What was your last concert?

[Petrushka]

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 !!

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

The poor website is surely part of the problem. The other is, as you've touched on, the marketing which is beyond belief awful.

I've attended concerts at the RFH since 1978 and used to look at the Saturday newspapers in those days to see what was on. More recently, I've bought tickets for a few concerts over the internet but not so much as a squeak has come out of the SBC box office. They need to be pushing the product, e-mailing punters with what's on offer instead of complacently sitting back and waiting for people to come to them. My name and e-mail address are on the SBC database. Why aren't they sending me e-mails persuading me to come to the concerts in the hall? The head of marketing needs a bomb put under them otherwise attendance is only going to nosedive further.

The orchestras themselves need to take control of their own destinies and push their marketing for all it's worth. The LSO manage to do it. Only this week I've had an e-mail from the Barbican. I attended an LPO concert at last year's Proms. Why isn't the LPO bombarding me with information on upcoming concerts?

They need to get their act together - and fast!

[richardfinegold]

Suk's Asreal was programmed here a few years back. We were supposed to go but a family illness intervened.
My only recording of the piece is the Liverpudlians, conducted by Pesek. I always wonder if there is more to the music than they reveal. Any suggestions?
Another family illness has caused us to switch our Concert date, and this weekend as a makeup we will be hearing Shut-Your-Yap Van Zweden conducting DSCH Leningrad Symphony and the Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes. My expectations are low so hopefully they will be exceeded.

[richardfinegold]

I feel I've jumped in here and been a bit free with my opinions. If I may, I'll drop back with proper responses tomorrow.

Fire away Blotto!

[EdgeleyRob]

Last Friday.

BBC Phil,Sir Andrew Davis,James Ehnes.

Rawstorne,Street Corner Overture.

Fizzed,Crackled and bustled,what a marvelous 6 minutes this was.
Rawsthorne's Symphonies would be right up Sir Andrew's 'street'
I reckon,if only.

Elgar,Violin Concerto.

James Ehnes produced some jaw dropping playing,absolutely spot on.
Was there a blip towards the end of the slow movement where the conductor seemed to lose the orchestra for a couple of beats.
My head was all over the place,as it always is in this movement,so maybe I imagined it,not sure,just sounded a bit awkward for a brief moment.
There was an encore,part of Bach's 2nd sonata,absolute perfection,held the audience spellbound.

RVW 9.

Top notch performance of this most imposing masterpiece.
Sir Andrew's BBCSO recording seems tame compared to this,maybe something to do with being there I suppose.
The blazing E Major light that ends the piece is still with me.
The more I hear the 9th,the more I am convinced that it has everything,not just a summing up of RVW's life and work but of all human life.
I do have difficulty putting into words what this Symphony means to me.

Anyway,there were a lot of empty seats.
A few people left at the interval ,only there for Ehnes or Elgar (or maybe Rawsthorne !)who knows.

ER,News at Ten,Manchester.

[teamsaint]

Thanks for that excellent review, ER. Like all good reviews, makes you wish you had been there.
I saw Ehnes playing the Elgar last year, and he was absolutely magnificent. Also quite a few leavers at the interval that night, who missed an Excellent Walton 1. Amazing.

Sounds like you had a great evening, ER, glad you enjoyed it.

Edit : Re the empty seats, its hard to know what WOULD bring the punters in if this programme doesn't.
Good to see mainstream TV news covering quality arts events.

[gurnemanz]

I mention last night's charity concert at nearby Northleach for three reasons: the setting - the magnificent Cotswold "wool" church; our first experience of the famous JEG in the flesh; the performance of the three motets - new to us - by Johann Christoph Bach, simple, sincere and heartfelt works exquisitely rendered by members of the Monteverdi Choir.

[Stanfordian]

Last Friday.

BBC Phil,Sir Andrew Davis,James Ehnes.

Rawstorne,Street Corner Overture.

Fizzed,Crackled and bustled,what a marvelous 6 minutes this was.
Rawsthorne's Symphonies would be right up Sir Andrew's 'street'
I reckon,if only.

Elgar,Violin Concerto.

James Ehnes produced some jaw dropping playing,absolutely spot on.
Was there a blip towards the end of the slow movement where the conductor seemed to lose the orchestra for a couple of beats.
My head was all over the place,as it always is in this movement,so maybe I imagined it,not sure,just sounded a bit awkward for a brief moment.
There was an encore,part of Bach's 2nd sonata,absolute perfection,held the audience spellbound.

RVW 9.

Top notch performance of this most imposing masterpiece.
Sir Andrew's BBCSO recording seems tame compared to this,maybe something to do with being there I suppose.
The blazing E Major light that ends the piece is still with me.
The more I hear the 9th,the more I am convinced that it has everything,not just a summing up of RVW's life and work but of all human life.
I do have difficulty putting into words what this Symphony means to me.

Anyway,there were a lot of empty seats.
A few people left at the interval ,only there for Ehnes or Elgar (or maybe Rawsthorne !)who knows.

ER,News at Ten,Manchester.

Hiya, EdgeleyRob,

I greatly enjoyed the concert too. In truth I was rather surprised by some uncharacteristically rough edges to the playing of the symphony.

[Zucchini]

#861 NorthleachI live near & had been much looking forward to it. The church is beautifully shaped, light & bright. The Monteverdi Choir were wonderful & inspiring.

(As well as Prince Charles & his Aston Martin, many of the great & good of Gloucestershire seemed to be there)

[EdgeleyRob]

Hiya, EdgeleyRob,

I greatly enjoyed the concert too. In truth I was rather surprised by some uncharacteristically rough edges to the playing of the symphony.

That's the music critic in you coming out Stan,or I am easily pleased.

[gurnemanz]

#861 NorthleachI live near & had been much looking forward to it. The church is beautifully shaped, light & bright. The Monteverdi Choir were wonderful & inspiring.

(As well as Prince Charles & his Aston Martin, many of the great & good of Gloucestershire seemed to be there)

We saw the car but were not aware that it belonged to HRH. I remarked rather mundanely to my companions that it had a Croydon numberplate - BY. As you say, great and good were much in evidence. My wife counted two bishops.

[amateur51]

Wigmore Hall Sunday Morning Coffee Concert 25 May 2014

Shai Wosner (piano)

Schubert: Drei Klavierstücke D946
Schubert: Sonata in A Major D959

I was alerted to Shai Wosner's art by his concerts on Radio 3 when he was a New Generation Artist. He played Schoenberg Suite for piano op.25 and suddenly it 'clicked', a Damascene moment!

The programme was built up of Schubert pieces that exemplify the composer's sudden changes of mood and key and Wosner brought out these effects to the full. He gave pauses their full measure, heightening the tension, and resisted the tendency to play fast = loud, slow = soft. There was a lot of quiet playing and you could have heard a pin drop such was the audience's concentration. a very effectively programme, delighfully realised.

I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for when he returns in some cello and violin duos later in the year.

[Roslynmuse]

I was at the BBC Phil concert last Friday too and felt that the orchestra played with more heart than they have done under Mena and Storgards recently (although the Mahler 1 the other week was rather good - apart from the massed bass section playing at the start of the third mt - probably in homage to the retiring player). I often feel they are 'too slick by half' and Davies seemed to soften the edges a bit. However, I had been spoiled by hearing the Halle in Mahler 9 the previous evening, a truly wonderful experience that will live with me for a very long time. That said, James Ehnes played phenomenally well (what a huge sound!) and the Bach he offered as an encore was perhaps the most beautiful playing of the evening.

[teamsaint]

While the nation waited to see if England would get knocked out of the world cup out this week or next, there was this little lot going on at the Barbican.
Mozart Piano Concerto No 23 K488
Bruckner Symphony No 8

London Symphony Orchestra
Fabio Luisi conductor
Lise de la Salle piano


An enticing programme, especially in view of the fact that this was going to be a performance of the first edition of the Bruckner.
A warm London night, but pleasant enough inside the hall for what looked a reasonable sized audience. There were empty seats though, I would guesstimate 75% capacity.

The Mozart was a really interesting performance. There seemed to be a real difference between the approaches of the orchestra and the soloist. The Orchestra played with superb style and tone , in fairly traditional manner. However, to my ears, De la Salle seemd to be aiming for a HIPP style. The tone that she delivered seemed somewhat muted, and I would suggest that there was an attempt to make the instrument sound like a fortePiano. Somewhat clipped style, and very restrained noise. Many of the faster runs were a little indistinct. The slow movement seemed to work better, but the strange difference of style returned for the third movement. All a bit odd. It was an enjoyable enough performance, but the audience weren't exactly besides themselves with excitement at the end of this one. Better to come from the soloist I am sure, perhaps when she can call the shots a little more. The four star review in the Grauniad liked the Mozart well enough, perhaps it worked better from his vantage point. I have to say though, that my companion for the evening and I were in almost complete agreement about the Mozart.

I won't comment too closely on the Bruckner. As a relative Bruckner newbie I am far from familiar with the nuances of the various editions. However, Luisi, who has a beautifully restrained conducting style, seemed to get plenty out of the orchestra. Tempi seemed to keep things flowing nicely, and the brass were as near to immaculate as it is reasonable to expect, given the amount of work they have to do. The Barbican's acoustic seemd just perfect for these forces and music.
High points all over the place in this wonderful work, but a stunning end to the third movement and a blazing start to the fourth stand out. others will make judgements about this edition and how well it works, but the audience seemed very happy indeed, and the orchestra made a big show of appreciation to Luisi, so it looks as though he hit it off with the professionals.

A terrific evening, one that not even Suarez could ruin !!

[antongould]

Excellent review ts - just been listening to B8 for the first time in a long time - IMHO it takes rather a lot of beating unlike England....

[EdgeleyRob]

Great review ts.
I always feel I'm missing something with Bruckner,clearly my loss.
No 23 is my favourite Mozart pc by a long way.