Thread: Latest concerts

On Good Friday (6 April 2012) I attended a performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion.

http://www.artlink.co.za/news_articl...ontentID=29726

I heard the Arditti Quartet last night. The ensemble work and precision were phenomenal, but their steely intensity got a little old. The Beethoven and Bartok were just too driven (something that's hard to achieve in Bartok's 4th!). They used very little rubato, which robbed those pieces of some breathing space. The Berg was great. The Ades didn't do much for me, but I would guess the rhythmic complexity made it quite challenging to play. Still, watching one of the world's great quartets from about 10 feet away was quite amazing!

BEETHOVEN: Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
BERG: String Quartet, Op. 3
ADÈS: Four Quarters
BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 4 in C Major

Being at the very tip of the African continent, we don't often get to hear famous ensembles live, but I find that when I do, it changes my perception of their music for ever. Almost as if I were now one of their friends. Probably more accurately as if they were one of my friends. The indelible mark of live music on the memory.

Our local symphony performed these pieces yesterday-
Haas: Study for String Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings Op. 48
Mozart: “Coronation” Mass
I had not heard much of Haas before yesterday and none live. I especially enjoyed his Study. It made me think I may learn to enjoy more "modern" pieces if I saw (heard) them live. A fun outing.

Conductors Masur, Muti, and Barenboim are in the news. Masur falls off podium. Muti triumphs with Chicago SO in Russia and Italy. Barenboim plans a marathon.

Details linked:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...83Q0VI20120427

http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_c.../muti-cso.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...eethoven-proms

http://www.artlink.co.za/news_articl...ontentID=30012

The review of the first concert of the second season of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra 2012.

Recent concerts:

Charlie Albright: Chopin's Etudes Opp. 10 and 25 (complete), Beethoven's Op. 110, Schubert's Impromptus
Tokyo Quartet: Grieg's String Quartet, Beethoven's Op. 132
Borromeo Quartet: Dvorak's "American" Quartet, Schubert's Death & The Maiden

Saturday's jazz offering - I'm really starting to like jazz.

http://www.artlink.co.za/news_articl...ontentID=30043

Hello to everyone. I haven't been "in" for a long time...Happy to say that I have been able to see the following, so far this month:

1 On 8 May, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam the programme below.

• Beethoven - Overture 'Egmont', op. 84
• Beethoven - Third Piano Concerto in C, op. 37
• Tchaikovsky - Sixth Symphony in b, Op. 74 'Pathetique'

performed by Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra Pablo González (conductor), Lars Vogt (piano)

Of course, it's not the Vienna Philharmonic but a competent performance nevertheless. They were still able to get across the lament of the Pathetique in some way so much so that the melody has been in my head ever since.

2 Yesterday, 13 May, I went to attend this performance in The Hague

Haydn Symphony No 94
Mozart Horn Concerto no 3
Rachmaninov the Symphonic Dances

Performed by The Hague’s Residentie Orkest conducted by Chief conductor Neeme Jarvi. Neeme is now 75 years old! But he controlled that orchestra very well. For such a small city, it has an excellent orchestra!

Very pleasant programme. An encore was played. Sibelius : Andante Festivo. I have not heard Sibelius before. Very impressed....What a cool and elegant piece….just what’s needed after the intensity of Rach.

Enjoy your music!

Originally Posted by whiteroses;304483
2 Yesterday, 13 May, I went to attend this performance in The Hague
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Haydn Symphony No 94
Mozart Horn Concerto no 3
Rachmaninov the Symphonic Dances

Performed by The Hague’s Residentie Orkest conducted by Chief conductor Neeme Jarvi. Neeme is now 75 years old! But he controlled that orchestra very well. For such a small city, it has an excellent orchestra!

Oh, you are fortunate indeed! That sounds as if it was a wonderful concert.

The Johannesburg Musical Society usually has a very classical programme.

Something completely different was their Mother's Day Concert (no, I think the date was purely co-incidental, but fortuitous) with a local crossover group, the Charl du Plessis Trio.

Here is the review of the concert: http://www.artlink.co.za/news_articl...ontentID=30061

Just over a month ago I had the pleasure of hearing Murray Perahia give a recital at the Orpheum theatre in Vancouver, Canada. I was not thrilled about his program (including some Brahms and the Schubert A major sonata—not to my taste) but his playing was absolutely out of this world. You need to hear him live to get the effect of his performances. I would have listened to a dozen encores...

On another (amusing) note, I had the flu at my most recent performance and vomited while at the piano. Good times.

Sorry to hear you were unwell for your concert. That must have shocked the audience. It would have shocked me. I'm a sympathy vomiter.

Murray Perahia is wonderful and I would LOVE to hear him live. Live is always, always a treat (unless the playing is very, very bad).

The second concert of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra featured Khachaturian's Masquerade, Chopin's Piano Concerto Number 2 with Spencer Myer at the piano and Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite (1945).

Here are my comments about the concert http://www.artlink.co.za/news_articl...ontentID=30088

^^Enjoyed your review, Moira. I noted the phenomenon you observed, people leaving at interval, esp. before a modern work is played. It happens here too. I think it's very rude. Last year there was a mass exodus from Mahler's 9th symphony - between movements! - under Maestro Ashkenazy. I made a thread about it below. A number of members of this forum agreed, but others were like apologists for this rude behaviour - why?

Concertgoers who leave during the concert...