What was your last concert?

[amateur51]

I wonder if any other forum members were present at the National Youth Orchestra concert at the RFH yesterday afternoon? There was an interesting new work by Judith Weir, but what shook me was the absolute mastery of Mahler 10 shown by those youngsters under Vasily Petrenko's expert guidance. Of course there were one or two minor fluffs, but the performance was one of the best I've heard of this symphony, utterly coherent and persuasive, with the Scherzos benefitting from being taken at a really cracking pace (apparently no technical hardship for the NYO) and the first and final Adagios demonstrating a subtlety and emotional penetration that one wouldn't necessarily expect from a bunch of adolescents. Thank goodness for the NYO - and also, incidentally, for Vasily Petrenko!

I was there too Nachtigall and can only concur with your asessment of the playing and singing. The Weir piece We Are Shadows was far from easy to play but very easy to listen to, and the Mahler was outstanding. Everything that needed to be spot-on was, from the violas at the start, high lying string climaxes that followed, through the build of up of those wonderful dissonances, the heart-breaking flute solo, the percussion slams and some excellent brass playing.

SBYO may have made our hearts beat faster with Shostakovich symphony No 10 at the Proms but yesterday NYOGB & Petrenko showed us that there is much wonderful home-grown talent too. I wish they were playing this programme at the Proms. Congratulations to all concerned

[Richard Tarleton]

An excellent performance last night at St David's Hall Cardiff of Bruckner 7 by the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera under Lothar Koenigs - the first one of their orchestral concerts I've been to. I've been going to Bruckner 7's for 40 years and this one did not disappoint. I thought it was important to support it as Cardiff is normally a Bruckner-free zone and I'm glad we made the effort (we live rather further west). They started with a beautiful Siegfried Idyll (after a bit of pantomime with a missing leader - the conductor had to go off again).

It was a well paced and structured performance, all sections played magnificently, the great climaxes and codas spine-tingling.

The hall looked slightly under half-full. This is the first Bruckner symphony I've seen on a programme at St D's in the 15 years I've been going there - whereas the same old late romantic works turn up over and over. Next season the only concert I find at all tempting is the Tallis Scholars (with local help) doing Spem in alium. What's the problem with Bruckner in Wales - does anybody know?

[aeolium]

The WNO orchestra is a very good one, Richard T, though I don't tend to hear it outside its normal role in WNO opera productions. I'm really impressed with Lothar Koenigs as a conductor so far. Perhaps this is one reason for the dearth of Bruckner in Cardiff over recent years - it has not been a speciality of the BBCNOW chief conductors over that time, nor the WNO music directors. Whereas Koenigs obviously knows that repertoire extremely well, judging by his Wagner.

[Incidentally, what about a separate thread topic 'What is the next concert you will be going to?' which could also be an alert to those not too far away? My next concert is CBSO with Walter Weller in the Schubert Great C major in late May, followed by the new WNO Cosi fan Tutte in Cardiff in June]

[GC]

I enjoyed the concert too.

The BBC NOW, conducted by Jac Van Steen, are performing Bruckner 9 (and Strauss Four last Songs) at St David's Hall on 27th May.

[french frank]

I enjoyed the concert too.

The BBC NOW, conducted by Jac Van Steen, are performing Bruckner 9 (and Strauss Four last Songs) at St David's Hall on 27th May.

Wolcom, GC - hope you enjoy posting here . Thanks for the upcoming concert news.

The WNO orchestra is a very good one, Richard T, though I don't tend to hear it outside its normal role in WNO opera productions. I'm really impressed with Lothar Koenigs as a conductor so far.

I wasn't even aware that they gave orchestral concerts under their own 'label'. I agree that Koenigs is impressive with the WNO. It does take a while to build up audiences for some repertoire but you have to start with the half empty (half full? ) halls when the audience is not familiar with the works.

[MrGongGong]

This
BBCSO at the Barbican on Friday

Britten Ballad of Heroes
James Clarke Untitled No 2 for Piano and Large Orchestra (BBC co-commission: UK premiere)
Beethoven Symphony No 3 in E flat major, ‘Eroica’

Good to hear the Britten as its a new one for me
and loved James Clarke's piece , some wonderfully constructed tonalities and textures
the Eroica whilst a bit like a warm comfortable bath still has the power to subvert though i was not 100% convinced by the playing at times

[Richard Tarleton]

I enjoyed the concert too.

The BBC NOW, conducted by Jac Van Steen, are performing Bruckner 9 (and Strauss Four last Songs) at St David's Hall on 27th May.

Yes I'm kicking myself I'm going to be away for that - the lustrous Katerina Karnéus is doing the 4LS.

No Bruckner symphonies for years and then two come along within a month of eachother

[Richard Tarleton]

By the way GC where were you sitting? I had a ringside seat at the front below the 2nd desk 1st violins - very exciting.

Orch of WNO have been doing orchestral concerts for a few years now as part of the St Davids Hall "International" [sic] series, but I've never got round to going to their particular offerings. They're doing two next year - one I might go to (Mahler/Schoenberg/Brahms) and one I'd pay good money not to go to (Gershwin/Adams/Rachmaninov).

[GC]

By the way GC where were you sitting? I had a ringside seat at the front below the 2nd desk 1st violins - very exciting.

Orch of WNO have been doing orchestral concerts for a few years now as part of the St Davids Hall "International" [sic] series, but I've never got round to going to their particular offerings. They're doing two next year - one I might go to (Mahler/Schoenberg/Brahms) and one I'd pay good money not to go to (Gershwin/Adams/Rachmaninov).

I was in Tier 11

Haven't seen next year's programmes yet. Hopefully will arrive soon if you've got it.

[Richard Tarleton]

I picked it up in the foyer. A bit of a mixed bag. Lots of Beethoven, the Scott of the Antarctic Centenary concert with Ben Fogle (a sure-fire sell-out, that one )... 10 years ago this was more of an "international" series - as it's billed - in recent years it's come to be dominated by the WNO orchestra (3 concerts next season) and the Philharmonia (2), with safe not to say repetitive programmes.

I'll definitely try to get to the Tallis Scholars.

[Mandryka]

Tonight, I attended my first orchestral concert since (gasp!) 2008....

The BBC Philharmonic, visiting Nottingham's sterile and soulless Royal Concert Hall, played Mahler 1, preceded by some Dvorak Slavonic Dances and Hummel's Trumpet Concerto with Alison Balsom.

Must say, Ms. Balsom looked very well for someone who'd recently had their private life splashed all over the Daily Mail....I thought the Hummel was no more than a pleasant piece, though; ditto the Dvorak. The Mahler was something else, though, and I was impressed by conductor Vassily Sinaisky's hold over his forces. A happy occasion and one best experienced from my (cheap as chips) choir seat..

[kuligin]

Halle Bridgewater Hall

Sibelius En Saga
Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2 ( soloist Sumwook Kim)
Elgar Enigma Variations

Conductor Mark Elder


Kim was very impressive in this very long and demanding Concerto which I was hearing for the first time

As usual Mark Elder proved an exceptional conductor in the Concerto, he really works with the soloist, and he was in his element in the Sibelius and Elgar. The Halle's playing was upto the very high standards we now take for granted. Brass superb in the Elgar, how richer this piece sounds in the flesh especially when the organ enters.

To be broadcast " live" sometime in the future, although recent experience of recordings from the Bridgewater Hall have been mixed, seemed to be less microphones on display than when the BBC Phil play...

[Bryn]

Actually it was broadcast live last night. If you want to hear it again, it's on the iPlayer.

[kuligin]

My goodness it really was live!

That explains the long wait for Mark Elder to reappear for part 2, perhaps an interesting talk overan a little

[Bryn]

All Monday to Friday evening concerts on Radio 3 are now being broadcast live. The highly disingenuous Roger Wright, having got rid of most live concert broadcasts a few years ago, has now re-introduced them as if it was something new and daring.