What was your last concert?

[gurnemanz]

Oxford Lieder are doing the complete Schubert song output. I went to an excellent lunchtime session on Tuesday. The ever-impressive Roderick Williams did Schwanengesang songs and shared the concert with a new soprano to me - Katherine Watson. She had a delightful presence and put the songs across beautifully. I shall be returning next week.

[Nick Armstrong]

Life enhancing concert at the RFH last night... Looks pretty standard fare but electrifying performances made it outstanding

Smetana: Vltava
Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1

Dvorák: Symphony No.9

Philharmonia Orchestra
Krzysztof Urbanski conductor
Jan Lisiecki piano

Made me feel rather old - the pianist is already well known, he's 19 but looks 15... the conductor, a new name to me, is in his early 30s, but looks 19...

Exhilarating and immaculate playing all round, especially enthralling as we were sitting in the front row of the stalls, in front of the tail of the piano and the front desk of cellos. The precision and yet passion of all concerned was remarkable.

Most impressed with the conductor, expressive but contained, sometimes minimalist in gesture, bringing all sorts of new details out but never spoiling the pulse and shape. Most definitely one to watch.

PS some clips here to illustrate his style:

[teamsaint]

Thanks for the review, Cals.
Sounds like a brilliant evening.

Might have popped up for that one, but did my dough on Zuckers next week.

Bloomin' kids Eh?.......

[amateur51]

Grand report Cali

And thanks for the clips of Maestro Urbanski. I'm rather surprised by your enthusiasm for him - I detect certain Rattling influences in the gesture & gurning departments

[VodkaDilc]

I agree with everything Caliban has said. Jan L's Schumann with Tony Pappano at the Proms last year made me determined to get to this concert. What a pianist! He seems taller than ever; I noticed that, when tucking his left leg under the stool, as pianists do, his knee almost touched the floor. Very sensitive playing; the encore (The Raindrop Prelude) was ravishing - and was politely introduced.

The Philharmonia was on great form, as always. Are there any better string sections - anywhere? The conductor got the results, though I sometimes wondered how easy he was for an orchestra to follow. The beat in the Dvorak slow movement seemed to be very elusive - though the orchestra showed no sign of doubt (except perhaps the solo 'cellist towards the end of the movement, who seemed to misjudge the entry.) Urbanski did occasionally remind me of Charles Hawtrey conducting the school orchestra in an early Carry On film - but we will certainly see more of him.

A great concert - but Lisiecki's night!

[Nick Armstrong]

Grand report Cali

And thanks for the clips of Maestro Urbanski. I'm rather surprised by your enthusiasm for him - I detect certain Rattling influences in the gesture & gurning departments

I detect no such!

[HighlandDougie]

Schubert: Impromptus D 935/Beethoven: Hammerklavier Sonata

Steven Osborne (Piano)

Swapping Perth Concert Hall's Piano Sundays for, err, a piano Sunday in the Great Hall of the University of Hong Kong, it was a typically thoughtful recital from SO. He introduced each piece both articulately and illuminatingly (quite apt as there appeared to be quite a few students in the audience). Schubert up there with Radu Lupu; Beethoven still a work a bit in progress but sublime third movent. He is a wonderful pianist. Adjunct to being in HK was finding Japanese pressings of Bernie's Tchaikovsky cycle at a reasonable price. Yay! And having a bird's eye view from the hotel room on the 48th floor of the Occupy Central camp surrounding The HK Government HQ - the Boy Scouts would be proud of the precision pitching.

[Padraig]

My last concert was The Queen of Heaven, performed by The Sixteen with Harry Christophers. That was last Thursday, 23.10. It was part of a weekend choral festival and was sold out. I enjoyed it and in spite of my firm determination not to do so I added two more CDs to my inflated collection.

[P. G. Tipps]

Bruckner 8, LSO/Haitink/Barbican also last Thursday.

It was good to see a packed hall for this one-work concert and for the most part this giant of a symphony was heard in rapt silence, though it never ceases to amaze (and irritate) me that a few people always seem to choose to cough nervously during the quieter passages. Some concert-goers seem wholly unable to cope with even brief periods of peace and tranquillity.

The conductor had a seat to provide a short rest during movements and how well the old man deserved it. This was an impressively muscular, uncompromising performance despite one or two shaky horn introductions. The explosive effect of the climax in the Great Adagio was almost too much to bear and the closing bars sounded a final note of thunderous defiance as well as being gloriously triumphant. Haitink and the LSO fully earned their standing ovation at the end.

Great stuff!

[Nick Armstrong]

Arcadi Volodos at the Festival Hall last night.

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in C, D.279 (unfinished)
Franz Schubert: Allegretto in C, D.346
Johannes Brahms: 6 Pieces for piano, Op.118
-
Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op.15
Robert Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op.17

An enthralling 2 hours. The Schubert Allegretto was done as the final movement of the Sonata.

He challenged the barking idiots in the audience with the quiet slow passages which were drawn out and which at crucial moments (the end of the two Schumann pieces especially) did silence the open-mouthed bronchitics. Some astonishing pianism - the first note of the last Brahms piece was delivered and held, and seemed all on its own to conjure up a whole chilly landscape, amazing with just a single note...

Appreciative audience (tho the non-keyboard side of the stalls was surprisingly empty) and as a result, 4 encores... Couldn't place any of them exactly, I wonder if anyone else who was there can (Op. XXXIX was - any clues, Op.?). These are my best guesses

- Schumann (?) whimsical piece (starts a bit like Prokofiev) - "Prophet Bird" from Waldszenen Op 82

- Quiet, hypnotic Spanish piece - Mompou, from his recent album?

- Whirlwind, hyper-virtuosic piece, again a Spanish flavour - sounds like an arrangement by an insane Russian virtuoso of an orchestral piece Falla: Spanish Dance from La vida breve (arranged by composer or someone else?)

- Bach (Cantata movement?) arranged again by a Russian I think, a Sicilienne like the Friedman arrangement of the Siciliano from the flute sonata, but not that...

Great night of spell-binding piano.

On to the Rach 3 tonight from the LPO and Pavel Kolesnikov...

[Nick Armstrong]

As a pendant to the above:

Barry Millington unconvinced: http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/m...w-9825235.html

Michael Church & Jessica Duchen very much more on my side of the fence (with some help on the encores ):

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/arcadi-volodos-royal-festival-hall--review-a-keyboard-poet-beyond-compare-9825365.html#

http://www.theartsdesk.com/classical...-festival-hall

[VodkaDilc]

Arcadi Volodos at the Festival Hall last night.
]

Yet again, we seem to share musical tastes, Caliban. I was slightly surprised that the hall was not fuller. The Volodos CD of Trancriptions is a great favourite of mine and I have been looking forward to seeing him in the flesh. He certainly produces a magical sound, even if the repertoire chosen, including encores, made the hushed pianissimos seem to be a little over-done. My guesses about the encores were much like yours. (Mr and Mrs Smug, just behind me, loudly identified the Schumann.) Perhaps the know-alls could be silenced once and for all if more pianists followed Lisiecki's example last week in announcing the titles.

Overall, I wish he had played slightly less from the standard 19th century repertoire and added something a little more varied. Great to see him in person though - and using an even more ridiculous form of seating than even Radu Lupu. (Someone of his dimensions does not really look very elegant on a primary school chair - though the sound is what matters.)

Look forward to our next concert in common, Caliban. You must be going to hear the two great "P"s of the piano world early next year.

[Nick Armstrong]

Yet again, we seem to share musical tastes, Caliban. I was slightly surprised that the hall was not fuller. The Volodos CD of Trancriptions is a great favourite of mine and I have been looking forward to seeing him in the flesh. He certainly produces a magical sound, even if the repertoire chosen, including encores, made the hushed pianissimos seem to be a little over-done. My guesses about the encores were much like yours. (Mr and Mrs Smug, just behind me, loudly identified the Schumann.) Perhaps the know-alls could be silenced once and for all if more pianists followed Lisiecki's example last week in announcing the titles.

Overall, I wish he had played slightly less from the standard 19th century repertoire and added something a little more varied. Great to see him in person though - and using an even more ridiculous form of seating than even Radu Lupu. (Someone of his dimensions does not really look very elegant on a primary school chair - though the sound is what matters.)

Look forward to our next concert in common, Caliban. You must be going to hear the two great "P"s of the piano world early next year.

Not going tonight, Vodders?

Two 'P's.... I know Pollini 's there... and Pogorelich? Pires? No - haven't booked...


Yes the chair was amusing; and I agree about Jan Lisiecki's disarming "Good evening!" and his very clear announcement of the encore (I'd forgotten you were there too!)

[VodkaDilc]

Not going tonight, Vodders?

Two 'P's.... I know Pollini 's there... and Pogorelich? Pires? No - haven't booked...


Yes the chair was amusing; and I agree about Jan Lisiecki's disarming "Good evening!" and his very clear announcement of the encore (I'd forgotten you were there too!)

I meant the first two -- though perhaps the second did not live up to the initial hype. I couldn't miss the chance to see Pollini though - someone I've never really enjoyed on disc.

A night off tonight - good decision "weather-wise". (Just looked at the programme - perhaps I should have booked.)

[Nick Armstrong]

I meant the first two -- though perhaps the second did not live up to the initial hype. I couldn't miss the chance to see Pollini though - someone I've never really enjoyed on disc.

A night off tonight - good decision "weather-wise". (Just looked at the programme - perhaps I should have booked.)

Turn on your ray-di-ho, tune to R3, pour yourself a Rachmininov-sized slug of the beverage of which you are apparently an eponymous devotee, and put your feet up!


.


I've heard Pollini a couple of times; and not tempted by Ivo, not sure why - not just the 'L' word at the start of his programme.... In fact, looking again, an interesting chance to hear another view of the wonderful Fantaisie in C... Judging by last night's house, shouldn't be too hard to pick up a seat or two nearer the time if the mood takes me....