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277K views 1K replies 265 participants last post by  Eramire156 
#1 ·
We already got thread to write about our latest purchases and stuff that we are actually listening. How about topic to write about your latest classical concerts? I guess at least some of us attend them regular.

So, today I went to live performance of Duisburger Philharmoniker orchestra conducted by Jonathan Darlington. The solist was Michael Roll. Setlist was fantastic - Vaughan Williams Fantasia On Theme by TT, Haydn Symphony B-dur, Berlioz Carnaval Romain and finally Beethoven's 4th piano concerto. Great performance. I almost lost my hands giving them applause they deserved.
 
#1,293 ·
Last night,

Alexander Kniazev, Cello
Boris Berezovsky, Piano

Performed,

R. Strauss - Cello Sonata in F major
Shostakovich - Cello Sonata in D minor
Rach - Cello Sonata in G minor

Encore: Brahms - "Muss es eine Trennung geben" from Die schöne Magelone


Strauss Sonata has never impressed me much as a composition but the performance was of a sensitive, delicate kind and the slow movement was great. I would rank Shostakovich Sonata very highly in the genre maybe right after Brahms` ones and I suspect that the both performers also care for this work very much, it was very tense all the way through. I`m not the biggest fan of Rach`s chamber music but this Sonata is a tremendous work and I`m guessing that it is very demanding for both instruments. Performance was very majestic and the audience was very grateful with it. General observation, composers such like Rach or Tchaikovsky have been favourites amongst Turkish audience for some reason. If you are planning to perform here in Turkey, put some Rach into your programme. ;) Brahms transcription was not very significant perhaps but I`m always delighted to hear some Brahms...

Kniazev was very controlling and authoritative with his instrument but at the same time his touch and style were very elegant and he was able to produce sweet tones whenever he wanted to do so. I was only acquainted with Berezovsky the uber-virtuoso and frankly, I was a little bit prejudicial with Berezovsky the accompanyist. I was very impressed with his gentility and humility. He let the cello shine brightly but the piano was never dull not even for a moment. And he showed his class with Rach. Other than the interesting choice of Strauss I believe the concert was almost perfect.

P.S. Berezovsky looks awfully alike Stephen Fry from a certain distance with his posture and hairstyle... Or, maybe I should visit my ophthalmologist soon. :lol:
 
#1,294 ·
Great review. I really must get to Istanbul for some opera and concerts. Is there a listing for the concerts somewhere?

I saw Boris Berezovsky in concert in Budapest April where he played three concertos and conducted them too. Then for the encore he gave us the famous romantic movement from Schumann's piano quartet. You're right, he does look rather like Stephen Fry
 
#1,296 ·
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra in MOM (Budapest) in a free concert. it was a big orchestra with 8 violas, 8 cellos and at least 5 double basses. they played The Chairman Dances and Bartók's Dance suite. they sounded like a professional orchestra, even the brasses were clear in the the finale of Brahms' 2nd.
 
#1,297 ·
Last Friday at Sureyya Opera Hall,

Piotr Anderszewski, Piano

Performed,

Bach - Preludes&Fugues from WTC Book II: BWV 876, 886, 887

Schumann - 7 Piano Pieces in Fughetta Form, op. 126

Beethoven - Diabelli Variations

Encore: Beethoven - Bagatelle no. 1 in G major from 6 Bagatelles, op. 126

He looked like a brain surgeon operating on some sinuous object, penetrating with his sharp fingers into its mellow depths while he was performing on his grand instrument. I must admit that this is a Programme that might become terribly dull in the wrong hands but even though everything that he played was utterly personal and introverted, it was also uncanny and intriguing at the same time. He kept his aloof, deadpan manner even in the most humoresque moments which created a certain distance between him and the audience but it also provided him an unattainable, ubermensch kind of look as if he was a Romantic poet with extraordinary capacities. It was truly a unique experience and my only regret is that I didn`t have some sheet music with me, it would have been much more interesting that way...
 
#1,299 · (Edited)
On Saturday I attended the String Quartet Marathon performance of the Tanglewood Music Center (at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts).

Thirty-six young musicians arranged into nine ensembles ran through much of the core quartet canon, including selections from Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Smetana, Dvorak and Mozart in addition to movements from Haydn's "Tost" quartets (Op. 54, 55 and 64), in two sessions of about 2 hours each. Quartet lover's heaven, with the absence of any Beethoven being the only puzzlement of the program.

For me there was one standout quartet, and in that quartet one standout performer, violinist Ji-Yeon Lee, whose first violin in Smetana's "From My Life" was beautifully fluid and assured. A first-rate musician who must have a bright future ahead of her.

Kudos also to Lee's quartet-mates Heejung Yang (viola), Lauren Peacock (cello) and Jeeyoung Park (violin). The young violinist Francesca Bass also impressed in Mendelssohn's Quartet No. 6 -- but truly, all of the participants were at a very high level and the attendees could have very few complaints overall.

Great trip to Tanglewood and great fun.
 
#1,301 · (Edited)
Ádám Fellegi (77) played yesterday in a small church in Békásmegyer, Budapest. he played over 100 minutes without sheet.


Schumann: Fantasie in C (3rd movement)
Brahms: Four Pieces for Piano - Rhapsody in E-flat major, Op. 119 No. 4
Mendelssohn: Frühlingslied (Lied ohne Worte) Op. 62 No. 6
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2
Grieg: Peer Gynt - Solveig's song
Liszt: Liebesträume
Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth.
Chopin: Scherzo for piano No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31
Schubert: Impromptu in G-flat major, Op. 90 No. 3
Tchaikovsky: The Seasons (June: Barcarolle, October: Autumn Song, December: Christmas)
Rubinstein: Melody Op.3, No. 1
Schumann: Kinderszenen - Träumerei, Op.15 No.7
Brahms: Six Pieces for Piano - Intermezzo in E-flat minor, Op. 118 No. 6
Debussy: Clair de lune
Chopin: Étude in E major Op. 10, No. 3
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12
 
#1,304 ·
The Hungarian Academy of Arts celebrated the 80th anniversary of Attila Bozay's birth and the 85th anniversary of Zsolt Durkó's birth. They're posthumous members, both passed away in the late '90s. Miskolc SO played their works yesterday in Vigadó. I'm not a fan of postmodern, but I really enjoyed it.

Durkó: Ornamenti No.1.
Bozay: Pezzo concertato No.3. Op.37. (with flutist István Matuz)
/
Durkó: Piano Concerto (Klára Körmendi)
Bozay: Pezzo sinfonico Op.13.
 
#1,305 ·
I just got home from a concert at the Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven, CT. My wife and I got to see The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge perform under the leadership of Stephen Layton. The concert was fabulous; the choir in top form.

The choir members positioned themselves in the front of the alter area using the stairs as a means to position themselves. We were 10 feet from the choir, left side, and 15 feet from Stephen Layton. It was really interesting watching the supple movements he made with his facial expressions and hand gestures. The choir understood it all and the 34 members reacted as one.

The final selection was Herbert Howells "Nunc Dimittis (St Paul's Service) and the choir was accompanied by an organ scholar on the church's organ......other worldly. The dynamic range of the choir and organ was incredible. The audience all jumped to their feet with a standing ovation at the conclusion.

After the concert, we went downstairs where there was a small reception for the choir. This was not announced to the public. I had contacted the church back in June when I first learned of the concert (issues involving handicap accessibility for my wife), and the lady I communicated with several times knew where we would be sitting and made the effort to introduce herself before the concert began. She invited us to join the choir downstairs after the concert. I had the opportunity to speak with Stephen Layton, who is a really sweet guy; very laid back, calm, serene. A wonderful experience we'll both remember.
 
#1,306 · (Edited)
In late August once again visited the French mountain village of Saorge, which has a rich cultural life, especially in summer. There's a festival for ancient music with free concerts too. Went to one concert with mainly Baroque chamber and vocal music in the main village church, with Ensemble Sils Maria, very well done. A relatively unknown, rich and expressive Prelude for solo cello, by Buxtehude (maybe an arrangement; unfortunately there was no Buxtehude-number) was one of the surprises, likewise attractive solo vocal works by Schütz etc.

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Another interesting concept/event was a "Balade ou Bout du Chemin", a sort of accompanied hiking concert in the hills above the village, along tiny paths, where musicians from the festival told an ancient fairy tale, stopping at selected points, that could be where the action took place, and played music. The 'concert-goers' included families with children and a few local dogs enjoying the buzz. The finish was at our B&B place, which served as a cafe after the concert hike. The music came from very diverse sources, but a lot came from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, also there was some folk music, even from South America, where a couple of the musicians originally came from.
An interesting idea, that could be transferred to many different circumstances, especially in villages, towns and historical environments, of course.

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#1,307 ·
In late August once again visited the French mountain village of Saorge, which has a rich cultural life, especially in summer. There's a festival for ancient music with free concerts too. Went to one concert with mainly Baroque chamber and vocal music in the main village church, with Ensemble Sils Maria, very well done. A relatively unknown, rich and expressive Prelude for solo cello, by Buxtehude (maybe an arrangement; unfortunately there was no Buxtehude-number) was one of the surprises, likewise attractive solo vocal works by Schütz etc.

View attachment 123752

Another interesting concept/event was a "Balade ou Bout du Chemin", a sort of accompanied hiking concert in the hills above the village, along tiny paths, where musicians from the festival told an ancient fairy tale, stopping at selected points, that could be where the action took place, and played music. The 'concert-goers' included families with children and a few local dogs enjoying the buzz. The finish was at our B&B place, which served as a cafe after the concert hike. The music came from very diverse sources, but a lot came from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, also there was some folk music, even from South America, where a couple of the musicians originally came from.
An interesting idea, that could be transferred to many different circumstances, especially in villages, towns and historical environments, of course.

View attachment 123753
Extraordinary settings! Thanks.
 
#1,308 ·
September 21, 2019
Symphony Hall, Phoenix

Program:

U.S.A. National Anthem (an opening weekend tradition)
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Andrew Norman: SWITCH
(intermission)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

The anthem and overture were very well played, but there is nothing really for me to talk about regarding them.

SWITCH sounds interesting in concept, but the actual result was underwhelming. Basically, the solo percussionist is like a video game protagonist, trying to get from stage left to stage right to complete the piece. Each of the ~45 percussion instruments at the front have some effect on the orchestra's playing. I did not understand most of the cause/effect relationships going on, and the music itself was not very interesting or appealing to me. The audience gave it a standing ovation, which I attribute mostly to it being opening weekend and people recognizing how well the solo percussionist did in a challenging part. Perhaps there are more fans of this type of music out there than I know.

Instead of the conductor speaking about the music, this year, the Phoenix Symphony hired Robert Greenberg as a host at six of the concerts to introduce some of the music. He gave a very fine talk about the Beethoven symphony with demonstration from the orchestra at certain points to illustrate what themes he was talking about. The actual performance of it was great, and it got a well-deserved standing ovation.

Audience behavior frustrated me and made me consider whether attending the concerts live is a net positive. In general, there was a lot of coughing audible during quieter moments. In particular, I got a gem of a concertgoer two seats to my right. He pulled out a crinkly wrapped candy a couple times during the concert, and at the end of both parts of the show, he made his way out of the row during the applause before the house lights came back on.

To end on a positive note, one change I like in the programs this year is that most pieces have a recommended recording or two at the end of the notes about them. For the 5th, they recommended Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music on period instruments and Giulini/LA Philharmonic on modern instruments. For as many times as I have heard the 5th, I have not heard Giulini, so I will have to check that one out.
 
#1,309 ·
Last night's concert:

Rachmaninov Isle of the Dead
Scriabin The Poem of Ecstasy: Symphony no 4
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no 3 with soloist Daniil Trifonov

I really enjoyed this concert, especially the Scriabin. The piano concerto was played after the intermission. After Trifonov finished, there was a thunderous applause and standing ovation, people jumped to their feet immediately. It usually takes a few minutes for everyone to stand, but last night it was immediate. It was an excellent performance. There were a lot of notes. The orchestra bought a new grand piano this past summer, from Germany. Trifonov played an encore, which was quite long. I don't know what he played but it was nice, a late romantic piece.

The concert hall was packed, almost every seat taken. This doesn't usually happen, and it was nice to see it so full. For some reason and no one around seemed to know why, the concert started 15 minutes late.

A nice evening.
 
#1,310 · (Edited)
check this for Trifonov's encore.

there was a fantastic free concert in Matthias Church on Sunday: Purcell Choir & Orfeo Orchestra performed Vivaldi's Kyrie, Gloria and Conti's Misssa Sancti Pauli. György Vashegyi was the conductor. this was my first time to hear a theorbo live.

yesterday I went to Miskolc to hear the orchestras and choirs of the Béla Bartók Secondary School and the Béla Bartók Music Institute. (Béla Bartók Music Institute is a faculty of the University of Miskolc. they share the same building, the Zenepalota, the Palace of Music.) the university's female choir was great, the brass ensemble was good. they performed renaissance music pieces on period instruments. they also performed Vivaldi's Gloria. this was a free concert to celebrate the international music day.
 
#1,311 ·
Back home after a trip to NYC

Thursday night attended the New York Philharmonic concert

Sibelius; Violin Concerto
Berlioz; Symphonie fantastique

Augustin Hadelich Violin

Jaap van Zweden
New York Philharmonic

After the Sibelius, Hadelich played a violin transcription of a piece by Francisco Tárrega, which was amazing, a great concert.
 
#1,313 · (Edited)
We had the good fortune to see a remarkable string ensemble called Sphinx Virtuosi yesterday. They're an 18-member ensemble (8 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, and 2 contrabasses) of african-american and latino musicians. Here's the program:

Alberto Romero - Fuga con pajarillo

Bela Bartok - Divertimento for String Orchestra

Jennifer Higdon - Southern Harmony, movement 2 (Reel Time)

Michael Abels - Global Warming

Philip Herbert - Elegy: In Memoriam-Stephen Lawrence

Xavier Foley (one of the two contrabassists - b. 1994) - For Justice and Peace

Jessie Montgomery (a former member of the ensemble) - Source Code

Franz Schubert - Death and the Maiden, movement 4 (Presto).

Then an encore which was by Astor Piazzola (didn't catch the entire title, but the word "fuga" was definitely part of it)

This was an outstanding performance, especially the Bartok work, the second movement of which is a great example of his "night music." If you ever have an opportunity to see this ensemble, I'd recommend that you leap at it.
 
#1,314 · (Edited)
Gábor Takács-Nagy, the founder of the Takács Quartet, conducted the Budapest FO in Liszt Adademy on Saturday. Haydn's Symphony No. 20, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9. with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Mozart's Symphony No. 36. Takács conducted like a little kid with great enthusiasm, his score was heavily marked with at least 3 colors. Bavouzet played a movement from a Haydn piano concerto as an encore without orchestra. I've already heard Bavouzet in the same building with Hungarian RSO a few months ago when he performed Ravel's PC. I upgraded in the intermission from the 2nd row of choir seats to 2nd row in the stalls, but the choir seat was suprisingly good as well. (I can not recommend row 1 of the choir seats despite they're pricier than row 2/3 as they're too close to the double-basses or the tympany.)
3 weeks earlier Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra played Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in MOM in a free concert, this was much better.

I went to Gyöngyös after the concert and heard excerpts from Hair. it wouldn't had worked out in Broadway, but it was an ok performance in that theatre, as it was a free concert for International Music Day.
 
#1,315 ·
Tonight's concert

Last week in NYC it was the New York Philharmonic, tonight back homein the Windy City at Orchestra Hall, my first Cso concert since end of the strike last season.

Prokofiev Overture on Hebrew Themes
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1
Mendelssohn Capriccio brillant
Lutosławski Concerto for Orchestra

Sunwook Kim

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Kirill Karabits

The Lutoslawski in particular was a highlight.
 
#1,316 · (Edited)
School for Exceptional Young Talents (of Liszt Academy) gave concerts in Liszt Academy yesterday with Animae Musicae Chamber Orchestra. Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major / Haydn: Violin Concerto No. 4 in G major / Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major. I think all the 9 soloists who played only 1 movement were below 15 and all 3 cello soloists were asian. the orchestra was great, they played Mozart's 40th with guests last time, that's why I wasn't satisfied. I really enjoyed this free concert.
 
#1,317 ·
This weekend, I saw Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back at the Phoenix Symphony. The Blu-ray version of the film is projected with subtitles while the orchestra plays the music live. The intermission point comes at the same place that the two-disc soundtrack splits, right after Luke's encounter in the cave on Dagobah. That cue ends with a statement of Vader's theme. After intermission, the orchestra played a shortened concert suite version of Vader's theme before getting back into the film. They did not have any female vocalists for the arrival at Cloud City.

The audience could sometimes be distracting, but they also highlighted just how much good humor is in Empire. My biggest criticism is that the trumpet section sounded really weak, like they needed to have about five more of them on stage for the big fanfares. I love the movie and soundtrack, but hearing it live was not an improvement over listening to the LSO's soundtrack.
 
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