Prom 70: 6.09.16 - Staatskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim

[Padraig]

Jokers.

[Thropplenoggin]

'Kent Nagano may not be a household name, but he is a respected conductor with an impressive CV. He tends to be precise in his conducting with modest baton movements and appealing facial movements (not the stoicness of some, or the contortions of others)' quoth one reviewer on the Amazons: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruckner-Sy...3174133&sr=8-4

It is, however, a very nice account of the 6th.

[Bryn]

'Kent Nagano may not be a household name, but he is a respected conductor with an impressive CV. He tends to be precise in his conducting with modest baton movements and appealing facial movements (not the stoicness of some, or the contortions of others)' quoth one reviewer on the Amazons: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruckner-Sy...3174133&sr=8-4

It is, however, a very nice account of the 6th.

Hmm. I see one of our company here has a copy up for sale at a very reasonable price.

[P. G. Tipps]

I take it that you are on familiar terms with Maestro Barenboim Patrick Gerard?
A really good post. It reminds me of a former Bruckner enthusiast who used to wax lyrical, even aggressively so at times, about one symphony or other. Here is an excellent blueprint for listening to encourage someone like me to have another go.

I'm on very familiar terms with Danny but the rumour goes that Maestro Barenboim is blissfully unaware of my own existence, Padraig ...

Do have another go with the Blessed Anton ... the famous tale of Robert the Bruce sharing his dark, dreich cave with that exemplary spider has always inspired me to try even harder when I feel like giving up on poor old Johannes.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

And a very warm welcome back to the Forum, Thropple!

[Thropplenoggin]

And a very warm welcome back to the Forum, Thropple!

Thank you. I shall be listening at home tonight.

[jayne lee wilson]

Well that was just lovely, wasn't it?

I've all but given up on modern orchestras, especially large ones, in classical repertoire but with grace and levity in the warm-toned Staatskapelle, individualistic precision from Barenboim and an effortlessly instinctive rapport between the two, this Mozart 26th Concerto was very persuasive . Gorgeous HDs sound too.

[slarty]

Well Jayne, tune in tomorrow for something similar or even better....

[Bryn]

The 'Coronation' was well worth hearing. However, I have given up on the Bruckner. Just too tame, with rather insecure lips from some of the brass. I might try again via the iPlayer later.

[slarty]

You are right Bryn, the orchestra sounds tired. Certainly the brass, and the first horn is having a bad night, hopefully he gets his lip back, but that does not always happen.

[teamsaint]

Thank you. I shall be listening at home tonight.

Bloody part timer.

( enjoy the Prom though, great to see you back , Throbbo.
I thought one of the tigers must have got you.)

[teamsaint]

'Kent Nagano may not be a household name, but he is a respected conductor with an impressive CV. He tends to be precise in his conducting with modest baton movements and appealing facial movements (not the stoicness of some, or the contortions of others)' quoth one reviewer on the Amazons: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruckner-Sy...3174133&sr=8-4

It is, however, a very nice account of the 6th.

Well he made the Bernstein Mass sound great, so he must be doing something right.

[EdgeleyRob]

I'm not a big Bruckner fan but I love the slow movement,surely the most beautiful thing he wrote,pity someone had to slam a door shut just before it came to an end.
I too have given up on the rest,it's all a bit shoddy (the performance,not the Symphony).

[edashtav]

I'm in a minority of one, here, re tonight's Coronation Concerto as I found the whole product - both orchestra and soloist so outdated. When young I was described by my contemporaries as a Square and that was fair.

It took me 50 years to discover my inner hippy through the HIPP movement. Tonight, I felt that I was listening to the Emperor concerto, so heavy were the rhythmic emphases. The orchestra's tutti were so fulsome that I had an appalling image (I was listening via R.3) that the conductor hiding behind Barenboim's piano was Ian "Beefy" Botham.

I'm getting along much better with Barenboim's interpretation of symphony, a favourite of mine amongst AB's oeuvre. Why? Because Bruckner demands weight, I'm admiring the terraced dynamics, some delicious, long paragraphs, wonderfully controlled crescendi,and DB's concern for,and care of , structure and form. The slow movement is pure delight. The scherzo is beautifully phrased and coming over as a great contrast with even the suggestion of a few jokes! It's trio might have graced the recent performance of the composer's Romantic symphony, it's so full of the tang of the countryside and rural pursuits.

I have to agree with the comment made earlier that the first horn sounds tired. Human frailty can be a blessing is these days of chromium-plated accuracy that has no bleeding heart. I'm enjoying the consistency of Barenboim's vision:his interpretation is a fresh one, radical even but coherent and immensely informative.

A great start to the finale. Wow, I've forgotten the Concerto with its Orchestra of Emperor Penguins. I'm confident that I've never heard a more convincing live performance of this symphony. In terms of interpretation, it stands alongside Claudio Abbado's late performances of the composer's 5th symphony with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. It should convert doubters that Bruckner's 6th symphony is amongst his finest works. I'm bowled over, although thoughts of Botham rushing towards me on a hot , sultry night just right for his swingers, have long been banished.

[Dave2002]

I'm in a minority of one, here, re tonight's Coronation Concerto as I found the whole product - both orchestra and soloist so outdated. When young I was described by my contemporaries as a Square and that was fair.

It took me 50 years to discover my inner hippy through the HIPP movement. Tonight, I felt that I was listening to the Emperor concerto, so heavy were the rhythmic emphases. The orchestra's tutti were so fulsome that I had an appalling image (I was listening via R.3) that the conductor hiding behind Barenboim's piano was Ian "Beefy" Botham.

I heard a little of the Coronation Concerto earlier on. I've not listened to all of it (yet) nor the Bruckner which followed. However, your comments do resonate with me, as I was at last night's similarly structured concert. I've just listened to Mozart's 24th concerto again via iPlayer, and it does sound different from in the hall, but I'm afraid I still didn't like it very much. Although it sounded much louder via the broadcast, the ambience from the hall was almost completely missing. I have a feeling that performance of 26 tonight was more likeable than 24 yesterday though.

I tried listening at first using my Apple TV with an optical link into my DAC, but as I feared it might be, there were so many drop outs that I gave up on that. I then plugged the optical cable directly into my MBP, and the drop outs stopped - but I still felt it was a merely OKish performance, rather than a truly involving one. I wrote about this last night after the concert, and my initial impressions have not changed much by listening to the broadcast. It was just stylistically wrong.

I will revisit the Bruckner 4th again soon, and will also try tonight's Bruckner offering. However, I can say already that the recorded sound of the Bruckner 4 is nothing like the sound as it was in the hall. Even though we were sitting miles away from the action, it had an immediacy, tone and dynamic which seems largely missing in the recorded stream. In the hall this was a really involving performance.