Going too far?

From Colorado to Bristol to see Roy Harper !

i went to orange county to hear "the ring." stayed in a hotel a couple of nights too. what an experience. i've attended this venue in years past when i had a friend singing there, but it may be awhile before i go back for mutltiple evenings ...

London from Ross-on-Wye, and later on from Hereford. About a three and a half hour drive, but in those days you could drive into Central London and park easily. The trains back to Worcester are too early, and the idea of paying the congestion charge now means I would only go as far as Birmingham, Bristol or Cardiff.

In reality it was never the performers who attracted me as much as the progammes. I came away from one concert in the RFH with a fine opinion of Janssons, when he lead the Eighth and Choral Symphonies of Beethoven with the Philharmonia! I just assumed it would be good, and it was great great! The best one in London was a RFH concert with the Bach Double Violin Concerto, Brandenburg Six and Mozart's Jupiter Symphony with the English Chamber Orchestra [which fielded the soloists from among pricipal players] under Philip Ledger. I find it too wearying to travel that far now though. We even had the Saint Petersburg Orchestra in Pershore a few years ago, in Rachmaninov's Second Symphony and Symphonic Dances so you don't have to go so far if you are patient.

In fact we are lucky to have Malvern so close. The only Operas I have been to were in the Festival Theatre [now fashionably renamed the Forum!], and these were simply splendid, though the touring company was all young artists yet to establish fame. Very enjoyable.

For long distance listening, I find that the BBC still picks up a great deal of interest without the tiresome business of going far - either live or defered relays.

I did go to a cancert in Warsaw last Autumn! But it was the whole point of the journey!!

Getting old I think.

Med glad hilsen,

Fredrik

quote:

Originally posted by fidelio:
i went to orange county to hear "the ring." stayed in a hotel a couple of nights too.

Isn't LA in the process of mounting a Ring (if memory serves with special effects from ILM)?

Fredrik, have you noticed Jansons is doing the 9th at the Proms this summer?

regards, tam

tam - yes, supposedly there is a ring coming up, i believe season after next, but the director/production is controversial. we would all of course be dissappointed if this weren't so. don't recall specifics, but i will look into it. i liked the kirov version so well i am not sure i want to sit through another questionable one. btw, never got a chance this past weekend to listen to any mahler. life is full of many distractions from mahler listening ... almost a definition. rgds., fiddy

I'm not dedicated. I would never travel more than a two hour drive from my home. I'm sure people travel from around the globe to see the Edinburgh Festival. Since I'm not a musician or musical, I've always struggled with a casual indifference to music, mixed with periods of great absorption in it. If I had to choose between books and music, I would take the former without hesitation.

I'm not fanatical about any groups or artists but go from genre to genre in a fairly casual fashion.

Imagine what it was like in the old days for people to travel days and even weeks to see Wagner's music performed in it's proper environs. Imagine what it's like to travel around following the Grateful Dead from town to town in true 'dead head' fashion. Now there is dedication. Since Tam is our resident Wagnerian, maybe he can tell us if he ever plans to get to The Bayreuth Festival.



BB

The original Dragon for the Wagner Theatre was made in London, and because of a mix-up was sent to The Lebanon, not Germany by mistake!

ATB from Fredrik

Dear Tam, That is definately one for the Radio, then, as I find the RAH can be impossibly warm in the summer! I am surprised the players don't melt sometimes! The last Prom I went to must be five years ago, and that was on a coach trip. No beer after that, sadly...

ATB from Fredrik

Dear Big Brother, I'm not sure I'd go so far as to describe myself as our resident Wagnerian. However, I would dearly love to attend Bayreuth (ideally Donald Runnicles would be conducting the Ring).

Dear Fredrik, the Proms programme looks very interesting this year. Abbado is bringing his Lucerne orchestra, two concerts from Jansons and the Bavarians (including the 9th), Barenboim and the Vienna Phil, Vanska and his Lahti orchestra in an all Sibelius programme (and much more that escapes my memory right now. I agree about the ROH, but it will have been a year since I heard Runnicles live and I've never heard him in Wagner. The last Prom I went to (Rattle and the BPO in a mixed Beethoven 9th) was not only interminably hot but also far too quiet (this time I am trying for the stalls to see if that is an improvement.


regards, Tam


p.s. while most of the examples given have been classical in nature, this was not intended as a specifically classical thread - the floor is open for musical journeys of all persuasions.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
The original Dragon for the Wagner Theatre was made in London, and because of a mix-up was sent to The Lebanon, not Germany by mistake!

ATB from Fredrik

Fredrik

I think your right. The story I heard was that parts were sent to Bayreuth parts to other theaters, so that sections of it were spread about, so to speak.


BB

Yes, now you mention it, "parts" went to the wrong place!

Kindest regrads from Fredrik

hi TAM good to hear from you, glad you can travel so easily to hear great music, it's all worth it. I've not met fidelio tho should. I've not been down to Orange County for the music, an hours drive if there's no traffic.

HOWEVER, I did hear Brewer sing in a full concert at the LA Phil in Disney Hall Tristan and Isolde a few weeks ago. I think you call it Gobsmacked. Salonen had the Phil in perfection Brewer sang her heart out, the tenor flagged, and died the last act as he should. Then on screen he rose and dissolved into a final plunge of deep blue water. Absolutely fabulous, speachless and teary eyed I was. The videos were by Bill Viola and put a 20th C spin on the whole presentation. There were moments of indescribable ecstasy. It was my second time seeing T&I, but nothing else will ever equal it. The hall was a superb arena to hear it in. My friend I go with said the New Yorker has an article on the LA Phil and calls it the greatist current orchestra under Salonen and Disney Hall the greatest theater for music. Just to be a little humble I've not heard other halls and orchestras, but it sure is hard to beat. Come on over. Someday I hope the production gets over to Britain.

Yes in 2 seasons there will be one solid Ring cycle, but next season and part of the following we'll get segments of it which is all I need. Unless it looks to be a phenominal visual performance I just can't see doing it in one swoop tho I know it's the grand daddy of all opera.

Glenn

Hi Glenn (I was just about to turn in for the night when I saw this - I should have done so much earlier as I'm travelling down south tomorrow to see family but I'm a sucker for watching an election on the tv).

I heard Brewer sing Isolde two years ago (my first encounter with her) at an Edinburgh festival under Nott and Bamberg orchestra. She is quite something. I was under the impression that the Disney Hall was just a concert hall but from what you say, I gather that it's an opera house too? The production certainly sounds interesting. Salonen is over here in July performing, among other things, his new piano concerto. He takes charge of the Philharmonia soon after, so it will be great to hear more of him in this country.

You might be interested know that Brewer has recorded Tristan with Donald Runnicles (I'll stop mentioning him soon, promise) on Warner, with the BBC symphony orchestra. She's also done the final scene (as well as Strauss's four last songs) with him and the Atlanta symphony on Telarc.


regards, Tam

glenn -

yes, i'm really sorry i missed the viola productions; meant to catch at least one of the evenings, but ... more distractions.

weren't we were supposed to go to listen to somebody's system in glendale? my girlfriend lives in silverlake.

rgds., artie

It's a difficult one to call really, but for just a gig - there and back - I'd go a few hours. I went to see Bowie at Milton Keynes many many years ago from Brighton and thought nothing of it.
I often go to the USA to catch some music, but as I love the place anyway and have a break, it probably doesn't count, although I did get to see Buddy Guy in January at his Legends Bar.
If my favorite band didn't play the UK, I'd get on a plane and catch them in the US without hesitation. I think live music is everything.

These days not too far - how about The Hamsters at the Abertillery Blues Festival last year from Brisbane. Not really, we were in the UK for 5 weeks anyway but they were as good as I remember them from before we left the UK. And great to see the T-shirts I bought about 12 years ago still on sale.

Other than that as 18 year olds, a couple of mates and I travelled overnight on a bus from Dundee to London to see Floyd performing the Wall then immediately afterwards we walked to Victoria coach station where we waited overnight for the 6am coach home again.

Or the time when I was living in Stevenage (and before I owned a car) another couple of mates and I went to see Queen at Wembley then spent the night at Heathrow (why we didn't just go home I'll never know) before heading down to Brands Hatch for the 86 Grand Prix. As we were dozing off during qualifying we decided to head back home to watch the race on TV the next day rather than trying to rough it for a second night.

Mad ? You'd say so from reading that lot but they were good gigs and good times were had by all. I think Nige won the GP though - so not everything had a happy ending

Cheers
Scott