Prom 74 - 6.09.13: Vienna Philharmonic

[Stan Drews]

Utterly delectable horn-playing ...whichever symphony it is!

Agreed re horns (and, of course, the symphonies are all the same anyway!! )

[Bryn]

According to the RadioPlayer, we're listening to #7 in C minor. Och well, I suppose the key's about right.

Not just the RadioPlayer. The online schedule can't make its mind up. The main page has:

20:25
BBC Proms 2013 Season, Prom 74, Prom 74 (part 2): Vienna Philharmonic

2/2 Lorin Maazel conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Bruckner's Symphony No 7 in C minor.

but click on the relevant block and it takes you to:

8.25pm
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 version, ed. Nowak)

Klaus Sonnleitner (organ)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Lorin Maazel (conductor)

Still, at least it's one of the Nowak editions, not the elaboration cobbled together for his masters by Haas.

[Roehre]

Somewhat puzzled by one of the Bach organ works in the first half. The Chorale Prelude Vor deinem Thron tret' ich hiermit BWV 668 isn't included in my Simon Preston complete set of the Bach Organ Works. Is there some doubt about its authenticity or have DG and Preston slipped up?

Can someone who knows these pieces better than I do offer an explanation?

BWV 668 is beyond any doubt a work by Johann Sebastian (the autograph's 1st page still exists). Hence DG must have made a mistake here.

[Bryn]

BWV 668 is beyond any doubt a work by Johann Sebastian (the autograph's 1st page still exists). Hence DG must have made a mistake here.

Strange. I don't have immediate access to the boxed set myself, but BWV 668 is included in its listing here.

[OldTechie]

Strange. I don't have immediate access to the boxed set myself, but BWV 668 is included in its listing here.

But it's missing from the 2000 collection here: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4694202

[pastoralguy]

So, how was the Bruckner then?

[DracoM]

How was the Bruckner? Leaden, frankly.

Wonderful playing, of course, but it just meandered, partic the mighty slow movement - typical Maazel: all lovely little moments largely created by supreme musicians and about as much architecture and tension as a cardboard box.

This ensemble is one of the world's greatest, Bruckner 8th is a supreme challenge for such an ensemble, but between them and the Bruckner came the conductor. For me, a desperate shame.

[pilamenon]

Well, I loved it. I don't know what the conductor did, or didn't do, but it sounded magnificent. What a great way to end the season.

[ahinton]

Sadly(?), I managed to catch only the latter two movements of this, one of the composer's greatest achievements; the expected and not disappointing playing of the glorious VPO notwithstanding, I have only one word for what I heard - and that is "no"...

[amac4165]

How was the Bruckner? Leaden, frankly.

Wonderful playing, of course, but it just meandered, partic the mighty slow movement - typical Maazel: all lovely little moments largely created by supreme musicians and about as much architecture and tension as a cardboard box.

It was slow (as expected) although I really only felt it in the last movement. I thought the third movement exquisite in the hall.

What the first half of the concert was about - God only knows. If the VPO only came to play the Bruckner 8 - why not start that at 7.30 and have a late night organ concert ?

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

So, how was the Bruckner then?

Not as bad as I'd expected! I revelled in the glorious, burnished string tone and the magnificent brass. Maazel didn't do too much on the podium - a case of setting the pulse and maintaining it - and the performance was rather good, excepting the third movement, which I found way too slow for my taste.

What the first half of the concert was about - God only knows. If the VPO only came to play the Bruckner 8 - why not start that at 7.30 and have a late night organ concert ?

Completely in agreement.

[scottycelt]

I listened online and it was much as expected, almost Celibidache-like in ponderous pace. Sometimes my mind begins to wander to other things when it's this slow.Thought the 'Great Adagio' was very moving and some of the climaxes truly stunning with the brass suitably glorious.

It's been noted by many others but it is intriguing how many conductors only really come into their own with these lengthy, demanding Bruckner symphonies well into their later years.

I agree with the comments about the organ 'first-half'. It was hardly riveting stuff and I went to make myself a cup of tea before it had finished.

[Hornspieler]

The final nail in the coffin of the worse prom season I have ever heard.

To those bereaved members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, who tried so hard to resuscitate the cadaver, I offer my deepest sympathy.

(Tonight's LNOTP will be the dirt which is symbolically thrown onto the top of the casket)

HS

[marvin]

Well after 70 years of listening to classical music I am stll not well versed in the skills most of you possess here to describe the music to which you have listened but I only heard the adagio and the movement preceeding it.
My own Karajan/BPO recording is still my favourite but last night's adagio showed that the whole was not equal to the sum of its parts. There were glorious moments and some beautiful playing from those elements you'd expect from the VPO but the adagio did not have that forward thrust or momentum necessary and one's mind does wonder to other things if this momentum is not maintained. Had I not known about this anti-Maazel business and been reading here then I wouldn't have even remembered that he was still alive. Perhaps he wasn't and it was a hologram conducting what is otherwise one of my favourite symphonic works.

[amac4165]

The final nail in the coffin of the worse prom season I have ever heard.

Orchestrally speaking - it was a bit flat but on the hand Operatically speaking rather good !