What was your last concert?

[BBMmk2]

This afternoon's live broadcast for Radio 3 from Media City in Salford

BBC Philharmonic
Ben Gernon conductor
Alexandra Wood violin

Foulds - Le Cabaret Overture
Lovely light music opener,nicely done

Bridge - Summer
A bit lacklustre or routine IMO

Walton - Violin Concerto
Orchestral playing was very fine,the soloist a bit hit and miss.
Sounded a bit out of tune at times,especially in quieter moments,yet didn't sound so bad when I listened again this evening

Arnold - Electra
Barnstorming finish,worth the entrance money,oh I forgot,it was free

Nice moment when it was announced the young Mr Gernon has been appointed principal guest conductor of the orchestra.
Overheard some of the musicians singing his praises afterwards too

Brilliant to hear about this appointment! I have worked with Ben when he came over to the school where I work and he rather liked my tuba playing, and my musicianship! It was really great working with him. really glad he's done well!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

That would presumably be the same Colin Honour who gave the UK premiere of Ferneyhough's La Chûte d'Icare with Ensemble Exposé in 1988. Excellent player indeed.

I presume so - I wasn't at that 1988 premiere, but the programme notes referred to his being "specialising in contemporary and experimental Music ... In 1988 he was awarded the prestigious Kranichsteiner Musikpreis at the Darmstadt Contemporary Music Festival sic ], and ... subsequently invited to perform numerous world premieres". A very exciting player - he brought real fire and pathos to the "gypsy" Music in the second Movement, and to the runs in the third.

[teamsaint]

Brilliant to hear about this appointment! I have worked with Ben when he came over to the school where I work and he rather liked my tuba playing, and my musicianship! It was really great working with him. really glad he's done well!

He and the BBC Phil were on R3 tonight from Nottingham, Tchaik symphony #1 and La Mer.

[Pulcinella]

He and the BBC Phil were on R3 tonight from Nottingham, Tchaik symphony #1 and La Mer.

And a sparkling Saint-Saens PC2, with Benjamin Grosvenor in good form!

[BBMmk2]

Will look on R3! Great chap as well!

[rauschwerk]

Last night at the Barbican: BBCSO/Oramo with Carolin Widmann (violin).

Overture/concerto/symphony: not a format we hear much these days, but it was certainly justified last night. A lively performance of Kabalevsky's Colas Breugnon overture (does anyone know what that Wagner quote is doing there?), then Michael Zev Gordon's new violin concerto, superbly played. The only other piece of Gordon's I have heard was a set of rather unmemorable orchestral pieces (Bohortha), but this held my attention throughout. My wife and I agreed that we would both very much like to hear it again. It has a quiet ending so might not catch on with some violinists, I suppose. That would be a pity. I'll be interested to hear on Monday's broadcast if the balance is kind to the soloist, who was sometimes overpowered by the orchestra.

Shostakovich 10 was superbly done, with tremendous tension in the slow music and much virtuosity elsewhwere. It is very evident how much these musicians enjoy playing for Sakari Oramo.

[teamsaint]

Last night at the Barbican: BBCSO/Oramo with Carolin Widmann (violin).

Overture/concerto/symphony: not a format we hear much these days, but it was certainly justified last night. A lively performance of Kabalevsky's Colas Breugnon overture (does anyone know what that Wagner quote is doing there?), then Michael Zev Gordon's new violin concerto, superbly played. The only other piece of Gordon's I have heard was a set of rather unmemorable orchestral pieces (Bohortha), but this held my attention throughout. My wife and I agreed that we would both very much like to hear it again. It has a quiet ending so might not catch on with some violinists, I suppose. That would be a pity. I'll be interested to hear on Monday's broadcast if the balance is kind to the soloist, who was sometimes overpowered by the orchestra.

Shostakovich 10 was superbly done, with tremendous tension in the slow music and much virtuosity elsewhwere. It is very evident how much these musicians enjoy playing for Sakari Oramo.

Ian Skelly was praising this DSCH 10 to the skies on Breakfast this morning,so with such a strong double recommendation it sounds like one to catch. Still on iplayer for a couple of weeks.

[gurnemanz]

Should have been Jonas Kaufmann tonight at the Barbican in Vier Letzte Lieder, but he cancelled. Luckily we caught him in excellent form a week ago in Schumann, Duparc and Britten. Went to see Arrival at the cinema instead. Good film.

[Zucchini]

That's awful; really, really sad. When did you get the news?

[gurnemanz]

Got an email on Sunday evening. Surprise was not total. He has a track record and had cancelled an event with Guildhall students a few days before. Money back but they say they are going to re-schedule.

[Stanfordian]

Lst week I greatly enjoyed the rectial by Chee-Hung Too and Dennis Lee playing piano pieces for two and four hands at Blackpool. They played a fasinating variety of works by:
Benda, Dussek, Debussy, Frank Bridge, Ravel and Dvorak.

[Conchis]

A fairly stunning RLPO concert at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, with Daniil Trifonov playing Rachmaninov 4; Vassily Petrenko conducted Prokofiev 5 and Jeu de Cartes.

[HighlandDougie]

Schreker – Der ferne Klang – Nachtstück
LeFanu – The Crimson Bird (world premiere)
Rachmaninov – Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.44

Rachel Nicholls (Soprano)/BBC Symphony Orchestra/Ilan Volkov Friday 17 February 2017 at the Barbican

Ilan Volkov is not a conductor whom I immediately associate with Rachmaninov but, after he settled down and relaxed, the 3rd Symphony went very well. It's a work I love so I'm inclined to like any performance of it I hear live. The idiot who started applauding even before the second movement had finished caused a visible stiffening in Volkov. Happily, he didn't storm off, although i would have had some sympathy with him had he done so.

I very much want to hear the Lefanu work again (powerful lyrics by John Fuller) but not in the Barbican. The acoustic told against it (big orchestra, big-voiced soloist) so that it was difficult at times to hear what was being sung. The Schreker had an enormous orchestra (only the BBC could get away with that for a work lasting about 14 minutes) but, the next day, I'm struggling to remember any of it. Great playing by the orchestra for a conductor to whom I sense that they don't greatly warm, although the Rachmaninov seemed to have a bit of a thawing effect. On Afternoon on Three in due course.

Next concert for me in two weeks: Sakari Oramo doing the Lemminkäinen Legends - yay!

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I understand that this went out live, replacing a recording of the cancelled 13/2 Kaufmann gig, so it should be available on I-Player already.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I understand that this went out live, replacing a recording of the cancelled 13/2 Kaufmann gig, so it should be available on I-Player already.

It is, indeed, Stoatfoe:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08dnr53