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Post by MartinT on Dec 5, 2023 19:10:02 GMT
You can't win them all, Jules.
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Post by julesd68 on Dec 6, 2023 18:30:39 GMT
Indeed. To add insult to injury there was this woman sitting just in my peripheral vision and she just wouldn't keep still during the whole performance. So annoying. I even closed my eyes sometimes to avoid the intrusion. She was chatting with her friend too ... Somehow she managed to launch her mobile phone down the steps beside us - now that's a first!! What a pleb.  |
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Post by julesd68 on Dec 25, 2023 20:58:12 GMT
Wigmore Hall - 18 December 2023
The Sixteen"Resonet in Laudibus"Anon - Resonemus laudibus
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594) - Kyrie from Missa Hodie Christus natus est
William Byrd (c.1540-1623) - Lulla, lullaby, my sweet little baby
Trad/Basque Gabriel’s Message
William Byrd - This day Christ was born
Jacobus Handl (1550-1591) - Resonet in laudibus
Trad/Irish Wexford Carol
Jean Mouton (c.1459-1522) - Nesciens mater virgo virum
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Hodie Christus natus est
Walter Lambe (c.1450-1504) - Nesciens mater
Trad/English Sans Day Carol
Orlande de Lassus (c.1530-1594) - Resonet in laudibus
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Gloria from Missa Hodie Christus natus est
Anon - Herrick's Carol
John Sheppard (c.1515-1558) - Reges Tharsis Imagine a diamond plucked from the rock by a small child down a dark mine in the deepest reaches of the empire, liberated for the benefit of mankind. Next stop Antwerp where a master craftsmen spends days, weeks and months cutting and polishing the stone to perfection whereby the slightest flaw would ruin the overall effect. Then the stone is ready to receive the world. This is The Sixteen. The light from these sixteen perfectly polished facets radiates around the hall with the utmost in colour and clarity. This is musical perfection, on that oh so rare occasion when one cannot think of any way that the music could be further improved. This allows you to luxuriate and ponder the music in depth. The essence of this complex polyphony is to lift one’s gaze to heaven and indeed my eyes were often raised to heaven seemingly lifted by the sheer beauty of the music alone. It feels like a gentle cleansing and purification of the soul, of which no doubt I am sorely in need. The voices of this group are perfectly matched in terms of tone, timing, timbre and expression. One can only imagine the years of dedication it must take to reach such crystalline heights. In this most excellent of seasonal programmes we were treated to a wide range of carols interspersed with Renaissance works. Inevitably the latter I found most engrossing with such plaintive and poignant polyphony. The Byrd and Lassus were deeply moving and but it was the Palestrina that prompted the tear ducts to open first. This was such achingly beautiful music that stood as a stark contrast to the crass vulgarity and excess of Oxford Street a few hundred yards away. A perfect Christmas gift to self. 
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 15, 2024 17:01:09 GMT
Barbican, London 14 January 2024
Janáček's Jenůfa London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
What an incredible way to open my 2024 concert season.
Let's get right down to it - the music here is sublime from start to finish, always holding my attention with its finely woven drama and melodic invention. And huge credit due to the hard-working Sir Simon Rattle who whenever I studied him on the podium was thoroughly engaged, energetic and inspirational. Imagine a slightly wild analogy if you'll excuse the indulgence - the LSO were a giant sea-beast, prowling and patrolling the expanse of emotional oceans with complete mastery and control, with Sir Simon at the reins, guiding them from the depths of despair to riding the waves of forgiveness and possible salvation. Their sound was always utterly compelling, driving the twists and turns of the drama forwards with guile and power in equal measure. Sublime indeed.
The vocal performances for the most part were first class. Aleš Briscein's Laca was perhaps my favourite of all in terms of his refined and plaintive tenor and acting skills. Nicky Spence as Steva even managed to bring some comic elements to proceedings as a leather jacketed lout throwing his weight around the village, with a wandering eye for the ladies and thoroughly undeserving of Jenufa's love. Katarina Karnéus as Kostelnička gave an emotionally distraught performance which even managed to suggest some empathy for the woman who has done away with her grandson in such a brutal fashion. A truly wonderful assembly of talents, all working with each other so generously. In support we had the superb London Symphony Chorus who were taut and eager whenever called into action.
I'm afraid there was one fly in the ointment. Agneta Eichenholz as Jenůfa whilst entirely committed and sincere just didn't have the required power and character required in terms of voice and acting. A valiant effort but ultimately lacking in weight and I was left wondering just how perfect the night might have been with Asmik Gregorian who was originally booked for the role but pulled out due to reasons unknown.
Still, this was a triumph that delighted me and so many others in a packed and rapt Barbican. 
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Post by MartinT on Jan 15, 2024 17:43:23 GMT
Remember when I said Rattle's Mahler 2 was one of the best concerts I'd ever seen? Despite much of his mediocre recorded output, I know he can reach an epic emotional intensity when he really turns it on.
Great that you saw it, too. Perhaps we are too hard on him, sometimes.
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 15, 2024 20:57:22 GMT
This is the frustration of Rattle - when he hits the heights he is sublime but when he is awful ... two of the worst concerts I have attended were under his Berlin Phil tenure.
I might just see if a concert visit to Munich is a possibility!
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Post by MartinT on Jan 15, 2024 21:47:43 GMT
I don't think he was suited to the BPO. With the CBSO, he was pretty good.
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 16, 2024 22:46:10 GMT
There wasn't much space left on the Barbican stage!  |
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 29, 2024 17:44:51 GMT
24 Jan 2024 - Barbican, London
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Debussy - PréludesThere was a warm Barbican welcome for Jean-Yves Thibaudet, immaculately dressed, sporting an elegant tailcoat and waistcoat. He proceeded to establish an intimate connection with the music, showing deft touch and tone; understated delicacy if you will. As the more extrovert emotions began to build he really started to work my imagination with the push and pull of the distant oceans calling in my mind's eye. Thibaudet then proceeded to captivate me with his pianississimo which was quite extraordinary in its poise, expression and micro-dynamics. And then as the music heats up, so does the performance. "La puerta del vino" was a standout for me with its keenly clipped Flamenco rhythms, simply oozing with extrovert Iberian colour and charm, it's impossibly evocative. I then perceived a sense of "grand majesty" in the music whereby we were treated to such huge swathes of dynamics and mesmerizing cascades of shifting emotions - it was so intoxicating and heady that I couldn't but think of Debussy's contemporary, Scriabin. It was impossible for me to imagine a more satisfying performance than this and I simply had to rise from my seat to show my appreciation for such electric artistry. I could only conclude that Thibaudet was simply born to play Debussy. 
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Post by MartinT on Feb 24, 2024 7:37:41 GMT
Basingstoke Anvil, Saturday 24/02/2024Philharmonia Orchestra Sibelius - Lemminkäinen’s Return Prokofiev - Violin Concerto no. 1 Tchaikovsky - Symphony no. 5 Esther Yoo - violin Emilia Hoving - conductor  The Sibelius was a delightful start to the proceedings with the young Finnish Hoving skipping onto the podium in a plain black trouser suit and big shoes. The Philharmonia instantly showed their mighty credentials, being several levels above the normal standard of performance at The Anvil. Their timing was unbelievably tight and they played with the confidence and vigour that lesser orchestras can only dream about. Hoving commanded in a different way from a Jochum or Karajan, she communicated “I love this music, follow me and love it, too” with the orchestra thoroughly under her control. It was a delight to watch and listen to with Sibelius’ sonorous crescendos ringing out and more than filling the venue with their mighty power. The Prokofiev came next with Esther Yoo playing violin. I did not know the VC1 very well and, oh dear, it’s not one I’ll be returning to. To hear her sawing away at those ugly note combinations during the first three movements was a trial – not her fault, of course, and she played with verve and talent, but it was practically wasted on such ugly music. Where was the Prokofiev of the Classical Symphony No. 1 or Romeo and Juliet or even The Love for Three Oranges? At least the fourth movement gave some respite but I was pretty relieved when it was over. Luckily for us, Yoo then gave an encore after the audience bravely kept up the uncertain clapping, a violin sonata for two violins with the leader of the orchestra (who is not listed, so may have been a guest leader). A lovely more romantic piece, very nicely performed by the pair and, again, with perfect timing. After the interval it was time for the mighty Tchaikovsky, which was all that I could have hoped for from one of my very favourite symphonies. The Philharmonia again played with verve and gusto and practically took the roof off with this epic piece, the best thing, in my opinion, that Tchaikovsky ever wrote. No-one ever accused him of not carrying a melody and the symphony is full of them, the orchestra playing the ppp sections just as beautifully as the fff. The percussion and horns were really on form with their tremendous power, but it was in reality a tour de force for them all. What a memorable performance! So we did enjoy the evening bar the fairly awful Prokofiev, and that 5th will stay in my memory for a long time. I would love to hear Yoo play something more sympathetic and I am very impressed with Hoving, who is a conductor to keep an eye on.
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 24, 2024 9:36:14 GMT
Excellent report, thanks Martin and great to hear you enjoyed the Sibelius - I find his music unique in tone.
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 18, 2024 13:58:53 GMT
Barbican, London - 29 February 2024
Brahms - Violin Concerto Shostakovich - Symphony 4
Sir Simon Rattle - conductor Isabelle Faust - violin London Symphony Orchestra
Going into this concert, Nicola Benedetti's recent cataclysmic triumph in the Brahms at the Festival Hall was well and truly imprinted in my mind. So this needed to be something special to come even close to those divine heights. It wasn't. It was a performance that was closer to ice skating than getting beneath the surface of the music - for me it remained cool and aloof.
The mercurial Benedetti had obviously made the most intense academic and musical study of the work and poured everything she had learnt into one performance. It was all or nothing, one night only. Faust, playing with the music in front of her, wasn't able to inhabit the work to anything like the same degree. In her static and stoic pose she reminded me of the old school virtuoso, very technical but musically somewhat detached and glacial. It was neat, tidy and underwhelming; I didn't find a spark of inspiration, even in the third movement. This work needs passion to the nth degree but Faust barely seemed to break a sweat in a Sunday stroll of a performance which will not register in my musical memory. I didn't feel that she believed in this glorious concerto, it was just another stop in her schedule.
The Shostakovich on the other hand was irrepressible in the hands of Sir Simon who sprang to life at the podium. He really can be irresistible in this kind of repertoire. The music was brutal, monolithic and oppressive, then humorous and lyrical. In this work musical themes can last minutes or seconds, a flash in the pan .. teasing you with their lyricism only to wrest you away with stabbing atonality. Nothing is predictable here with twists, turns, chicanes and blind alleys, a map for musical abandon that Sir Simon navigated so lithely and keenly, never letting the energy slip for a second.
I love that there is a starring role for so many individuals here and the trombone, piccolo and bassoon solos were quite wonderful in this regard. Another musical highlight for me was a theme which starts in the violins and is then handed to the violas and then to the cellos as if a musical relay race, just so exhilarating!
Indeed, with the right music and musicians this hall can spring to life acoustically and even from my balcony seat the sound pressure was at times truly intense with this visceral, heart pounding lesson in how to perform Shostakovich. The audience in turn showed genuine appreciation and affection for Sir Simon in their applause.
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 19, 2024 14:55:21 GMT
Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s - 1 March 2024
Bertrand Chamayou piano
Ravel - Jeux d’eau Ravel - Gaspard de la nuit Unsuk Chin - Piano Études Nos 4 to 6 Ravel - Selections from ‘Miroirs’
I can say this for sure, that Monsieur Chamayou has the gift of Ravel. From the very first few bars of Jeux you know you are in secure hands and what lies beyond will be a joy to witness. His shimmering droplets are playful yet precise, cascading with alacrity and bursting with a pantheistic Spring energy; how wonderfully graceful and calming! He is one of those gifted artists who paints such effortlessly impressionistic pictures, conjuring images and emotions whose colours lead straight to the heart; the perfect marriage of technique and musicality.
My only question on his Gaspard was the opening, where I wasn't quite feeling the subtle yet intoxicating rush of electricity required here; I could hear the playing but not the music so to speak. Fortunately this feeling was entirely short-lived and we were quickly back on song. I found Le Gibet to be utterly haunting.
Unsuk Chin is a South Korean composer whose name I was aware of, but not her music which proved to be an inspired partner to the Ravel. Also technically extremely demanding, and whilst certainly impressionistic, her composition was more about clipped and propulsive rhythms, strident outbursts of energy, entirely bereft of Ravel's wistful melodies. A name to investigate further for sure.
I do love that Chamayou's performance never draws attention to himself in an egotistical manner, his focus is entirely on the music. After an engrossing and exemplary selection from Miroirs, he left us with an understated and entirely earnest encore of Pavane ... Surely the perfect way to finish what had been just a delight of a performance.
Here is his wonderful Complete Ravel recording for further inspiration.
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 21, 2024 20:36:14 GMT
Royal Albert Hall, London, March 13 2024
Icons Rediscovered: Wagner's Grand Festival
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Rachel Nicholls (soprano) Peter Wedd (tenor) Derek Welton (bass) Vasily Petrenko (conductor)
1. Huldigungsmarsch
2. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Prelude to Act 1 - Was duftet doch der Flieder (Fliedermonolog)
3. Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge, from Der Ring des Nibelungen: Part 1, 'Das Rheingold'
4. Der Ring des Nibelungen: Part 2, 'Die Walküre' - Leb wohl (Wotan's Farewell) - Ride of the Valkyries
5. Der Ring des Nibelungen: Part 4 'Götterdämmerung' - - Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey - Siegfried's death and Funeral March - Immolation Scene
Having resisted the call of Richard Wagner for so many years, I finally caved into my mother's request to join her for a concert and this seemed a good starting point, being a Greatest Hits of sorts - "inspired by Wagner’s own eight-concert festival at the Royal Albert Hall in 1877". The background to the original Festival is rather intriguing - basically Wagner was broke at that point is my understanding and he arranged this concert as a fundraiser and calling card for his talents. Now I claim no special knowledge of Wagner's music (my mother is the well travelled expert) and so this is less of a review and rather just my first impressions of hearing his music in the concert hall.
Wagner is a supreme orchestrator, there can't be much debate about that. This is really shown in sharp relief in a hall with a first class orchestra. "Ride of the Valkyries" is always fun to hear on the radio but I got a new appreciation for the detail and depth of the orchestration and the strident flow & energy of the work. "Siegfried's Death and Funeral March" is of course familiar from its inspired use in the wonderful John Boorman epic, Excalibur (1981). I struggle to think of a more complimentary soundtrack and it was just sublime to hear this played with such partisan commitment by the RPO. I found it extremely moving and poignant.
Talking of performance, you really need a brass section that can do the damage in this music and the RPO can be crushingly effective in this regard. Some of the cataclysmic brass climaxes verged on the overwhelming in our well placed stalls seats. Whilst the entire orchestra were all on point, special praise must be reserved for the entire brass department who really seemed to revel in their starring role. And it was my first time experiencing the legendary Wagner tubas!
Onto the singing. Peter Wedd is an exceptional tenor and stage presence. Technically he seemed beyond reproach to my ears, with a clarity and power that seemed to just take over the entire hall. He also brought a much needed touch of steel & theatricality, indeed he really did command the stage. I must also reserve the highest praise for Rachel Nicholls - even with her arm in a sling she managed to bring such drive and intensity to her singing, creating a potent dramatic tension that was hard to ignore.
I must say it was a most enjoyable event, to the point that I'm now considering a trip to Munich later on in the year for a performance of Das Rheingold.
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Post by MartinT on Mar 21, 2024 21:13:34 GMT
I love Wagner's orchestration* but I find his songs and, even more so his operas, a little more than I can chew.
* fun question: who was the best orchestrator, Wagner, Ravel or Respighi?
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 23, 2024 19:57:25 GMT
I find them impossible to compare - Is it a trick question?  I heard enough in the Wagner concert that suggested I could sit through an opera. It's an experience I would like to try at least once and with Jurowski conducting the music should be suitably potent in Munich. |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 23, 2024 21:11:37 GMT
Not a trick question, just that they are all reputed for their orchestration prowess.
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Post by MartinT on Mar 23, 2024 21:13:52 GMT
Don't try Die Meistersinger live. My sister reports it as the single most mind numbing experience she has ever sat through - all >4 hours of it.
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 23, 2024 22:22:05 GMT
Lol - I'll have to ask my mum how it rates on her Wagnerometer ...
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 23, 2024 22:23:04 GMT
Not a trick question, just that they are all reputed for their orchestration prowess. Yes all wonderful in their very different ways. |
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