Prom 41: W. A. Mozart, Ensemble Resonanz, C.-J. Kang / Ridout / Minasi

[Pulcinella]

I just ignore all the HIPP Hype.
I suppose desiccation is less harmful than desecration.

Whenever I see the word desiccated (often misspelt) I can't help thinking of coconut, and hence Bounty bars.

The bounty on offer last night was not however to my taste!

[LMcD]

Whenever I see the word desiccated (often misspelt) I can't help thinking of coconut, and hence Bounty bars.

The bounty on offer last night was not however to my taste!

A bit too dry - or too flaky, perhaps?

[edashtav]

One was vintage champagne the other artificially carbonated .

Neat

[smittims]

Many thanks for your suggestion, Sir Velo. But I had already decided it would be much more fun to stay at home and listen to Klemperer

[Mandryka]

Many thanks for your suggestion, Sir Velo. But I had already decided it would be much more fun to stay at home and listen to Klemperer

I hope it was the Testament recording, which used to be a great favourite of mine

[Mandryka]

Yesterday I noted that HIPP has . . . now longer has shock value.

That's not even true in early music - I recall a concert where Egarr had to apologise to the audience for using quarter comma meantone. It's still less true in Mozart and Brahms.

[oddoneout]

I enjoyed the performances immensely. Personally I prefer the bite which gut strings give but the overall balance between wind, strings and percussion was much closer to how Mozart would have expected to hear it. I can't see the point in not having preconceptions challenged at a concert. If the only intention is to have one's expectations and prejudices reinforced then might as well just stay at home and reach for our Bohm or Klemperer CDs!

The Sinfonia Concertante was superbly played, the overtures had the right balance of drama and lyricism, while the symphony convincingly put paid to the canard that this is in some way a valedictory work of an old man looking back on life.

It wasn't the sound that bothered me in Jupiter, it was the exaggerations, particularly of the parp and bash sections, which to my ears resulted in less than satisfactory results, and I found the overall effect irritating. Also the between- movements carry-on didn't help; I would rather the audience had been allowed to carry on applauding between movements. I gather from what Ian Skelly said at the end, the conductor's actions to prevent recurrence were the cause of the tittering. Possibly fun in the hall, but not listening at home.
It's not the HIPP or otherwise credentials of the performance, nor the authenticity or not of the instruments, but whether I like the music that is produced that matters to me. I enjoyed listening to my Giulini/NPO CD last night, but I also enjoyed listening to my CD of Bruggen and 18thC orchestra earlier this afternoon.
The Sinfonia was very good - the sound of the two soloists had the right blend and contrast aspects of the two parts IMO - I like to be able to hear viola and violin not just two upper string instruments. The interpretation wasn't solely in the control of the conductor so thankfully avoided the quirks later displayed in the symphony.

[LMcD]

It wasn't the sound that bothered me in Jupiter, it was the exaggerations, particularly of the parp and bash sections, which to my ears resulted in less than satisfactory results, and I found the overall effect irritating. Also the between- movements carry-on didn't help; I would rather the audience had been allowed to carry on applauding between movements. I gather from what Ian Skelly said at the end, the conductor's actions to prevent recurrence were the cause of the tittering. Possibly fun in the hall, but not listening at home.
It's not the HIPP or otherwise credentials of the performance, nor the authenticity or not of the instruments, but whether I like the music that is produced that matters to me. I enjoyed listening to my Giulini/NPO CD last night, but I also enjoyed listening to my CD of Bruggen and 18thC orchestra earlier this afternoon.
The Sinfonia was very good - the sound of the two soloists had the right blend and contrast aspects of the two parts IMO - I like to be able to hear viola and violin not just two upper string instruments. The interpretation wasn't solely in the control of the conductor so thankfully avoided the quirks later displayed in the symphony.

I like Pinnock's 'Jupiter' and I also like Marriner's 'Jupiter', but I'm blowed if I can tell you why in either case.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ian Skelly said the Jupiter was Mozart’s longest symphony. It depends on the conductors and can only be judged when the same repeats are observed.
Recordings of symphonies 36 & 41 played with all repeats indicate that it’s pretty much a dead heat, and it depends upon the tempo chosen. The Linz symphony has a slow introduction, but the Jupiter does not, so a HIPP conductor in a hurry to get to the pub would race through this, but those who believe that slow doesn’t mean recklessly fast will take quite a bit longer to play it, and that explains why Mr Skelly was both right and wrong.

[Mandryka]

I've heard the broadcast of the Jupiter now. It's pretty good. I was hoping for more slapstick and buffoonery given LMcD 's perceptions, but it all seemed very pleasant to me and fun. I wanted to get up and dance in the second movement. I didn't object to the audience either.

I like the texture - the light sparse sound.

[silvestrione]

I was thinking to myself, in my usual understated way, that the first movement of the Sinfonia Concertante contains the best crescendo in all music. But my word, what a 'Mannheim rocket' we did get from this ensemble! The best I'd ever heard, in that respect. (In other respects, I couldn't take it, the Jupiter: dominance of trumpets, drums and woodwind taken to extremes).

I expect you had to be there. Is it explained above what the laughter was about?

[oddoneout]

I was thinking to myself, in my usual understated way, that the first movement of the Sinfonia Concertante contains the best crescendo in all music. But my word, what a 'Mannheim rocket' we did get from this ensemble! The best I'd ever heard, in that respect. (In other respects, I couldn't take it, the Jupiter: dominance of trumpets, drums and woodwind taken to extremes).

I expect you had to be there. Is it explained above what the laughter was about?

Some pantomime on the part of the conductor to indicate that there were more movements to come - ie "don't clap yet" as the audience had done after the first movement, was what I gathered from Ian Skelly's explanation at the end.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Some pantomime on the part of the conductor to indicate that there were more movements to come - ie "don't clap yet" as the audience had done after the first movement, was what I gathered from Ian Skelly's explanation at the end.

How very historically uninformed of him.

[smittims]

I listened to the afternoon repeat yesterday, trying not to be prejudiced by what I had read here. I must say some of the playing was good , the woodwind solos quite prettily executed. But overall I felt the interpretation betrayed a desire simply to do something different ; in view of all the plethora of Mozart performances available these days it must be hard to go on and do one more without trying to get attention in some way. It struck me as a 21st century interpretation rather than HIPP, 'Historically misinformed' perhaps. I couldn't; imagine Mozart playing his music like this. It lacked feeling, affection, the humanity so often mentioned in his letters.

There was a glorious 'howler' afterwards. Our esteemed announcer, after explaining that Mozart did not call it the 'Jupiter' symphony , said ' instead, he just called it Symphony no. 41 in C'.

As Charlie Pooter used to say 'How we roared'.

[LMcD]

[QUOTE=smittims;n1316028]. But overall I felt the interpretation betrayed a desire simply to do something different ; in view of all the plethora of Mozart performances available these days it must be hard to go on and do one more without trying to get attention in some way. /QUOTE]

The focus of the attention being the performer(s) rather than the music?