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Classical Concert chat...

Basingstoke Anvil last night for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducted by the highly dynamic Maxim Emelyanychev. It was a program of popular works - Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture, Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite no. 1 and Sibelius' Symphony no. 5. Also in the first half was a work I'm not familiar with, Rachmaninov's The Rock, based on a poem by Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov. Before playing, the lead viola Max Mandel introduced this work and read us the poem, which was a nice touch.

The period instruments lent a warmth to the sound that suited the Rachmaninov, but even with a large number of strings the volume is noticeably lower than with modern instruments, and there is less attack. Personally, I found the works enjoyable but not as exciting as I'd have liked. Maybe I'm just a heathen. Still, it was a very enjoyable concert, expertly played, and I'm looking forward to hearing the OAE again some time.
 
PS We were just chatting about this concert and I should add that the players were really energised and engaged with the performance. Looking like they were thoroughly enjoying the music making, and the audience responded enthusiastically.
 
To the QEH on Saturday for the Brodsky Quartet
Bach Violin Sonata BWV1001 arranged for qt
Britten Quartet no 3
Schubert Death and the Maiden
Luminous playing.
 
RSNO at Usher Hall last night. John Wilson conducting all-Brit programme of John Ireland's A Forgotten Rite, Elgar's Sea Pictures and Holst's The Planets.

I had never heard the Ireland piece before, it was a gentle piece of Celtic Twilight late-romantic tone poem... Nice but didn't leave much of an impression.

I don't really care for Elgar's Sea Pictures, although there is good stuff happening in the orchestra, the singing puts me off. Alice Coote certainly seemed to have range and power in her voice but I'm not sure Elgar's vocal writing here is the best.

But the main event was The Planets. Wow.
Suffice to say this performance re-asserted my thinking that this is probably the single best piece of music ever written by a British composer. We were sat in the Stalls in row H, so we got the full volume.

Mars was terrifying, as it should be. When the 2 timpani, side drum and brass were blasting out the main theme I was stuck rigid in my seat with the blood draining from my face in a cold sweat. It was visceral. None of the rest of the movements lowered the intensity.

The Usher Hall organ was deployed too, the glissandi in Mars adding to the terror, the pedals in Saturn underpinning the gorgeousness coming from the harps and strings.

I have no idea where the ladies of the RSNO Chorus were located for Neptune but the effect was pure sorcery. I think they were up in the upper circle somewhere.

In short...glad I was there!
 
Just taken my seat in the Wigmore Hall for Alexandre Tharaud playing Couperin, Satie and Ravel.
It was splendid . I will certainly listen again on BBC Sounds.

I don’t think the Couperin benefited from being played on a modern Yamaha piano. I missed the bite of a harpsichord, so the concert got off, IMHO, to a weak start.

The Satie was good. That was much better. Tharaud played with great engagement which was very apparent from his physical and facial expressions.

The Ravel was a knock out. A quiet start with the pavane for a dead infanta. But Tharaud’s own piano transcription of La Valse brought really strong applause with exclamations of Bravo. And an encore.
 
Kathleen Ferrier 69th Singing Competition Final last night at the Wigmore Hall - wonderful to see the artists of the future.
 
On the coach heading home from Birmingham's Symphony Hall, where 48 of us from Shrewsbury and environs heard An American in Paris, the UK premiere of Anna Clyne's piano concerto Atlas - very beautiful in places, need to hear it again - and Henry Wood's rarely played (1915, 7 years before Ravel's) orchestral version of Pictures at an Exhibition. Which was utterly bonkers 😎

Organ pedals, 6 tuned ship's bells (borrowed from the RLPO, surely well over 3 tons between them), two pairs of clashed cymbals at once, tamtam, all the usual percussion and then some... two harps giving their all, big brass section with offstage trumpet and tenor tuba... woah! Not subtle... but we're glad we were there for it 😀

PS Here are the bells in rehearsal:

 
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Usher Hall, Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Andrew Manze conducting last night.

Concert started nicely with an elderly couple in front of us having a contretemps with prolific use of loud Angle Saxon. They went quiet for the music.....and then left at the interval thankfully.😑

All Vaughan Williams programme
Concerto Grosso.... Huge string section included 40 young players who have been mentored by members of the SCO.... Ages ranging from primary school to young adult.

I had not heard this work before, very enjoyable. Will seek out a recording.

Then the ubiquitous Lark.... Beautifully played by the orchestra's leader. As good as any I have heard on disc.

After the interval, the 5th symphony. Actually the 2nd time I've heard it by the SCO. They had maybe 55 players on stage, only 3 double bass but I didn't feel short changed, overall it was a gorgeous performance, a vision of the sunlit uplands that were starting to feel achievable in 1943 when the symphony was written.
 


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