What was your last concert?

[teamsaint]

To Cardiff's St David's Hall last night to hear the Orchestra of WNO play Bruckner 8, preceded by Messiaen's L'ascencion, a work I was hearing for the first and quite possibly last time. WNO under their excellent conductor Lothar Koenigs are exploring "faith", hence the pairing of Messaien and Bruckner.

The concert was 30 minutes late starting - at precisely 7.30, with the orchestra on stage (minus the leader) it was announced that the principal oboe had been taken ill, a replacement was on the way and was 5 minutes away from the hall. It took until 8 for things to get going, by which time, with thoughts of the journey home, we wishes they'd cut straight to the Bruckner, but they pressed on with the Messiaen. The second section (the first section being entirely for brass) was for woodwind but with a sustained high note that sounded like tinnitus - I think harmonics on the violins but couldn't be sure.

The Bruckner was splendid, and the replacement principal oboe whoever he was did us proud. But sad to see St David's Hall barely half full. We've had a couple of Bruckner 7s in recent years, but you have to go back to the 1990s in Swansea for an 8 - this was a special occasion. More goosebump moments than in the VPO's run-through under Maazel at the Proms.

Interesting orchestra layout - second violins on the right with the violas, cellos centre left, double basses on the extreme left behind the first violins, harp on the extreme right behind the seconds. Otherwise as normal.

thanks for that report, RT.
At least the late start didn't ruin your evening. Sounds like a good one. a trip to st Davids Hall to see something decent is high on my "to do list". Amazed that it was so empty for such an interesting programme. perhaps the Messiaen frightened some folks off? Seems a bit unlikely though.

[Richard Tarleton]

(Faust's tone doesn't do it for me)

Throppers, while you're there, was it you who was saying you weren't keen on the Belceas for similar reasons? I've been watching their Beethoven series from Vienna on satellite and remain undecided. Can you be more specific? (if indeed it was you)???

[Richard Tarleton]

thanks for that report, RT.
a trip to st Davids Hall to see something decent is high on my "to do list".

It's worrying, numbers have been well down on my last few visits, not sure if it's down to programming or economics. I remember very full St David's Hall concerts in the 1990s....

I wish they'd try some chamber or recital evening concerts. I haven't heard any more about the threatened sale of the hall by the council - perhaps Honoured Guest can enlighten us

[Thropplenoggin]

Throppers, while you're there, was it you who was saying you weren't keen on the Belceas for similar reasons? I've been watching their Beethoven series from Vienna on satellite and remain undecided. Can you be more specific? (if indeed it was you)???

I believe that was Caliban, Richard. I know that HighlandDougie has the LvB cycle on disc and seems happy with it.

[Richard Tarleton]

Thanks Throppers!

[Honoured Guest]

I remember very full St David's Hall concerts in the 1990s....

I wish they'd try some chamber or recital evening concerts.

There was an evening chamber series up to the '90s. The Dora Stoutzker Hall at the Royal Welsh College is much more suited to that and hosts excellent chamber concerts and recitals (as I expect you already know).

[Richard Tarleton]

There was an evening chamber series up to the '90s. The Dora Stoutzker Hall at the Royal Wesh College is much more suited to that and hosts excellent chamber concerts and recitals (as I expect you already know).

I didn't, and thank you for that. I remember lunchtime chamber concerts at St David's Hall - a bit of a haul from Pembrokeshire for an hour's music but I did make the effort for the Endellions.....

[Ferretfancy]

A splendid concert at the Barbican on Thursday with the LSO and Nikolaj Znaider conducting. The evening began with Strauss's Don Juan, which got off to a rather brash and headlong start, the pleasure in this performance came with the beautifully played quieter passages. Then came Brahms's Double Concerto with Roman Simovic and Tim Hugh as the superb soloists. This is a work with a rather extended first movement, but it did not seem so here, it was fully satisfying throughout, and that includes the orchestral contribution.

As the Barbican has no organ ( we can blame the LSO management for that decades ago) I wondered how they would manage the opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra, but in fact the electronic organ with a concealed bank of speakers did the trick, and was quite convincing. Again, this was a superb performance with terrific contributions from all sections of the orchestra. Roman Simovic and Tim Hugh returned to their normal positions as Leader and Principle Cello.
One quibble ? well, I missed a really big bell, something more massive than the tubular variety is surely called for, but otherwise it was great.

I only know Znaider as a violinist of distinction, but the LSO obviously like him as a conductor, and gave their best on Thursday night.

[Zucchini]

Rafael Payare (33, product of El Sistema, protege of Dudamel, Abbado & Barenboim) made a mightily impressive debut with the CBSO at Symphony Hall on Thurs, conducting Rimsky K Scheherezade & the Schumann PC, the latter played exquisitely by Jonathan Biss on a glorious piano.

For Scheherazade, Payare left 2 empty risers between woodwind & brass/percussion & the transparent sound & balance he maintained was stunning, even by Symphony Hall standards. The CBSO is a very powerful, responsive beast, he clearly enjoyed driving it & was relaxed enough to leave the players to it from time to time..

At the end Payare was awarded the rare accolade of the orchestra applauding him vigorously & refusing his request for them to stand. (it happens all the time with Andris Nelsons, but Jac van Steen is the only other I've seen).

I think he's a name to remember, have no idea what's in his repertoire so far, believe he's booked sometime for a debut with the LSO. Understand that he will become music director of the Ulster Orchetra next season. Lucky them on this showing.

[aeolium]

On Saturday evening we went to a concert at Hellens Manor, Much Marcle in which Christian Blackshaw and friends played Mozart's two piano quartets and Brahms' first op 25. The medieval house and manor have an interesting history not least for the people who have resided there including the powerful Mortimer family of Edward II notoriety:

http://www.hellensmanor.com/about-hellens.html

Both parts of the concert were preceded by short and informative introductions by the music critic Stephen Walsh. He mentioned for instance that Mozart was originally commissioned by Hoffmeister to write three piano quartets but Hoffmeister discharged Mozart from the commission after hearing the first one in G minor which he declared to be unplayable. Fortunately Mozart had already virtually finished the second (which to me sounds, in its piano part at least, more difficult) but sadly posterity lost the possibility of a third masterpiece of the genre from Mozart. I wonder what other instances there are of potential masterworks being abandoned as a result of the commissioner changing his mind.

The two Mozart works, played before the interval, were given wonderful performances. Stephen Walsh's programme note mentioned that Christian Blackshaw - who now runs the mini-festival at Hellens every year - was for a time a pupil of Clifford Curzon, and the Curzon influence was noticeable in the crisp articulation and phrasing with which he played, especially in the witty finale to K493 where the piano and strings seem to be arguing with each other as they chase each other down then up the scales. After the interval the first Brahms piano quartet was powerfully and eloquently played, ending with gaiety and caprice in the gypsy finale. Blackshaw was excellently partnered by Markus Daunert on violin, Mate Szucs on viola and Oleg Kogan on cello. It was a memorable evening of chamber music in a beautiful and interesting location.

[teamsaint]

Philharmonia/Hrusa/Mork.

Dvorak cello concerto/ Suk "Asrael" symphony.
RFH.

A very warm spring evening for another, (the last?) of Hrusa's series of concerts.

Not quite sure what to say about the Dvorak. Enjoyable enough, a work thats hard not to enjoy, but in honesty at times it sounded a little under prepared . I thought there was some slightly scruffy playing, and some sections where the playing wasn't too securely coordinated.Seemed that way from my seat in the choir. But on the upside, Mork was good, and there was some lovely playing from the woodwinds, especially the principal clarinet.
If i was taking a guess, i would think that a lot of the rehearsal time had gone on the Symphony. I moved to a good seat in the rear stalls for this.
What a performance it was. i was completely won over by it. Obviously it is a work with plenty of scope for things to misfire, but i really can't think of anything substantial that I would have changed. Hrusa really seemed to get everything out of the orchestra for this one. The strings were quite exceptional, and very moving in the second section, and there was fine and involved playing from all over the stage throughout. Brass were spot on, and the woodwind soloists again superb.the third section and its climax and in particular its conclusion were breathtaking,and demanded and got a very long break before the second part commenced.
I wont do more detail for time reasons,but this was a really fine performance IMO.
Interestingly this was the second concert of Hrusas where the final (main?) work really stood apart in terms of performance quality.
Disappointingly, a really poor attendance. Balcony closed,rear stalls about a third full in the centre, almost empty at the sides, and front stall only about 60/70% full I would think.plenty of coughers, and several folk left during the symphony.

[Pabmusic]

I'd love to have gone to this. But whatever happened to the idea of an appetiser? The Fantastic Scherzo would have made a fantastic opener.

[Ferretfancy]

Thje LSO were on top form at the Barbican on Wednesday night, another 'in the family' event in which the leader Roman Simovic played Prokofiev's 2nd Violin Concerto. This was the first time I have seen the conductor, Pablo Heras-Casado, He's young, almost like a miniature model of Dudamel, but I suspect more consistent, and he quickly established his rapport with the orchestra with a sizzling performance of Ravel's Alborada del Gracioso.

I sometimes have a problem with the balance in violin concertos at the Barbican, and Prokofiev's scoring can be pretty hefty, but there was no problem on this occasion.
Simovic was first class, and obviously his colleagues wanted to do him proud. After the interval came Shostakovich's 10th in a searing performance. Heras-Casado is a conductor who has excellent structural control while at the same time allowing small details to come through. I doubt if it's really possible for any conductor to disguise the weakness of the second half of the finale, and this was the case on Wednesday, but otherwise all went stunningly.

I should mention the superb bassoon playing of Daniel Jemison , wonderful, almost sinister sounds in the Ravel, and great subtlety along with his colleague Joost Bosdijk in the Shostakovich.

Look out for Heras-Casado, he's a real talent, and it was obvious that the orchestra liked working with him.

[Ferretfancy]

Philharmonia/Hrusa/Mork.

Dvorak cello concerto/ Suk "Asrael" symphony.
RFH.

A very warm spring evening for another, (the last?) of Hrusa's series of concerts.

Not quite what to say about the Dvorak. Enjoyable enough, a work thats hard not to enjoy, but in honesty at times it sounded a little under prepared at times. I thought there was some slightly scruffy playing, and some sections where the playing wasn't too securely coordinated.Seemed that way from my seat in the choir. But on the upside, Mork was good, and there was some lovely playing from the woodwinds, especially the principal clarinet.
If i was taking a guess, i would think that a lot of the rehearsal time had gone on the Symphony. I moved to a good seat in the rear stalls for this.
What a performance it was. i was completely won over by it. Obviously it is a work with plenty of scope for things to misfire, but i really can't think of anything substantial that I would have changed. Hrusa really seemed to get everything out of the orchestra for this one. The strings were quite exceptional, and very moving in the second section, and there was fine and involved playing from all over the stage throughout. Brass were spot on, and the woodwind soloists again superb.the third section and its climax and in particular its conclusion were breathtaking,and demanded and got a very long break before the second part commenced.
I wont do more detail for time reasons,but this was a really fine performance IMO.
Interestingly this was the second concert of Hrusas where the final (main?) work really stood apart in terms of performance quality.
Disappointingly, a really poor attendance. Balcony closed,rear stalls about a third full in the centre, almost empty at the sides, and front stall only about 60/70% full I would think.plenty of coughers, and several folk left during the symphony.

I get rather depressed by poor attendance at Philharmonia concerts, sometimes the audience appear to be on a trip organised by SAGA, and I can't talk! (Coming up to 79) This orchestra in particular seems to have problems with attracting younger listeners, although Salonen's recent appearances have been an exception. You would have thought that the Asrael Symphony would be an item that people would make a special decision to hear, but maybe a substantial part of the audience have booked for the whole season, or are on corporate freebies and don't like music much.

[teamsaint]

I get rather depressed by poor attendance at Philharmonia concerts, sometimes the audience appear to be on a trip organised by SAGA, and I can't talk! (Coming up to 79) This orchestra in particular seems to have problems with attracting younger listeners, although Salonen's recent appearances have been an exception. You would have thought that the Asrael Symphony would be an item that people would make a special decision to hear, but maybe a substantial part of the audience have booked for the whole season, or are on corporate freebies and don't like music much.

I don't know how the demographics and things like season bookings/corporates/concessions work. I am constantly surprised though that the top price tickets for these concerts (which are fairly steep prices) always seem to sell pretty well, while the middle and lower end seem so much less popular, at least for certain concerts.
I too would have thought that Asrael, especially with a Czech conductor, would have been a decent pull. If it had been , say, Mahler 4, (tin hat on) the hall would surely have been close to full.

Edit: There was also a pretty modest turnout for the Faust Trio concert at the the QEH a couple of weeks ago.
I really don't know if there are pricing issues. For many SBC concerts there are tickets available at more than reasonable prices. I have to say I am seldom tempted to upgrade, because one problem with the pricing is that some of the seats that are not much better than the cheapies are a lot more expensive...perhaps more tickets at around £15 in say the front of the rear stalls would help, for less popular concerts/

As discussed elsewhere, the website isn't the most user friendly, but its surely not bad enough to cause such poor attendances. Programming is pretty standard, plenty of popular stuff, and some things to interest the more curious.
Beats me !!

The odd thing is that for people with good access to Waterloo from the south, Its very easy to get to, , and with the price of the cheaper tickets, I can see a concert there almost as cheaply as a Philharmonia concert in , say, Basingstoke.

But then I have issues with the way arts organisations go about sales and marketing.......