What were your musical highlights of 2012?

[AjAjAjH]

Looking back over 2012 what were your three most memorable musical experiences.

Here are mine:

1) Elgar's 'The Apostles' Halle/Mark Elder et al in May. The concert of my life time and a spritual as well as a musical experience.

2) Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto played by Sunwook Kim with Halle and Mark Elder in September.

3) Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1 'Winter Daydreams' Halle Orchestra and Yan Pascal Tortelier in November.

All in the wonderful Bridgewater Hall.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I too choose the Elder Apostles. Also Haitink's Eine Alpensinfonie and a secondary school carol service I attended yesterday. The singing was stunning, and it warmed my heart. So many schools have virtually abandoned singing. Not this one.

[Roehre]

Rattle's Bruckner 9 with finale for me plus the complete Sweelinck vocal works on 17CDs [6 volumes, with excellent documentation] on Glossa

[Lateralthinking1]

In classical music, the night of Vaughan Williams symphonies at the Proms, the R3 programmes celebrating the anniversaries of John Cage (well done Andrew McGregor and Robert Worby in the coverage of Prom 47) and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (COTW and particularly the wonderful reminiscences in the radio documentary "Sumptous Was The Feast"), the greater acknowledging of Coleridge-Taylor in his home town of Croydon and elsewhere "beyond Hiawatha", the coverage given to the South American composers, particularly Villa-Lobos and Ginastera, the Busoni concerto in Edinburgh, John Ireland at the Proms, the very good television documentary on Delius and associated discussions on the forum, an introduction to Tony Biggin courtesy of Eine, Will Todd - "The Call of Wisdom" at the Jubilee, salymap and antongould's excellent thread on overtures - and the success there of Lilburn's "Aotearoa", the similarly good thread on tone poems, the work undertaken by Petroc in Zimbabwe and his release, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' (Mahler) in memory of the very much missed Chris Newman.

[teamsaint]

I was lucky enough to be at the VW Prom. Simply unforgettable, buzzing for days.
I have had a great year for listening to music, too much to mention, but much of it down to advice from people on this board, for which I am very grateful.

(and another highlight was finally seeing Jason and the Scorchers after a 30 year wait !)

[hmvman]

I think it would be (1) hearing the Britten War Requiem broadcast from Coventry Cathedral in May, (2) seeing John Adams conducting Respighi and his own music at The Proms and (3) attending Francis Jackson's organ recital at York Minster in August - probably Jackson's last public performance on that instrument.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well, it started last Christmas, but Krivine's Beethoven cycle has been most frequent visitor to my CD player this year, each time joyously revealing ever-new insights.

Family illness has kept me away from Live events, but Opera North's Walküre in Leeds and Feldman's For Philip Guston at the Huddersfield Festival were unforgettable for all the right reasons.

[Thropplenoggin]

5) More Bach in my life: the passions, motets, violin sonatas and partitas, Goldberg variations, all new editions to my shelves.

4) Learning to like the sound of a harpsichord, via Luc Beausejour and Trevor Pinnock, but mainly due to members of this forum proselytising about its merits.

3) Learning not just to like but to love Mozart, in all its manifold glory: piano concertos, piano sonatas, symphonies...lots more gaps to fill next year. You have been warned.

2) First live performances of Bach's Mass in B Minor and Beethoven's 9th at the Théatre Champs-Elysées, Paris. Bouleversant!

1) Joining this forum. Getting to know music better through you, the board's knowledgeable and generous-minded souls, in a (generally) very warm and convivial atmosphere. (My bank manager might disagree about this, mind. )

[Zauberfloete]

Martyn Jackson (violin) and Alison Rhind (piano) at the Purcell Room in October. He is a talent to watch!!

"Die Hochzeit des Figaro" at the Volksoper in Vienna in November. Superb singers, orchestra, conductor, production, sets and costumes. One of the best I've ever seen anywhere.

[Richard Tarleton]

BBC NOW's Eine Alpensinfonie in St David's Hall - a knockout performance. Preceded by Mozart K482 with Angela Hewitt, and a chance to exchange a few words with the delightful Ms Hewitt in the interval.

The Ring - Oct 16-25 cycle. The odd vocal weak link, but an overwhelming experience underpinned by the ROH Orchestra and Pappano -

[gurnemanz]

• Gergiev/Marinsky, Parsifal - Barbican
• Carousel - Opera North
• Trojans, Pappano - Prom
• Nelsons/Jonas Kaufmann - Birmingham Symphony Hall (Britten, Debussy + Strauss and Mahler songs)
• Shostakovich 10/Petrenko - Prom

other:
Barb Jung sings Dylan
Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick at Swindon Arts Centre.

[BBMmk2]

Hmm my school's Carol Service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Sublime singing from the youngsters here! Seeing Emma Johnson, John Lill and Julian Lloyd Webber come to our school and to give a recital as well!

I played in a memorial tribute concert to one of the local bandsman. Quite a mopviong occaision.

Just recently attended a very god organ reciotal at WorthAbbey by the church organist d'Arcey Trenkwon. Stunning performance. Also the prom perfpormances this year enjoyed more than others.

[JoeG]

Live: Richard Thompson, Treacherous Orchestra, Jon Boden & Remnant Kings, Anxo Lorenzo - all at Shrewsbury Folk Festival
O' Hooley & Tidow, Moulettes & Reem Kelani at Musiport

TV: RVW Symphony Prom

[EdgeleyRob]

TV: RVW Symphony Prom

[Flay]

1) Joining this forum. Getting to know music better through you, the board's knowledgeable and generous-minded souls, in a (generally) very warm and convivial atmosphere.

Absolutely right about this forum, Throppers! Top notch company brimming with ideas, opinions and humour. And it is good to have you join us, with your energetic and thoughtful contributions.

For me it was taking the Mrs and daughter to the VPO Alpensymphonie Prom. Neither of them like classical music and they don't do concerts, but they enjoyed it.

That and Opera North's Walküre, in agreement with ferney.