Prom 68 - 3.09.17: Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich

[David-G]

One dimensional DSCH 5 for me, little or no cumulative tension.

What a disappointing run of concerts this weekend.

I very much enjoyed the Mendelssohn concert this afternoon. Isabelle Faust was wonderful.

[Bryn]

The Prokofiev was a classic of the Gergiev experience. Seat-of-the-Pants "rehearsal is for wimps" stuff. Plus a fair bit of the orchestration seemed to be left out with a somewhat expanded onstage brass section in lieu of the large extra offstage compliment at every other performance I've been to.

You know what you're getting with Matsuev, if it is inner reflection and poetry you're after, disappointment is your dish of the day. For fireworks stuff like this he is just the job IMV. Phenomenal technique and showmanship, job done.

Sorry Simon. Not a patch on Kondrashin, even with the latter's use of a Bowdlerised version. Nor even near as good as Elder, or even Neeme Järvi or Titov. A real let-down.

[Bryn]

I very much enjoyed the Mendelssohn concert this afternoon. Isabelle Faust was wonderful.

Me too. A better service to reformism than to revolution at the Proms today.

[Alison]

I very much enjoyed the Mendelssohn concert this afternoon. Isabelle Faust was wonderful.

Sorry, I missed that one and look forward to catching up with it.

[Simon B]

Bryn - oh I agree. Attempted sardonic tone + text = no worky. I think I've been to 6 live Cantatas over the last 20 years (Elder + BBCSO x2, Elder + Halle x1, Gergiev + CBSO+Kirov, Gergiev + LSO, tonight) and tonight was in 5th place. The CBSO+Kirov (simultaneously!) was a shambles IMO. They played the Berlioz Requiem in the 2nd half which just came across as a vacant racket. I'm not convinced it isn't personally, but that's besides the point.

Apologies for list-mode there.

Elder and the BBCSO at the Proms many years ago was the most convincing though he seems to have the measure of it generally from the others.

Jarvi/Philharmonia the benchmark recording IMV.

I still enjoyed tonight up to a point. Great piece! It was a + to have authentic Russian pronunciation from the chorus. Couple of hundred more needed though...

[Bryn]

... Jarvi/Philharmonia the benchmark recording IMV. ...

And you get Rozhdestvensky as 'Lenin'. Yes, the chorus was excellent tonight. A saving grace, one might say. Much enjoyed the part one encores.

[Simon B]

Yes, the best part of the concert wasn't on the official programme AFAIK.

That was the Lutoslawski Paganini Variations I presume? I don't know it well enough to be absolutely certain though it sounded stylistically exactly right and I can't think what else it could be. Thrilling stuff, brilliantly executed.

[Ferretfancy]

Yes, the best part of the concert wasn't on the official programme AFAIK.

That was the Lutoslawski Paganini Variations I presume? I don't know it well enough to be absolutely certain though it sounded stylistically exactly right and I can't think what else it could be. Thrilling stuff, brilliantly executed.

Yes it was the Lutoslawski, confirmed by a member of the orchestra.

I did not identify it at the concert, but somewhat to my embarrassment I find that I have two recordings on CD, by Jablonski and Glemser, so I should have known. Incidentally, there's a very nice set of Paganini variations by Boris Blacher, for orchestra only, well worth a hearing.

[boilinthebag]

Thought the cantata was a riot

[Bryn]

bsp: it's also been 'pretty conclusively proved' that most of the proof is no such thing. Steer very, very well clear of Laurel Fay and Richard Taruskin on all but the bare bones of DSCH's biography and read this instead

On the basis of your recommendation I added this book to my small collection of Shostakovich discussion. However, more recently I came across G. C. Ginther's 2008 thesis "REVISIONISM IN THE MUSIC HISTORY OF DMITRY SHOSTAKOVICH: THE SHOSTAKOVICH WARS". An interesting adjunct, I feel.

[Petrushka]

On the basis of your recommendation I added this book to my small collection of Shostakovich discussion. However, more recently I came across G. C. Ginther's 2008 thesis "REVISIONISM IN THE MUSIC HISTORY OF DMITRY SHOSTAKOVICH: THE SHOSTAKOVICH WARS". An interesting adjunct, I feel.

Bryn, I'm clicking on that link and nothing happens.

[Bryn]

Bryn, I'm clicking on that link and nothing happens.

Link now corrected.

Also worth considering is Ho and Feofanov's Shostakovich Wars. (Scroll to the top for first page.)