What was your last concert?

[teamsaint]

Did the OAE bring it on themselves with this daft tweet on Wednesday morning?

https://twitter.com/theoae/status/573160409047433216

Blimey.

So ....
Good use of modern communication . The excellent emails sent out before and after LSO/ Barbican concerts, which actually enhance the complete experience, and make you feel like your custom and presence is valued.

Pointless use. As linked by Cals.


Potential good use. Some sort of communication, probably by email, to apologise for the incident on Wednesday night, which might have really taken the shine off a special night for somebody.

There has been nothing so far, although my in box has frequent emails from the SBC.....

[Beef Oven!]

Did the OAE bring it on themselves with this daft tweet on Wednesday morning?

https://twitter.com/theoae/status/573160409047433216

Cynical use of classical music to promote women.

And yes, having watched that, most reasonable people would go on to invade a concert stage and take selfies. OAE's contribution to the incident can safely be put at 98%.

[Nick Armstrong]

Cynical use of classical music to promote women.

And yes, having watched that, most reasonable people would go on to invade a concert stage and take selfies. OAE's contribution to the incident can safely be put at 98%.

You will have observed it was the question being arsked on 'the Twitter'...

Blimey.

So ....
Good use of modern communication . The excellent emails sent out before and after LSO/ Barbican concerts, which actually enhance the complete experience, and make you feel like your custom and presence is valued.

Pointless use. As linked by Cals.


Potential good use. Some sort of communication, probably by email, to apologise for the incident on Wednesday night, which might have really taken the shine off a special night for somebody.

There has been nothing so far, although my in box has frequent emails from the SBC.....

It's true, I guess it's for the SBC to apologise, their 'security' having let 'Drunk Wally' through the backstage door during a performance...

[mercia]

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/mar/05/mid-concert-selfie-stage-invasions-hasnt-dvorak-suffered-enough-already

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/05/orchestra-age-of-enlightenment-adam-fischer-dvorak-brahms-selfie

[teamsaint]

http://www.theguardian.com/music/mus...enough-already
http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...-brahms-selfie

the Bachtrack review of the concert , and especially the Brahms, is a much better reflection of the evening, Mercs, IMO, even though it fails to mention the selfie clot.

http://bachtrack.com/review-fischer-mullova-oae-london-march-2015

Tim Ashley's Guardian comments on the Brahms really don't reflect the performance at all, IMO. Wordy nonsense, actually, IMO.

[Old Grumpy]

Potential good use. Some sort of communication, probably by email, to apologise for the incident on Wednesday night, which might have really taken the shine off a special night for somebody.

There has been nothing so far, although my in box has frequent emails from the SBC.....

One of the last proper concerts I went to was Huddersfield Choral Society's rendition of Messiah in December last year in Huddersfield Town Hall. Part way through we had to evacuate the building In the rain) due to a fire alarm. False alarm - we were allowed back in and the performance recommenced.

No explanation was offered.

I read online in the Huddersfield Examiner the following day that the alarms had been set off by the meal being prepared in the Town Hall kitchen for the great and good of the Society after the concert. No apology has been forthcoming. Furthermore the article implied that there was some doubt as to whether the performance would continue (we were out for about 15 to 20 minutes). I was amazed not continuing had even been considered - there would have been a riot, I suspect!

OG

[DublinJimbo]

David Lang's Festival of Music, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 6th/7th March

Friday 6th March

03:00 pm Tom Johnson: Nine Bells (Olaf Pyras, percussion)

06:00 pm Julia Wolfe: Steel Hammer (Trio Mediaeval, Bang on a Can All-Stars)

08:00 pm
David Lang: manmade (w/So Percussion) | Anna Clyne: Rewind | Irene Buckley: Stórr | John Luther Adams: Become Ocean (European première) — RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra / Jamie Phillips

10:30 pm Michael Gordon: Amplified (Dublin Guitar Quartet) World première

Saturday 7th March : Bang on a Can Marathon

02:00 - 06:45 pm
Bryce Dessner: Music for Wood & Strings (SoPercussion)
Pelle Gudmundsen Holmgreen: Konstateringer (Chamber Choir Ireland)
Garrett Sholdice: Das blaue Licht (RTÉ ConTempo Quartet) World première
Kate Moore: Ridgeway (Bang on a Can All-Stars)
Donnacha Dennehy: Streetwalker (Bang on a Can All-Stars)
George Crumb: Black Angels (RTÉ ConTempo Quartet)
Andrew Hamilton: music for people who like art (Crash Ensemble)
Meredith Monk: St. Petersburg Waltz (Andrew Zolinsky, from Crash Ensemble)
Sean Clancy: 14 minutes of music on the subject of greeting cards (Crash Ensemble)
Linda Buckley: Torann (Noise) (Crash Ensemble)

08:00 - 10:20 pm
Brian Eno: Music for Airports (Bang on a Can All-Stars)
Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (Bang on a Can All-Stars, SoPercussion, Crash Ensemble, Voices of Chamber Choir Ireland)

Last Year's festival of contemporary music organised by New Music Dublin was curated by Donnacha Dennehy and was a great success (the performances by the Arditti Quartet were the highlight). Asking David Lang to put together this year's programme proved an inspired choice. Audience numbers were good to great, with the Eno/Reich concert a sell-out. I'm delighted I got the two-day pass and caught everything on offer. A terrific experience overall, with only a couple of bummers.

[MrGongGong]

That sounds like a wonderful event Jimbo


My last concert was BCMG Family concert on Sunday
including these extraordinary pieces by Edmund Finnis

(one of the movements from In Situ)

https://soundcloud.com/edmund-finnis/in-situ-after-locke

http://www.bcmg.org.uk/whats-on/birmingham-concerts-2014-15/pathways-places-am/

[teamsaint]

Sounds a terrific event, DJ.

By happy chance, business took me close to the RCM at lunchtime today, so rather than feed the ducks in the pleasant spring sunshine I popped into the College to hear Sampson Tsoy and Pavel Kolesniokov take on Messiaen’s “ Visions de L’Amen”, a tempting prospect, as performances of Messiaen aren’t too thick on the ground down here in South Wilts.

Although more Messiaen is high up my “ To do” list, I’d only heard the piece once so came to it pretty fresh. The piece and in particular the two piano set up is , I suspect, a fairly new challenge for these two. Both young but with a good deal of professional experience behind them, ( one is a NGA and the other City Music Foundation scholar), I suspect this may have been a bit of a step into the unknown for them.

They started in studied fashion, taking great care to make things ( especially timing and rhythm I suppose) work well, by no means easy. But the performance was captivating from the outset. Plenty of changes of feel and style, all carried off with assurance and respect for the music I felt. The most dramatic moments, in L’agonie, for example, were suitably attention grabbing, and the occasional jazzier lighter moments stylish. The contrasts in “ des Anges…” were clear and involving, and the” jugement” striking. I could add more more detail, but suffice to say, I came away determined to investigate this music much more deeply, and grateful to have had the opportunity to see two fine young musicians go out on a limb, to bring a decent sized and very appreciative audience some wonderful music.
A very uplifting experience indeed.

[Nick Armstrong]

That sounded very well worth while. I heard Pavel's concerto debut with the LPO a few months back (the comments are somewhere upthread) and he was a careful player rather than a flamboyant or electrifying one in Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto - I imagine his talents at this stage in his career are better suited to what you heard. Sounds great.

[teamsaint]

That sounded very well worth while. I heard Pavel's concerto debut with the LPO a few months back (the comments are somewhere upthread) and he was a careful player rather than a flamboyant or electrifying one in Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto - I imagine his talents at this stage in his career are better suited to what you heard. Sounds great.

A little hard to tell, as I was at the opposite side of the hall from him, but careful would have been a good word to describe
his playing.
I did wonder about why they had chosen their respective parts, and it did seem to me that in general the part that Pavel had ( the one with all the bell tolling motifs in the Consommation) seemed to be the less dynamic, and perhaps chosen for his careful approach.

Or not !!!

[Beef Oven!]

I was at the Royal Festival this evening (19/03/15) to see the Philharmonia perform Sibelius. They were conducted by the sensational, underrated and now neglected Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Finlandia
Violin Concerto
Lemminkainen Legends

Fast approaching his 78th birthday, Vlad moves like a man half his age. Speedily on and off the stage and strong and animated on the podium - straight backbone, making shapes like a new-age mime-dancer! A full mop of hair, with the only concession to Cronus being that it is now entirely silver. Haven't seen Vlad in the flesh for almost 30 years, so excuse my gushings!

Finlandia was precise, urgently paced and bloody loud - would've scared Putin! I have long owned the Decca recording with this lot and tonight's opener lived up to that muscular, precise rendition.

The violin concerto is one of my favourites of the genre and the soloist, Vadim Repin, who is new to me, injected a lot of pace into the work and played with such vitality that any concern about the alleged sentimentality of the solo writing never raised its head. I got the impression that Vlad and Repin have worked together before because there was a tangible symbiosis between them that is hard to put into words. I did not time the performance, but I sensed that it was quicker than I've previously witnessed it in concert. I really enjoyed it.

Vlad played the Legends in the old school order with The Swan Of Tuonela second. There are competing schools of thought on this these days and I get the impression that it is more fashionable to play it third. I'm used to hearing it second, so I was pleased in a conservative way with tonight's approach.

One of the most important things in performing Sibelius IMV, is balancing the woodwind, brass and strings. Of course this is the case with any composer, but I think it is key in Sibelius. In the first Legend Lemminkainen And The Maidens Of The Island, the balance was perfect and Vlad seemed to vary the tempo in such a way to give heightened emotional impact without sacrificing the integrity of the score - well, he's no stranger to Sibelius' music, so at his ripe old age it should not be a surprise that he should completely master the music.

The second Legend The Swan Of Tuenela was one of the best performances that I have experienced, live or on CD. The music is what it is - beautiful, dramatic and perfectly wrought; Parsifal meets Swan Lake!

The cor Anglais solo was ravishing. And with such definition and projection through the hall. The musician, Jill Crowther, Principal Cor Anglais received thunderous, passionate applause at the end - quite rightly so.

Again, with the third Legend Lemminkainen In Tuonela it seemed that Vlad, to my ears, flexed the tempo somewhat delivering the music majestically or in a pressing fashion accordingly. The Philharmonia showed, particularly in this movement, that they have a string section that can compete with the very best in the world (and the brass section were top-flight throughout the whole concert).

The final Legend Lemminkaine's Homeward Journey was a raucously-refined dance-like race with smiling faces all around, an encore within the set!

The audience cheered and applauded Vlad and the Philharmonia for a good eight or so minutes before we all left and melted into the night.

A wonderful concert, an amazing combination - Sibelius, The Philharmonia and Vladimir Ashkenazy!

Happily they are performing more concerts up and down the country over the coming weeks and I have a ticket for Symphony #5 in May - can't wait!!!

Btw, for those of you that like a bite to eat before a concert, I would recommend the Criterion in Piccadilly. It is, IMV the best affordably priced top-quality restaurant in England, if not the world! They have a two-course menu for £20 and a three course for £25. I had the two course with the best Barnsley Chop money can buy (£3 surcharge). The food is the best there is and the service is tip-top excellence.

That Barnsley Chop is to die for!!!!!

[antongould]

Excellent report Beefers......

[Nick Armstrong]

Haven't seen Vlad in the flesh for almost 30 years...

... Sibelius, The Philharmonia and Vladimir Ashkenazy!

Great review Beef! Sounds like a classic evening

It's amazing - I vividly recall the Sibelius - Philharmonia - Ashkenazy combo as a key musical event of my University years: heard/saw them do Sibelius 5 in Cambridge in 1981/2 ... so (over) 30 years ago!

A wonderful constant in this shifting world, Mr Oven...

And I have tickets for the May gig too

[teamsaint]

Fantastic review Beefy, brilliant read.


I always enjoy seeing Vlad conduct, he really projects the love of his work, and carries it all off with great energy. very flexible for a man of 78. I imagine he pops into the Criterion after, rather than before the concerts .

Your excellent report has reminded me to get on and order a ticket for Sibelius #2 , which VA and the PO are playing at Basingstoke in June, along with the Glazunov VC.