Prom 26 - 5.08.14: EUYO / London Voices, Petrenko

[Oliver]

For me, the concert of the year.
Astonished to see so many empty seats. That's three out of four poor attendances for my chosen concerts. Is the season going badly? or are my tastes esoteric?

I agree about the inaudibility of the words in the Berio. The programme didn't offer the text which, bearing in mind its cost and the fact that all the programmes are 60% the same, was unforgivable. But you don't hear much of the text apart from in the Mahler movement in the Boulez recording. I haven't heard the other ones...are they better in this respect?
I love the work; like me, it is a child of the 60s, a time of political hope and aspiration. I find myself a bit weepy!

And Shostakovich's 4 is by far my favourite of his symphonies. A road not taken, thanks to Stalin. Or perhaps it was a cul de sac? Whatever, the work is devastating and the final descent into a Siberian winter leaves me numb. His next Symphony (to me) is trite in comparison.
I've heard many performances in London, including the first London one conducted by Sargeant, of all people. None were better than this. I don't like the Petrenko Naxos set because I find the balance totally awry but I wouldn't fault his interpretation.
The ferocity of the first movement was edge-of -seat stuff and, yes, that fugue! But what I liked was that the climax after the fugue was shattering. I note that the long trombone solo in the finale was played with more variation of colour and volume than usual. But it would be wrong to single out any one performer after such a committed, angry performance.
Afterwards, the young performers hugged each other; I think they knew they had achieved something special.
One of the concerts I shall remember with pleasure for many a year.

[gedsmk]

Gutted to have missed this because of a virus. I bought the ticket the day before but in the end spent the evening listening on excellent 320kps sound. Really wonderful performance worthy of Sanderling. Well done to the audience for allowing the "question mark" at the end to linger into eternity.

[PJPJ]

I agree about the inaudibility of the words in the Berio. The programme didn't offer the text which, bearing in mind its cost and the fact that all the programmes are 60% the same, was unforgivable. But you don't hear much of the text apart from in the Mahler movement in the Boulez recording. I haven't heard the other ones...are they better in this respect?

Worth catching up on Listen Again - I guess the words come over clearer on the broadcast than in RAH.

I think they knew they had achieved something special.

So do I.

[Ferretfancy]

This orchestra was very good indeed. Presumably it is composed of young professionals. I will check. Definitely support and go to hear this orchestra if it comes again. http://www.euyo.org.uk/

The audience at lower levels looked OK, but peering up into the circle there were many more empty seats than occupied ones. Sad!

Was this because of the music played, or the orchestra? The prommers in the arena looked older (on average) than in previous years, too.

Nachtigal

Well, I am a Prommer who is a year older, today as it happens. There was no shortage of young people in the Arena last night, they outnumbered us fogeys, as they usually do. You probably saw just the front railers, who do tend to be older.

[amateur51]

Nachtigal

Well, I am a Prommer who is a year older, today as it happens. There was no shortage of young people in the Arena last night, they outnumbered us fogeys, as they usually do. You probably saw just the front railers, who do tend to be older.

Happy Birthday Ferret! Congrats & best wishes for many more

[Ferretfancy]

As FF mentioned, my main problem with the Berio was the inaudubility of too much of the spoken parts. Maybe they got lost in the mix with the audience dampening the acoustic as compared to rehearsal time? That apart it is an extraordinary experience, and pulled off with great skill all round. It must be a difficult work to perform. As for the work itself, one could post many thoughts , but people will have their own opinions. It is so different from so much else that gets to the concert platform that it is striking for this alone. Each performance must certainly be an "occasion". Good, bold programming, and had the audience part intrigued, part gripped.
Don't have much to say about the DSCH other than to reiterate how fabulous it was, really from beginning to end. The energy of the orchestra was a sight to see, and Petrenko was masterly. My first time seeing him, and I sincerely hope not my last. The band must have loved playing for him.
A huge and heartfelt ovation, and a lovely reaction from the players at the very end.

A heart warming,top class , five star evening .

My original quibble seems to have been misread, my comment was not that the voices were hard to decipher, although from my vantage point they were. My complaint was the amplification of the voices in this case masked the intricate web of musical quotations in the orchestra.

I did notice a resemblance to Ligeti in the first movement of the Berio, particularly to Clocks and Clouds, which was written seven years after the Sinfonia.
That's another favourite piece which I have yet to hear in a live performance, come on Esa-Pekka !

[Ferretfancy]

Happy Birthday Ferret! Congrats & best wishes for many more

Thanks Ams! Off to see The Pajama Game tonight, not in Hernando's Hideaway, but the Shaftesbury will do very nicely!

[Nick Armstrong]

Happy Birthday Ferret! Congrats & best wishes for many more

Echoed with gusto. Many happy returns to one of the most indefatigable Forumites!!

[Ferretfancy]

Many thanks, Nachtigall, for the link. I couldn't agree more with David Nice: what a wasted opportunity not to have filmed this concert for television. I can only suppose that the combination of Berio and Shostakovich was deemed "too modern" by the powers that be in the BBC, regardless of the combination of charismatic conductor and young orchestra. Really rather depressing.

I'm afraid that the powers that be at the Beeb can't just decide to televise and record at will. These things need tricky negotiation with all concerned. No doubt there were contractual difficulties in this case. Anti modernism would hardly be a factor, consider the BBC reputation for commissioning new work.

[Lento]

Not a great fan of Shost in his, ahem, more expansive mode. Would he have been a more lucid, concise composer in less awful times, I wonder, or would he have lost his motivation as a musical chronicler of soviet life? And did he feel that this symphony does not work, and was that another reason for him to suppress it?

[verismissimo]

What a fine thread, full of interesting posts!

We sat in the stalls near the orchestra and the experience was overwhelming.

The performance of the Berio almost overcame my long-held suspicion that his work is more 1960s radical chic than musical substance.

[Bryn]

Way back in the mists of ancient times the was a very fine television broadcast of Berio's Sinfonia under Simon Rattle's batton. Good performance with what was then state of the art video presentation.

[teamsaint]

Way back in the mists of ancient times the was a very fine television broadcast of Berio's Sinfonia under Simon Rattle's batton. Good performance with what was then state of the art video presentation.

Is that the one on Youtube, Bryn?

[HighlandDougie]

I'm afraid that the powers that be at the Beeb can't just decide to televise and record at will. These things need tricky negotiation with all concerned. No doubt there were contractual difficulties in this case. Anti modernism would hardly be a factor, consider the BBC reputation for commissioning new work.

Point very much taken. It is all too easy to knock the BBC while failing to remember that it continues to commission new work. Nonetheless, from my experience of working with a former very senior BBC TV executive (who tended to come across in meetings as a bit of a philistine), I'm not sure that the TV side is quite as enlightened as their colleagues in radio about repertoire to be broadcast. I would, though, like to be proved wrong on that point.

On a cheerier note, many happy returns

[Blotto]

Not a great fan of Shost in his, ahem, more expansive mode. Would he have been a more lucid, concise composer in less awful times, I wonder, or would he have lost his motivation as a musical chronicler of soviet life? And did he feel that this symphony does not work, and was that another reason for him to suppress it?

I heard the BBC NOW play the 11th last summer and it was captivating; the 8th at the Barbican conducted by Alexander Vedernikov that spring was absolutely sensational at times. During the central allegro, the conductor was really dancing the music out on the platform. He was a heavyish man moving with beautiful, light vigour and I've never seen a conductor more completely depict the feeling of the music; I'd love to hear him conduct again (he led a very sensitively fine performance of the Tippett piano concerto on the same night).

I've been surprised by the degree to which I've enjoyed the Shostakovich symphonies that I've heard and I'm surprised by this to some extent because of the way his music can seem to wander. And that wandering quality was insistently on show in last night's 4th as well as what felt like alot of very Shostakovichian loud-soft-loud / soft-loud-soft mannerism. There were a couple of impressive tuttis in the first movement but what stood out to me were 2 moments; first, again in the 1st mvt (I think) and with the harps involved where it sounded as if the music should really and abruptly bloom with warm fervour for an instant and it didn't, just didn't. The second was the frantic section in the 3rd where the violins and violas play very fast unaccompanied (?) before being joined by cellos and double basses. The musical movement suggested high power but the output seemed quite 9 volts. That was how I felt about the performance overall. The desultory effect was strong with this one but perhaps that's because I've missed the expressive intent?