Prom 46 - 19.08.17: Schoenberg – Gurrelieder

[Simon B]

No sign I could detect that Quasthoff was amplified from Stalls H nearby and I like to kid myself that I have a pretty acute ear for the timbral distortion this produces. All credit to the engineers if he was.

The last few years an on-form LSO casts all aside in its wake against my criteria, rarely moreso than tonight. Astonishing playing, and how do they manage to make about twice the scale and weight of sound of just about every other orchestra in the RAH, even allowing for the numbers tonight?

Rattle has his detractors but the balance, nuancing and sweep of this was beyond reproach. Just extraordinary.

[Sir Velo]

I'd be surprised if Quasthoff had been wearing a microphone. He hasn't been retired long from a distinguished singing career, and now I think he's a stage actor, so projection would not be a problem.

Overall I found the performance impressive, but can't say it overwhelmed me. I don't know what the choir sounded like in the hall but it came across rather muddy on the radio.

Fm? DAB? Of course, these feeds are subject to compression. Listening to the FLAC feed on a separates system, the handling of the mammoth forces was an engineering triumph. A keeper.

[Bryn]

Fm? DAB? Of course, these feeds are subject to compression. Listening to the FLAC feed on a separates system, the handling of the mammoth forces was an engineering triumph. A keeper.

To use the word "compression" here is misleading. FM uses Optimod compression to restrict the dynamic range, whereas DAB does not. What DAB uses is data compression to try and convey the sounds picked up by the microphones as accurately as possible with a limited quantity of data. The two approaches are entirely different in concept and effect.

[Anastasius]

Oh how lucky am I. When I saw the Proms programme for the first time, I was very tempted to get a Weekend Pass. In another thread, someone posted that 'Was this the choral weekend of the century ?'. I think that it depends on your musical tastes. For me, The choral Proms weekend of the century was in 2012 when we had The Apostles, Gurrelieder and Berlioz's Te Deum. That weekend was stellar. I'm not too keen on Bach's Passions but the thought of hearing the Resurrection (which I have heard many times including the most disappointing one a year or so back with a German orchestra and loudspeakers used instead of the RAH mighty organ) and Gurrelieder (again, heard many times) I was sorely tempted ...even though the trek down from Northumberland is not for the faint-hearted.

Oh, how lucky am I that I did not for I found both performances disappointing to say the least. I'm sure that in the RAH, the sound would have been magnificent nay ravishing but listening at home on relatively mediocre speakers it is the performance that has to speak for itself. I was initially entranced by the opening bars of the Resurrection as the tempo not one I'd heard before. But after a few minutes, the slow ponderous plodding progress had me reaching for the 'off' button.

Last night, the 'off' button was hit shortly after Ms Westbroek started screeching. My, how disappointing compared to the 2012 performance.

[Darkbloom]

Fm? DAB? Of course, these feeds are subject to compression. Listening to the FLAC feed on a separates system, the handling of the mammoth forces was an engineering triumph. A keeper.

I listened through the mobile app on a fairly decent speaker, although it sounds like you had a better set-up to appreciate the performance.

[ostuni]

I was up in the Rausing Circle, so couldn't see enough detail, but I'm pretty sure Quasthoff wasn't amplified. Don't forget that Schoenberg's scoring of this section is mostly very light, compared with what the singers have to (sometimes) sing against.

Yes, the orchestra was magnificent: I agree with Simon B about the weight of the sound (especially the strings). It was interesting to hear them, just one night after hearing the BBCSO (on top form, as has already been noted in the M2 thread), in similarly lush repertoire, from almost the same seating position. Definitely more weight in the strings, though the BBCSO's woodwind came across as more characterful (though Mahler's scoring gives more scope for this than Schoenberg's).

So much of the impact of Gurrelieder relies on a really strong Waldemar, who has 9 solo movements to himself - and this was, for me, the least satisfactory aspect of last night. I've never warmed to O'Neill's rather dry tenor, and last night he sounded much as he ever does. For me, the Waldemar de nos jours is Stuart Skelton: once the video of last night's performance is up on the BBC site, I look forward to a nerdy afternoon comparing sections of the Rattle performance with the recently released video of Ed Gardner's Bergen performance (on Bachtrack, or Vimeo). Gardner's version also has the huge advantage of casting Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke as Klaus-Narr, as anyone who saw his Loge for the ENO Ring will appreciate.

For me, last night's most beautiful singing was from Christopher Purves - but then I've never been anything but hugely impressed by anything I've seen or heard from him.

[Ferretfancy]

Now that the queueing arrangements for Promenaders has been changed due to massive building work and bag searches, it means that standing for long works becomes a problem. We are now let into the Arena as much as an hour and a half before the concerts begin. Normally it's possible to sit on the floor before the concert begins, but I assumed that there would not be enough room last night to do that.
Three hours standing without an interval would simply have been too much for me, so -no Gurrelieder

I was interested to read the comments and varied opinions about the sound last night, both from home listeners and those who were there.

There are very noticeable differences in acoustic depending on the size of the audience, particularly whether there are empty seats in the stalls and a lightly filled Arena. If you stand a little under half way back, the bodies in front of you tend to soak up the string tone, while missing bodies increase the already generous reverberation.
I recently attended an event on a 'sit anywhere you like basis' with a seventeen piece jazz orchestra and only a couple of hundred listeners and dancers. Just moving a few seats altered the sound of the band completely. That's one reason why my friends and I in the Promenade have a regular spot which we think gives us the best results, and by the way, it isn't on the front rail.

[Nick Armstrong]

the 'off' button was hit shortly after Ms Westbroek started screeching.

Blimey, not half. How do these people get these gigs?!

"Better in the hall" I'm sure. Tenor definitely an acquired taste, too - which I've clearly neglected to acquire.

An .... ahem... interesting choice of presenter for the TV programme.... Who was he?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

An .... ahem... interesting choice of presenter for the TV programme.... Who was he?

http://lloydcoleman.net/

[Tony Halstead]

http://lloydcoleman.net/

Why on earth is the 'synchronicity' between sound and vision so terrible?

[makropulos]

Why on earth is the 'synchronicity' between sound and vision so terrible?

Weirdly, it got terrible and then seemed to get better again.

A few soloist-related quibbles aside, what a stunning performance.

[Darkbloom]

There was some discussion at the time about whether Quasthoff was amplified. Was he?

[Serial_Apologist]

There was some discussion at the time about whether Quasthoff was amplified. Was he?

Should be re-named Cast Off!

[Tony Halstead]

Weirdly, it got terrible and then seemed to get better again.

A few soloist-related quibbles aside, what a stunning performance.

Yes, absolutely agreed!

[Hornspieler]

I've always tended to shy away from Schoenberg..

Okay, I didn't mind "Verklacht Nacht" the string players enjoyed it, but it did not compel my attention. (Forgive the spelling).

So I approached last night's Televised performance of "Gurrelieder" more out of interest in the spectacle of all those performers than for interest in the music.

Wow! What a surprise!

Sir Simon appeared to be conducting without a score! The LSO played magnificently. I could not fault the soloists and that huge chorus sang as one huge voice.

Magnificent!

I was going to write, that for me, it was the performance of this year's prom season; but I've changedmy mind.

I now rate it as The Performance of 2017

A five star experience!

HS: