feel, I think. Modelled on an Allegro/slow/Reprise of the Allegro/Scherzo/Allegro format(I think, no notepad), it was a 10 minute rip through the musical landscape, and rightly well received.

The Elgar. Not (sorry Edgeleyrob) my absolutely favourite piece of all time, but a hugely enjoyable experience. I wouldn't be a great Judge of violin soloists, but James Ehnes seemed imperious to me. A beautiful balance of sound level between him and the orchestra, and the virtuoso parts allowed the music to speak. The performance seemed well appreciated by a 2/3 capacity audience.

The Walton.If there was a weakness, it would have to be that the first movement seemed a little undercooked in parts. There were incendiary moments towards the end, but there just seemed to be moments of indecision,but perhaps a tentative feel is what VA wanted. But from then on, it was sheer magic. The Presto did indeed carry the "Malizia" required, and really set up the last 2 movements. The Andante seemed to be given lots of room to breathe, for those lovely harmonies in the early part, through to those fuller flowing lines as the movement progresses. Just seemed like the Maestro and band were savouring it all. I know I was.
The finale, just expertly played. All that percussion needs managing carefully, and we got the full effects, which drive the rhythms so powerfully. Its so important , I think, in this movement to get really clear distinctions , especially between the string and brass parts, and the clarity of this was breathtaking, well to me at least.
If the applause didn't take the roof off, it was certainly fulsome, and VA looked pleased with his nights work.

Just a couple of things. Quite a few folk, certainly a noticeable number near me, didn't return after the interval.Odd. Perhaps they sneaked into better seats !!
Second , a question for RFH regulars. Does some of the power and volume get lost towards the back of the rear stalls, where the balcony overhangs?

Any old How, a cracking night out as far as I am concerned, and the concert hall experts seemed to agree. The Walton will stay in the memory a long time.
Sorry if I rattled on the there.very excited by it all !!

[Simon B]

...the RFH, I took a trip there to see the Philharmonia and Ashkenazy play the Elgar Violin Concerto, Walton 1, and a premiere by Borenstein on Thursday night

Ditto... The Borenstein seemed rather bland to me, a series of scales and pseudo-minimalist cliches strung together begging for some content. To be fair to all involved, I probably wasn't in the mood for concentration as a blazing inferno of a bus fire had halted the M4 near Heston at about 18:20 and I just made it to the RFH at 19:25 having run for a tube, run from Embankment station etc. Even so, the most entertaining bits for me were Ashkenazy's eccentric gesticulations ostensibly at the composer but mostly in the wrong direction, to get him on stage a first time, and entirely fail for a second.

The Elgar was beautifully played, I think, by Ehnes as on a previous occasion. Unfortunately, the constant arrhythmic whistling nasal hyperventilations of a gentleman next to me kept taking me out of the music in any of the many quieter sections so I couldn't really tell...

Just a couple of things. Quite a few folk, certainly a noticeable number near me, didn't return after the interval.Odd.

Yes, it appeared that a significant proportion of the audience were Ehnes fanboys (and girls) who cleared off at the interval - a burgeoning phenomenon when well-known violin soloists appear. More fool them, but also many thanks as it afforded an opportunity to escape the nose zone. Even Walton 1 has its quiet moments... Very good, intermittently brilliant Walton 1 and your comments seem about spot on to me. A bit more sharp edged attack bristling with hints of the pent up fury to eventually be unleashed would have been beneficial at the start of the first movement, but it got going after a while. Predictably thrilling timps from Andrew Smith as ever (still going strong after 40+ years in the Philharmonia job, the orchestra will never sound the same again when he retires).

Second , a question for RFH regulars. Does some of the power and volume get lost towards the back of the rear stalls, where the balcony overhangs?

Yes, once you get under that RFH balcony overhang a lot of the power and immediacy of the sound definitely disappears. Anywhere further back than the front stalls is to be avoided IMO. Even before the back rows of that section (row R, something like that) where the tickets are still full £whack it starts to fade off significantly. The bargains IMO are to be had in the bits along the sides and sometimes the choir.

[teamsaint]

My first thought about the Borenstein was that it would be very popular with youth orchestras, assuming its not too technically challenging.
And yes.the Timps were superb .
Sorry to hear about your somewhat troubled evening,SB,but thanks for your thoughts. The Walton seems to have rescued the evening for you.
At least at the back there was plenty of room to move away from noisy neighbours ! (especially after the Ehnes fan club left !!)

[Thropplenoggin]

Always working on the basis that "if @noggin does it , it must be worth doing"

and noting Amateur 51's comments about the spectacular value of the less expensive tix at the RFH, I took a trip there to see the Philharmonia and Ashkenazy play the Elgar Violin Concerto, Walton 1, and a premiere by Borenstein on Thursday night.
Who said Thursdays are all bad?

Like @Noggin, not a bad word to say about the venue, facilities or anything. (Visited the SBC a couple of years ago for a new years eve bash, but they used the Clore Ballroom.) A really top place to spend an evening, with a good mixed crowd. Londoners are VERY lucky to get such great entertainment, although living in London needs compensations (especially financial) IMO.

Anyway, the music.

Borenstein's "If you will it...." will make a popular concert opener if there is any justice. 10 minutes of fun, with lots of Jewish (and a hint of South American?) feel, I think. Modelled on an Allegro/slow/Reprise of the Allegro/Scherzo/Allegro format(I think, no notepad), it was a 10 minute rip through the musical landscape, and rightly well received.

The Elgar. Not (sorry Edgeleyrob) my absolutely favourite piece of all time, but a hugely enjoyable experience. I wouldn't be a great Judge of violin soloists, but James Ehnes seemed imperious to me. A beautiful balance of sound level between him and the orchestra, and the virtuoso parts allowed the music to speak. The performance seemed well appreciated by a 2/3 capacity audience.

The Walton.If there was a weakness, it would have to be that the first movement seemed a little undercooked in parts. There were incendiary moments towards the end, but there just seemed to be moments of indecision,but perhaps a tentative feel is what VA wanted. But from then on, it was sheer magic. The Presto did indeed carry the "Malizia" required, and really set up the last 2 movements. The Andante seemed to be given lots of room to breathe, for those lovely harmonies in the early part, through to those fuller flowing lines as the movement progresses. Just seemed like the Maestro and band were savouring it all. I know I was.
The finale, just expertly played. All that percussion needs managing carefully, and we got the full effects, which drive the rhythms so powerfully. Its so important , I think, in this movement to get really clear distinctions , especially between the string and brass parts, and the clarity of this was breathtaking, well to me at least.
If the applause didn't take the roof off, it was certainly fulsome, and VA looked pleased with his nights work.

Just a couple of things. Quite a few folk, certainly a noticeable number near me, didn't return after the interval.Odd. Perhaps they sneaked into better seats !!
Second , a question for RFH regulars. Does some of the power and volume get lost towards the back of the rear stalls, where the balcony overhangs?

Any old How, a cracking night out as far as I am concerned, and the concert hall experts seemed to agree. The Walton will stay in the memory a long time.
Sorry if I rattled on the there.very excited by it all !!

Wonderful review, TS, hopefully the first of many. To use the damnable parlance of our times, I'm 'well chuffed' that you had such a good evening of it. I am a fan of Ehnes who is garnering lots of good reviews at present. I have his disc of Bach sonatas and partitas and would commend it to anyone seeking out a new set. A great talent.

[EdgeleyRob]

Post # 549,that is simply a wonderful review ts,one that Jayne Lee Wilson would have been proud of I reckon.

Elgar's Violin Concerto,Michael Kennedy sums it up perfectly.

The music, though designed on a grand and opulent style, is of a peculiarly expressive intimacy. There is no mistaking the mood of passionate regret for "what might have been" or even "what has been". The music certainly enshrines the soul of the violin. The soloist is called upon to be orator, singer, poet, conjurer and wizard

[Dave2002]

http://www.amicimusicacocito.it/Festival%20Cusiano%20Musica%20Antica/sabato15giugno2013.php

Now I have seen and heard a portative organ, and compared chittarone with vieilles of different sizes.
There is also the added thrill of travelling by boat to the concerts.

PS: Disregard the concert details from the last link. The actual programme was:

1. G.Dufay: Ce moy de may

2. Pour Delaisser (Oxford Canon. Misc.213)

3. Anon: J'ai prins amours (Wolfenbuttel)

4. Anon: Quant la doulce jouvencelle (Oxford Canon. Misc.213)

5. Dance des clèves (Ms Bassedance Bourgogne)

6. Jusques a tant Charité (Oxford Canon. Misc.213)

7. Beauté parfaite. Antonello de Caseria

8, Saves pour quoy. Raulin de Vaux
(Oxford Canon. Misc.213)

9. J. Ockeghem: Petite Camusette (Montecassino 871)

10. G. Ambrosio: Ballo Francese (Paris, ital. 476)

11. P. Fontaine: Pastourella en un vergier

12. J. Ockeghem: D'ung aultre amer (Codex Guelf 287, Wolfenbuttel)

13. G. Dufay: La belle se sied

14. Anon: Contre le temps et la saison (Codice Reina 6771)

The concert was not as advertised.

[bluestateprommer]

Bit late to posting on this (as usual), but my last symphony concert was last weekend at Orchestra Hall with the Chicago SO and Muti, a program of 3 works I'd never heard before live:

Haydn: Symphony No. 48
Martinu: Oboe Concerto
Scriabin: Symphony No. 3 (The Divine Poem)

http://cso.org/uploadedFiles/1_Tickets_and_Events/Program_Notes/ProgramNotes_Muti_Conducts_Scriabin.pdf

The first worry was more visual than musical, as Muti strode on stage with his right hand in "Napoleon pose" position, if that makes sense. Given that he's had a few health scares this year, one was worried. The next worry was the first musical worry, as there was a horn blat at the very start of the Haydn. However, things recovered quickly, and the Haydn was well paced, in kind of the big band, old school manner. I didn't have the most optimal seat, but when I saw the musicians clear the stage, I saw Dale Clevenger strolling off, and I then reacted, "Oh", regarding the initial horn blat.

Part of the stage clearing was that it was necessary to bring on the grand piano for the Martinu (which got its first CSO performances then, BTW). It's always amusing at Orchestra Hall to see the podium area being lowered, and then raised again with a grand piano, since I've never seen a grand piano wheeled in from the side of the stage. It's even more drily amusing when the piano isn't being wheeled in for a concerto, but simply as one other instrument in the orchestra. Eugene Izotov did a very fine job with the Martinu, even though it's not the greatest piece ever and kind of noodles along, with many typical Martinu baroque-style rhythms. Pianist Mary Sauer got a well-deserved solo bow herself.

We got the huge serving of what one of my old bosses would have called "late Romantic swill" in the form of the Scriabin. Muti obviously brought a lot of experience and love to his conducting of the score, which hadn't featured in Chicago in 20+ years (last time was with Gergiev). It's such a sprawling work that I'm not at all sure what to make of it, although the 'night music' like 2nd movement came off very well, and at least I had the feeling that I knew where I was in the overall narrative. Near the very end, after one big chord and then silence, some (not many) of the audience started applauding prematurely. Muti turned to the audience to give them a slightly dirty look, though more a snarky dirty look rather than the look-of-death dirty look, before conducting the concluding bar or two. Perhaps to make up for the faux pas of the mistiming audience members, the audience overall was very generous in the closing applause. Muti made light of the situation at the very, very end, when he gave a short address to the audience about the premature applause, but then did say that maybe everyone wanted to go back outside and enjoy the nice weather, since it was a beautiful day, and the Scriabin "is very long".

Just as a quick PS, I also heard Muti and the CSO a few weeks back, with Maurizio Pollini in Mozart 21. The only seat that I could get at the last minute was at the very top of the Gallery, but because of the obstructed view of the very back row, I stood up while the works were playing. It sort of felt like being at The Proms again. (The Schumann Rhenish then was by far the most spaciously timed I've ever heard it, which made me wonder if Muti was "doing a Celibidache", but then I remembered his health issues, so maybe he was just trying to pace himself.)