Prom 74 - 8.09.17: Vienna Philharmonic – Brahms, Mozart and Beethoven

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  • Darkbloom
    Full Member
    • Feb 2015
    • 706

    #16
    Wow, I was prepared for blandness but not this bland.

    Comment

    • bluestateprommer
      Full Member
      • Nov 2010
      • 3007

      #17
      As the token American here, I reluctantly agree that the Mozart was just OK, nothing great. Having met Emanuel Ax at CD signings, he's the nicest guy that you could ever want to meet, but I've heard him on much livelier form in other live performances. He's not at all a showoff, but he was self-effacing to a fault here. I got the sense in the Brahms that MTT had the sense to wind up the VPO, turn the key, and let them play, with just a slight bit of hesitation at the start of the last chord. It is rather ironic that an orchestra at the heart of the Austro-Germanic repertoire should have two Americans at the front of the podium for this Prom, in contrast to an Austrian conductor with an American orchestra on Monday.

      Comment

      • Petrushka
        Full Member
        • Nov 2010
        • 12232

        #18
        Originally posted by Barbirollians View Post
        I just found that K449 boring and lacking in any sort of sparkle .
        I'm afraid I have to agree. The VPO recorded this very concerto with Abbado and Pires. Different class altogether. So far I'm glad I decided to skip this Prom. As I said above, this repertoire isn't MTT's territory.
        "The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink

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        • Tony Halstead
          Full Member
          • Nov 2010
          • 1717

          #19
          Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
          I'm afraid I have to agree. The VPO recorded this very concerto with Abbado and Pires. Different class altogether. So far I'm glad I decided to skip this Prom. As I said above, this repertoire isn't MTT's territory.
          Hmmm. ... surely it's not MTT's fault if the Mozart PC soloist is boring? A 'lifetime ago' I played on all but one of his Beethoven symphony 'chamber orchestra' CBS recordings, long before all the HIPP stuff, and he was never, ever boring!

          Comment

          • Eine Alpensinfonie
            Host
            • Nov 2010
            • 20569

            #20
            This is Beethoven as it should be played.

            Comment

            • Nick Armstrong
              Host
              • Nov 2010
              • 26521

              #21
              Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post
              This is Beethoven as it should be played.

              "...the isle is full of noises,
              Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
              Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
              Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."

              Comment

              • Eine Alpensinfonie
                Host
                • Nov 2010
                • 20569

                #22
                Well, that was excellent, but I'd prefer it if the presenters would just shut up and let us savour the atmosphere in the hall.

                Comment

                • bluestateprommer
                  Full Member
                  • Nov 2010
                  • 3007

                  #23
                  This is indeed a surprise, the Vienna Philharmonic performing Delius as an encore, and very nicely. Dare I say that the best part of this VPO Prom was the last? (Also, I wonder how many of the VPO musicians in this Prom played Mahler 6 last night. That might have been enough to drain the energy out of anyone.)

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                  • Barbirollians
                    Full Member
                    • Nov 2010
                    • 11667

                    #24
                    Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
                    I'm afraid I have to agree. The VPO recorded this very concerto with Abbado and Pires. Different class altogether. So far I'm glad I decided to skip this Prom. As I said above, this repertoire isn't MTT's territory.
                    The very recording I was thinking of - I am afraid I gave up on the second half .

                    Comment

                    • Eine Alpensinfonie
                      Host
                      • Nov 2010
                      • 20569

                      #25
                      Originally posted by bluestateprommer View Post
                      This is indeed a surprise, the Vienna Philharmonic performing Delius as an encore, and very nicely. Dare I say that the best part of this VPO Prom was the last? (Also, I wonder how many of the VPO musicians in this Prom played Mahler 6 last night. That might have been enough to drain the energy out of anyone.)
                      They may not play much British music, but when they do, they do it well. Two years ago, they played Elgar's Dream of Gerontius as though they'd been performing it all their lives.

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                      • Alison
                        Full Member
                        • Nov 2010
                        • 6455

                        #26
                        On balance, the encore would have been more effective without the speech.

                        An enjoyable Seventh somehow not achieving full culmination at its end. Flecks of Debussy in the fabric.
                        Last edited by Alison; 09-09-17, 06:04.

                        Comment

                        • David-G
                          Full Member
                          • Mar 2012
                          • 1216

                          #27
                          For reasons I needn't go into, I was listening on FM, and I must say the FM sound is really awful. So that didn't help. But I thought the first movement of the Beethoven was dull in the extreme. The symphony picked up after that - but Beethoven dull??? I was thinking back wistfully to Edinburgh a fortnight ago, where we heard a period-instrument performance of the Piano Trio Op 1 No 3 with Kristian Bezuidenhout and Jonathan Cohen. That was electric. We could have done with some of that electricity here.

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                          • boilinthebag
                            Full Member
                            • Aug 2017
                            • 15

                            #28
                            As the Beethoven progressed so did the quality of the performance.
                            Agree with bluestate, the Delius was sublime. The warmth of those strings was just gorgeous
                            Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative

                            Comment

                            • Barbirollians
                              Full Member
                              • Nov 2010
                              • 11667

                              #29
                              I might listen to the Beethoven and encore on iplayer . Five minutes of listening to the Perahia recording of K449 enough to cleanse my ears of the dreary dullness of the Ax/MTT . Sparkle,wit and charm .

                              Comment

                              • BBMmk2
                                Late Member
                                • Nov 2010
                                • 20908

                                #30
                                I was very surprised as to how the VPO managed the Delius so well! maybe MTT gave them some helpful advice or their sheer musicianship came through. Mind you Delius was part German?
                                Don’t cry for me
                                I go where music was born

                                J S Bach 1685-1750

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