Well, we didn't get one anyway. Fine by me.
Prom 66 - 2.09.17: Haydn and Mahler
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Is this the same orchestra as last night? Superb throughout IMO. Interesting comment from Dominic Seldis, just before the Mahler symphony, the orchestra's principal double bass, that as there have been so few MD's that there is pressure on a new one to succeed. He doesn't think longevity of position a good thing. Watch this space then.
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Must admit I felt quite tense and nervous in the first half especially!
Slightly odd comment from Dominic Seldis adding to the rather messy feel from Fridays Prom.
Lots more quality on display tonight, I will listen again before any further comment.Last edited by Alison; 02-09-17, 20:59.
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Originally posted by Prommer View PostAgree in a way. Which Mahler symphonies invite (or at least do not discourage) an encore?
Unimaginable after the 9th. Redundant after the 2nd, 3rd or 8th, surely? Bit difficult after 5th or 6th!
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Certainly better than last night (in the hall for this one) but still passages which seemed directionless where the music came to a standstill and the flow was interrupted. Gatti's style is minimalist, almost like the present day Haitink, and sometimes he stops altogether.
Also too many audience 'noises off' which may or may not have come over on the radio and this hindered enjoyment."The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink
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Originally posted by Petrushka View PostCertainly better than last night (in the hall for this one) but still passages which seemed directionless where the music came to a standstill and the flow was interrupted. Gatti's style is minimalist, almost like the present day Haitink, and sometimes he stops altogether.
Also too many audience 'noises off' which may or may not have come over on the radio and this hindered enjoyment.
..... a lot of coughing on my radio .......
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As heard in the hall it was a very scrappy performance with too many abrupt tempo changes and a tendency to accentuate the parody elements at the expense of the line. I never felt any real tenderness from within, it all seemed applied, even in the closing bars.
Chen Reiss sang from one of the high risers at the right of the stage. She processed slowly into the hall wearing a tight sheath dress in dusty gold, looking for all the world like the lady in the Paramount logo of old. Her singing was OK, but sadly not more.
None of my friends thought much of this performance, least of all the keen Mahlerites. One of the charity collecting team told me that from her close standpoint the orchestra seemed bored. It certainly seemed that way.
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Listening at home I found the 'feel' of the performance somewhat odd and am still not quite certain what was wrong. The closest I can get is a sense of disengagement - the orchestra playing the notes but not saying very much with them, so that there wasn't that much difference between the Haydn and the Mahler in some respects. And yes there did seem to be a fair bit of extraneous non-musical noise, which didn't help.
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Originally posted by Darkbloom View PostI think Rattle had a brief flirtation with the RCO but they didn't get along. Haitink fell out with them before smoothing things over later on. Jansons never got compelling performances from them and didn't last all that long by RCO standards. They must be a difficult bunch all round.
Gatti, though, I really don't know. Does anyone know the process for choosing a new conductor for the RCO? If he was foisted on the players without their say then one can understand but if he was chosen by the players then they have only themselves to blame.
Saturday's concert was better played but, yes, oddoneout, disengagement is the right word and applies to both Gatti and his players. The restless audience betrayed the boredom all round. Friday's Bruckner 9 was nothing short of a shambles and a disgraceful one at that.
It will be interesting to see where the RCO go from here. Concerts are upcoming at Lucerne with the same programmes as at the Proms and a string of bad reviews of poor performances could well seal Gatti's fate. Audiences will only tolerate so much before the numbers begin to dwindle."The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink
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