What was your last concert?

[amateur51]

Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 with Hélène Grimaud, and Brahms 1 - Philharmonia under Hannu Lintu.

The latter proved an inspired stand-in for the ailing Nelsons. I thought his accompaniment of Grimaud was deft - we were well placed to see the way he worked with her - and it was a very good performance of the Symphony I thought, getting better and better and a really tremendous last movement. I loved the way he managed tempo changes, balancing real impetus and pulse, with deft phrasing and expression - and the were revelations for me in the way he handled that falling four-note theme that is introduced on the horn

There was something about the way he got the various sections to phrase and exchange that theme which I found enthralling in a way I can't recall before - especially where it comes twice, descending, on all the violins, then handed to the horns.... Got me going, I don't mind saying! He's a galvanic presence on the podium too, I really like his style.

And Mlle. Grimaud Beauty. Power. Precision. What more need one say?

Pretty excellent evening in the RFH

Sounds bostin, Cali

[Alison]

Great stuff, Sainty. And there was me feeling a tad sorry for you in the wake of AN's withdrawal.

It's hard to beat a winning performance of Brahms 1

[teamsaint]

Glad it went well, teams - was it your first time in the Choir at RFH? It's a bargain place to sit, I think if you want to feel really involved

Thanks Ams.

Yup, first time sitting up there, on good board advice.

Think it possibly lost a little of the piano sound up there, but seriously, for £9.........unbelievable value, and a great view of Lintu.

oddly, I had bought the last available seat in the choir, but there were quite a number of empty seats, including 3 either side of me. Make of that what you will !!
I'd certainly sit there again.
Have to say, I love the RFH.

[verismissimo]

Sounds bostin, Cali

Had to look it up. "First rate" in current Brummy.

[amateur51]

Thanks Ams.

Yup, first time sitting up there, on good board advice.

Think it possibly lost a little of the piano sound up there, but seriously, for £9.........unbelievable value, and a great view of Lintu.

oddly, I had bought the last available seat in the choir, but there were quite a number of empty seats, including 3 either side of me. Make of that what you will !!
I'd certainly sit there again.
Have to say, I love the RFH.

The sideways seats in the Choir, which look at the orchestra from the side, give a different visual perspective again, often better for solioists.

The seats in the Balcony right as the back (usually the last two rows) are priced the same as the Choir seats. I've always found the sound up there to be very good, much better than how you might imagine it to be if someone said to you "I can let you have a seat right at the very top and right at the very back".

[Nick Armstrong]

The sideways seats in the Choir, which look at the orchestra from the side, give a different visual perspective again, often better for solioists.

The seats in the Balcony right as the back (usually the last two rows) are priced the same as the Choir seats. I've always found the sound up there to be very good, much better than how you might imagine it to be if someone said to you "I can let you have a seat right at the very top and right at the very back".

Yes, much better than the back stalls, underneath the balcony, which on the few occasions I sat there seemed to compress the sound from the stage, and reflect neighbouring audience members' bodily and other noises right back down and straight into my ears

Ammy, weren't you with Uncle Bernie at the other place on Thursday night..? No reports yet on the DSCH4....

[amateur51]

Yes, much better than the back stalls, underneath the balcony, which on the few occasions I sat there seemed to compress the sound from the stage, and reflect neighbouring audience members' bodily and other noises right back down and straight into my ears

Ammy, weren't you with Uncle Bernie at the other place on Thursday night..? No reports yet on the DSCH4....

I was and all. I've got several concerts to report on at the moment, and I'm doing them chronologically. However suffice to say that it was an extraordinarily accomplished performance taken on the slow side and as an eager Bernie-watcher, I can report that he actually sat down between movements Some phenomenally virtuoso playing from LSO from all departments

[teamsaint]

Yes, much better than the back stalls, underneath the balcony, which on the few occasions I sat there seemed to compress the sound from the stage, and reflect neighbouring audience members' bodily and other noises right back down and straight into my ears

Ammy, weren't you with Uncle Bernie at the other place on Thursday night..? No reports yet on the DSCH4....

certainly felt like that when I sat there. Still, I can think of worse places to be. (as the Stranglers said............)

Amsy must be putting together a giant sized review of his various outings............

[Simon B]

taken on the slow side

Not half! The concert, which proceeded without incident, overran by 25 minutes...

[Nick Armstrong]

Not half! The concert, which proceeded without incident, overran by 25 minutes...

Crikey

[teamsaint]

Crikey

should have decided it on penalties instead.

[EdgeleyRob]

Great stuff ts and Cals.
9 quid to see Helene Grimaud,blimey

[Simon B]

BBCPO/Midori/Mena just now...

Fairly standard, er, fare in some ways (nothing to frighten the horses) but starting with a paradoxically familiar (to me, anyway) rarity:

Arnold: Peterloo Overture
Walton: Violin Concerto
Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet (11 numbers).

Good to finally hear a live Peterloo by a top flight orchestra. Arnold's style frequently encompassed a cracker of a tune and a dose of crash, bang, wallop, both of which in plentiful evidence here. Splendid percussion work, though the brass could have tried harder to compete once or twice. More concerts should start with an overture of this quality and impact IMO...

Midori has played the Walton several times at concerts I've been at in the last few years (CBSO/Nelsons at the Proms, RLPO/Petrenko and again tonight). I don't really know it other than that, and each time I've not really been able to get a proper hold on it. Is Walton's orchestral writing unsympathetic too much of the time? A struggle to hear her at times again tonight. Characteristic pungent Walton sonorities to enjoy though, and impressive volleys of notes from Midori in the plentiful virtuosic bits. Maybe this piece will click with me one day...

Yes, the Prokofiev is in the "heard it a million times" category, but once more is welcome when played like this. I'm warming to Juanjo Mena in the right repertoire, having not been on the same wavelength in numerous of his early concerts with the Phil. The pathos and dynamism of R&J was a great match. Ordering of numbers into a suite is always a problem as there's a tradeoff between nonsensical w.r.t the narrative and satisfactory shape in concert. Ending with Death of Tybalt makes no sense of the story, but played with such frenetic fury you couldn't really follow it.

The BBCPO has lost too many fantastic and hugely experienced players, mostly from the brass, for my (change resistant) liking but overall they've clearly still got it in this rep. And Paul Turner on timps is still worth the admission fee for me.

Presumably, to be broadcast on R3, sometime...

[hmvman]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]From where we were sitting, Thomas Dausgaard looks exactly like... Father Ted I had to look elsewhere or shut my eyes - if I opened them and looked at him esp if he was emoting with mouth open, I was straight back to Craggy Island, the episode "Where Ted Dreams He's Conducting a Symphony Orchestra"... Are y'all right there, Ted?!?!

Saw Dausgaard conducting the RLPO at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool last Thursday week (10th). Not having been a Father Ted watcher I hadn't been struck by Dausgaard's resemblance until you mentioned it, Caliban!

It was a splendid concert though: Bruch Violin Concerto No1 with Henning Kraggerud as soloist followed by Mahler's 5th. I thought the Mahler a thrilling performance with then tension built all the way through until the final release at the end.

As we were guests of the sponsor I had the chance to have a chat to Dausgaard after the concert who came over as a very charming man.

[Beef Oven!]

Last night (22nd)

Goshawk Project

Maarja Nuut

Manero's Bar, Kingsland Road, Haggerston, Hackney, London.

The Goshawk Project is a musical venture between Carole Pegg vocalist/fiddle player, and Radik Tülüsh (Huun-Huur-Tu), Tyvan master musician, underdertone- and overtone-singing.

An unusual combining of English and Tyvan folk music.

Maarja Nuut is a young woman from Northern Estonia whose vocals and amplified violin (and similar folkish instruments) render an ethereal and understatedly urgent, captivating quality to Estonian folk music.

A splendid evening in a small basement venue, packed with around 50 people.

Many thanks for the steer MrGongGong

https://www.facebook.com/TheGoshawkProject