Prom 5 - 21.07.14: Tonhalle Orchestra, J. Fischer / Zinman

[Nick Armstrong]

A splendid concert

I predict that you will not hear a better programme in this Prom Season.

Woodwind and horns in an exciting Til Eulenspiegel.

Fraulein Fischer in sparkling form.

Exciting Pastoral Symphony - no falling asleep here.



HS

Returned from the hall and full agreement here with those positives HS, and with comments by jayne and others above - a great concert, wonderful purity of tone individually and blend collectively, and given energising life by DZ.

The approach to the Pastoral has great merits but losses too as mentioned by Barb above - some detail has to be garbled at that pace, I occasionally missed the ability to take a breath that e.g. Bruno Walter allows. But the first statement of the 'thanksgiving' theme in the last movement was so sheerly beautiful, I confess to wiping more than one manly tear from the cheek; and there were countlless other felicities from start to finish of this concert.

And a hilarious encore right at the end - was it broadcast?

[makropulos]

A splendid concert

I predict that you will not hear a better programme in this Prom Season.

Woodwind and horns in an exciting Til Eulenspiegel.

Flaulein Fischer in sparkling form.

Exciting Pastoral Symphony - no falling asleep here.

I have felt for some some now that this must be one of the finest orchestras in Europe.

I remeber with affection the first visit of the young David Zinman when he came to conduct the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on his first visit to Europe.

He has achieved much since then and will be hard to replace.



HS

Absolutely agree. I love Zinman's fleet-footed approach to the Pastoral and as JLW and you both said, it was a seriously good Till. And what a wonderful sound this orchestra has.

[EdgeleyRob]

Returned from the hall and full agreement here with those positives HS, and with comments by jayne and others above - a great concert, wonderful purity of tone individually and blend collectively, and given energising life by DZ.

The approach to the Pastoral has great merits but losses too as mentioned by Barb above - some detail has to be garbled at that pace, I occasionally missed the ability to take a breath that e.g. Bruno Walter allows. But the first statement of the 'thanksgiving' theme in the last movement was so sheerly beautiful, I confess to wiping more than one manly tear from the cheek; and there were countlless other felicities from start to finish of this concert.

And a hilarious encore right at the end - was it broadcast?

Yes,didn't catch what it was,but very silly,in a good way.

[Barbirollians]

I thought the Scene by the Brook was much the best movement - the third movement was garbled - the peasants were clearly on amphetamines rather than a few pints .

[pilamenon]

Switched on just in time for the joyous finale of the Dvorak concerto, and then JF's sparkling Hindemith encore. Best Proms moments so far.

Lovely interval feature, too, about the starling murmurations on the Somerset Levels. Radio 3 mainly at its best tonight.

Shame about the dreadful presentation from the hall, however, and have they given up saying anything at all about the music about to be broadcast??

[Barbirollians]

No doubt the producer is to blame but why do Radio 3 announcers from concerts feel the need to open their mouths barely a second or so after the music stops nowadays ?

[Ferretfancy]

Returned from the hall and full agreement here with those positives HS, and with comments by jayne and others above - a great concert, wonderful purity of tone individually and blend collectively, and given energising life by DZ.

The approach to the Pastoral has great merits but losses too as mentioned by Barb above - some detail has to be garbled at that pace, I occasionally missed the ability to take a breath that e.g. Bruno Walter allows. But the first statement of the 'thanksgiving' theme in the last movement was so sheerly beautiful, I confess to wiping more than one manly tear from the cheek; and there were countlless other felicities from start to finish of this concert.

And a hilarious encore right at the end - was it broadcast?

I absolutely agree with you and Hornspieler, it was a great evening. The rapport between Julia Fischer and the orchestra was superb. As to the Pastoral, and the swift tempo for the first movement, I remember the way in which the critics attacked Karajan in his 1962 recording for adopting a very similar pace. The difference, of course, is that the massive Berlin PO sound at the time was so different from the spring in the step from Zurich today.

Now to summon my ageing stamina for a warm night with Rosenkavalier!

[Maclintick]

A terrific concert. Zesty & characterful playing throughout, culminating in a bracing, mercurial "Pastoral". Like Barbirollians, I don't care about metronomic accuracy or whether the HIPP box receives a tick, as long as the performance "lives", which this did.

Two 6ths on consecutive evenings, & what a contrast last night to the lacklustre outing of the Mahler from WOP under Putin's cheerleader the previous evening - Oops. Sorry for the politics creeping in there, FF !

(Pace Rob's wind-up about LVB's being the 3rd best "Pastoral" , I'll return the compliment by inverting Alban Berg's observation re GM's A minor symphony: LVB's Pastoral is "The only 6th, despite quite a lot of good ones since - Schubert, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Nielsen, Shostakovich & VW")

[EdgeleyRob]

A terrific concert. Zesty & characterful playing throughout, culminating in a bracing, mercurial "Pastoral". Like Barbirollians, I don't care about metronomic accuracy or whether the HIPP box receives a tick, as long as the performance "lives", which this did.

Two 6ths on consecutive evenings, & what a contrast last night to the lacklustre outing of the Mahler from WOP under Putin's cheerleader the previous evening - Oops. Sorry for the politics creeping in there, FF !

(Pace Rob's wind-up about LVB's being the 3rd best "Pastoral" , I'll return the compliment by inverting Alban Berg's observation re GM's A minor symphony: LVB's Pastoral is "The only 6th, despite quite a lot of good ones since - Schubert, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Nielsen, Shostakovich & VW")

Oh alright then,my 3rd favourite.
Great 6ths missing from your list - Rubbra,Arnold,Simpson,Myaskovsky and Weinberg.

[Barbirollians]

I don't like somnolent Pastoral symphony recordings - indeed Boult is my favourite of all probably but that was simply too fast in the first movement , garbled in the third and a storm of little impact .

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes,didn't catch what it was,but very silly,in a good way.

A Swiss folk song as arranged and embellished by a member of the orchestra, I believe.

[Nick Armstrong]

A Swiss folk song as arranged and embellished by a member of the orchestra, I believe.

I wonder if it will make it onto the TV broadcast this Friday on BBC4.

The percussionists were having a ball - one had to play a rattling sort of wooden instrument, and started by using his colleague's outstretched hand to rattle it against... he then made his way up the guy's arm, across his shoulders and down the other arm, finishing by playing it on his mate's head.

Good bit of Proms silliness....

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]Returned from the hall and full agreement here with those positives

I was also in the RAH for Monday's Prom - an affectionate farewell to David Zinman:

http://bachtrack.com/review-proms-zinman-zurich-july-2014

[Flosshilde]

A Swiss folk song as arranged and embellished by a member of the orchestra, I believe.

One that inspired Mahler, I asume? (the folk song, not the arrangement)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

One that inspired Mahler, I asume? (the folk song, not the arrangement)

I don't know, Floss - but I think the "Mahlerian" bits were part of the "embellishments", as a tribute to Zinman's performances of that Music with this orchestra.