Prom 66: Beethoven/Schoenberg/Shostakovich (4.09.15)

[gedsmk]

An utter sensation! Vladimir Jurowski's DSCH 8 was one of the best performances of ANYTHING I've ever witnessed!

I've never seen or heard the LPO play like that. The man is mesmerising, a magician. :magic

I didn't clap between any movements - prior to the gig, some 6' 5" heavy turned up on a mountain bike and warned us off!

Shostakovich: A significant amount of attention to detail about orchestral personnel placement in evidence this evening. TEN double basses in two rows on the left, four above six, made a wonderful difference compared to previous nights of Sibelius, Mahler or Bruckner this season with eight. Trumpets on the floor behind second violins/violas on the right helped with blend, though not without some double-echoes for some reason. Most of woodwind on the floor likewise ensured integration/blend when needed. Soloists absolutely world class throughout the whole band, whether plangent, mournful, rapid-fire; amazing timpani led The percussion section and we could for once hear the cymbals above everything else. Jurowski the ring-master - left hand making clear that no applause would be tolerated after the first movement - one pale couple of cheeky claps were instantly silenced. Rhetorically I would have preferred a bit more attention given to the great thematic statement in the strings in the final movement (a la Jarvi) but Jurowski's insistence on optimistic unstoppable momentum was just as valid.
The continual jigging up and down and side to side of one young prom reveller (oblivious to the deep pain of 1942 Russia) did not otherwise detract.
I look forward to listening again to hear what the engineers made of it. In the hall it was a true sonic marvel (apart from the trumpet issue).

[Nick Armstrong]

An utter sensation! Vladimir Jurowski's DSCH 8 was one of the best performances of ANYTHING I've ever witnessed!

...

I didn't clap between any movements - prior to the gig, some 6' 5" heavy turned up on a mountain bike and warned us off!

... I really should have stuck around, it seems!

[Beef Oven!]

... I really should have stuck around, it seems!

Shame you didn't Cali - it was, erm, unmissable.

[teamsaint]

One of those nights when the hard work and skill of the performers, and genius of the composer come together to create something special. the sight and sound of so many people who have put so much into their craft creating a single performance, is a truly life affirming statement of how it is cooperation and not competition that must be our driving force.

i can't add much to the comments above about the DSCH. A really special performance, and the hour just hurtled by. Jurowski's control and total rapport with the LPO was there for all see, and , as Beef Oven! pointed out, just as importantly to sense. You really do feel that there is a special understanding here, trust going both ways, a deep confidence in everybodys ability to deliver. Its good to see that on this occasion what was heard in the hall seems to have been well recreated over the radio. The audience didn't go mad at the end, but gave a nicely appropriate response, in repeated calls for VJ to return, four times in all I think. The performances were classy throughout the orchestra, the trombones were standout for me, but excellence was standard here. I think the LPO are quite superb right now.

Shows need stars, it seems, and Uchida didn't let us down. She bounced onto the stage, looking thrilled to be there. I was surprised to see her playing from the score, as there is an interview with her on youtube on which she talks about how she was able to get rid of the score, with positive results, after a number of performances. The page turning was a minor issue, in fact, because there are a lot of turns, and from the excellent vantage point that me and the Oven! had front left of the arena, the page turning rather distracted, especially as the pages seemed hard to separate, and there was at least one occasion where Uchida had to turn back a page. I ended up looking away, and enjoying the view of the spectacularly shiny underside of the piano lid, to avoid distraction. I'm sure JLW has it right about the manner of performance, but what Uchida really transmits more than anything is that this piece and this music matter to her, and have to matter to us. Tone rows can help tell us things about our world,and be enjoyable at the same time, is her message, I think.
The audience thoroughly approved, and the miniature encore was just right.

Not a perfect concert . But pretty close.

[Beef Oven!]

[teamsaint]

Shame you didn't Cali - it was, erm, unmissable.

A shame indeed that the two- wheeled security guys , whose presence did such a great job deterring premature whooping and such like, weren't allowed in to the arena to soak up the sounds.

[Beef Oven!]

Shostakovich: A significant amount of attention to detail about orchestral personnel placement in evidence this evening. TEN double basses in two rows on the left, four above six, made a wonderful difference compared to previous nights of Sibelius, Mahler or Bruckner this season with eight. Trumpets on the floor behind second violins/violas on the right helped with blend, though not without some double-echoes for some reason. Most of woodwind on the floor likewise ensured integration/blend when needed. Soloists absolutely world class throughout the whole band, whether plangent, mournful, rapid-fire; amazing timpani led The percussion section and we could for once hear the cymbals above everything else. Jurowski the ring-master - left hand making clear that no applause would be tolerated after the first movement - one pale couple of cheeky claps were instantly silenced. Rhetorically I would have preferred a bit more attention given to the great thematic statement in the strings in the final movement (a la Jarvi) but Jurowski's insistence on optimistic unstoppable momentum was just as valid.
The continual jigging up and down and side to side of one young prom reveller (oblivious to the deep pain of 1942 Russia) did not otherwise detract.
I look forward to listening again to hear what the engineers made of it. In the hall it was a true sonic marvel (apart from the trumpet issue).

I shall certainly be listening again too!

VJ did had to be very demonstrative and firm to prevent clapping at the end of the first movement, which is a shame. Whilst I'm in favour of inter-movement applause, it is not always appropriate. It should be instinctively obvious when to and when not to.

Indeed the ten basses made a huge difference from previous nights, and as you say they were on the left. I think edashtav said they were centre-stage in an earlier post.

[Nick Armstrong]

A shame indeed that the two- wheeled security guys , whose presence did such a great job deterring premature whooping and such like, weren't allowed in to the arena to soak up the sounds.

True...

[Ferretfancy]

A magnificent evening. When he conducted the Planets last year, Jurowski was visibly angered at the applause after each one, Last night he raised an arm at the end of each movement, and that suppressed the would be clappers.

I don't really know the Schoenberg Piano Concerto, although I do have Brendel's recording, which I probably only listened to once. I was impressed and fascinated by Mitsuko Uchida last night, she must have made the best possible case for it.

As for the Shostakovich, I doubt whether I will hear a better performance of this bleak and haunting symphony.It sounded stunning in the Arena, spellbinding from first note to last.

[jayne lee wilson]

I shall certainly be listening again too!

VJ did had to be very demonstrative and firm to prevent clapping at the end of the first movement, which is a shame. Whilst I'm in favour of inter-movement applause, it is not always appropriate. It should be instinctively obvious when to and when not to.

Indeed the ten basses made a huge difference from previous nights, and as you say they were on the left. I think edashtav said they were centre-stage in an earlier post.

Hey, don't blame Ed! That was my aural observation...

Listening to the opening now on iPlayer the DBs come across as just "centre-left", often sounding pretty central when the cellos are playing too. So was it something like this layout (LPO/VJ, RFH in Mahler 5), with dbs-cellos-violas left to right, and of course divided violins?

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gq3pTJABjDI/maxresdefault.jpg

Over the HDs stream, the Dbs do sound more centrally-placed on Prom 66 than they appear in this shot...

[teamsaint]

Hey, don't blame Ed! That was my aural observation...

Listening to the opening now on iPlayer the DBs come across as just "centre-left", often sounding pretty central when the cellos are playing too. So was it something like this layout (LPO/VJ, RFH in Mahler 5), with dbs-cellos-violas left to right, and of course divided violins?

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gq3pTJABjDI/maxresdefault.jpg

Over the HDs stream, the Dbs do sound more centrally-placed on Prom 66 than they appear in this shot...

That was pretty much it, I think. Although the Oven! Is taller than me, so had a better view.

Think of the Dbs as being in Lallana's position,Jayne, ( Jurowski in goal) and you have it.

[Beef Oven!]

Hey, don't blame Ed! That was my aural observation...

Listening to the opening now on iPlayer the DBs come across as just "centre-left", often sounding pretty central when the cellos are playing too. So was it something like this layout (LPO/VJ, RFH in Mahler 5), with dbs-cellos-violas left to right, and of course divided violins?

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gq3pTJABjDI/maxresdefault.jpg

Over the HDs stream, the Dbs do sound more centrally-placed on Prom 66 than they appear in this shot...

Oops! Sorry ed, my apologies!

Jayne, maybe you need to buy better hi-fi equipment if the basses were coming down the middle!

[Beef Oven!]

That was pretty much it, I think. Although the Oven! Is taller than me, so had a better view.

Then I guess the basses were bouncing off my armpit and shooting into your ear-hole!

[teamsaint]

Then I guess the basses were bouncing off my armpit and shooting into your ear-hole!

That isn't an image anybody needs really, is it ?



( rather worried now about the travel path of the trombone sound.......)

[Beef Oven!]

That isn't an image anybody needs really, is it ?



( rather worried now about the travel path of the trombone sound.......)

Let's move on ..........