What concert did you attend in 2018?

dave marshall posted:

Went to see Wilko Johnson at Leeds Uni. last night, and the band were in storming form.

What a blast from the past!

I recall seeing a huge CD display of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot at Virgin mega store.

Does he still sounds like he has a severe case of cold?

Just seen the fabulous Storm Warning at Tring Cricket Club. Great live blues

St George's again. Lunchtime, Les Kasper'girls. French baroque songs and music, period instruments. How to describe this, light, summery, fun. Delicate instrumental and beautiful singing. The characterisation by the singers was superb, possibly raunchy and not entirely period but very entertaining. Sadly no CD yet available, a couple of examples on YouTube. 

Program

Stacy Kent at the Lichfield Garrick, last night.

Lots to admire in the singing and the musicianship but the set was very one-paced, with only the last number over medium tempo. Rather too much flute noodling for me, as well.

Highlight was a terrific version of 'If You Go Away'.

Salonen/CSO: Mahler 9

I felt that the tension was lacking compared to MTT's reading a few years back at the Orchestra Hall. In some spots, tempo was too hurried nevertheless, I always enjoy Mahler program. Salonen is one of those director that is always *promising* but a bit short on delivering the goods when it comes to classical repertoire for me.

La Diagonale de Cube at Studio de L’Ermitage last night. Really enjoyable - an 11 piece jazz band playing music on themes from Poulenc. Good wine too. 

I will see Michael Wolny on Monday in an amazing environment the Markgrafliches Opernhaus in Bayreuth...just renovated

Some more pictures as it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site...

It looks magnificent, I will be in Bayreuth in August for Parsifal and this is on our list of places to visit.

Bert Schurink posted:

I will see Michael Wolny on Monday in an amazing environment the Markgrafliches Opernhaus in Bayreuth...just renovated

This is an unbelievable opulence! Surreal.

Morton posted:

It looks magnificent, I will be in Bayreuth in August for Parsifal and this is on our list of places to visit.

Morton,

Hope you bring back a few photographs from Bayreuth!

Merek JANOWSKI/CSO: WAGNER & BEETHOVEN 4

PROGRAM

We spent a most enjoyable evening listening to Bookends, a rather splendid Simon & Garfunkel tribute band, at the very quaint Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds. Highly recommended, both the band and venue. One tends to forget just how many wonderful songs S & G recorded, here played beautifully, with just the right degree of variance from the originals. The lads were good raconteurs between songs, making for great entertainment.

Recently I’ve seen Wilko Johnson at the O2 Oxford. Rioteous excellence. In complete constrast saw Boo Hewerdine and Darden Smith at Tingewick Village Hall for an audience of about 60 people.  

kuma posted:

Morton posted:

It looks magnificent, I will be in Bayreuth in August for Parsifal and this is on our list of places to visit.

Morton,

Hope you bring back a few photographs from Bayreuth!

Will do, we will also be visiting Nurnberg and the recently reopened Wagner museum at Villa Wahnfried.

Nice itinerary Morton.

I forwarded a ticket purchase info for Bayreuth to a friend to see if he can score 'em.

How many years did you have to wait for yours?

‘Williams vs. Zimmer’ - Royal Festival Hall; London Concert Orchestra/Anthony Inglis

Predictably awesome - Star Wars, Harry Potter, Raider of the Lost Ark, Pirates of the Caribbean - brilliant stuff! Equally enjoyed by the junior troops.

kuma posted:

Merek JANOWSKI/CSO: WAGNER & BEETHOVEN 4

PROGRAM

Weber Overture to Euryanthe
Beethoven Symphony No. 4
Wagner Overture and Venusberg Music from Tannhäuser 
Wagner Prelude to Act 3 of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Wagner Prelude to Act 1 of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

wow. what a nice surprise this was! I was not familair with this Austrian conductor but he certainly gave a sophisticated yet bouncy rhythmic pulse to the CSO on all program today.

It's a light touch over all yet his cliche free direction gave all these war horse program a fresh contemporary feel. He was moving and bopping all through reminded me a bit of Karl Bohm. He drew warm yet transparent tone out of the band. He was in an absolute control of the band yet never sounded forced, the music just pours out. Timing was just impeccable with exacting clarity. Very easy to follow the tune. 

Wagner never sounded better. Chicago brass section was on song adding bronzy coloured sheen. Apparently this was his Orchestra Hall debut. I hope he'll be back again as I enjoyed his mature skillful but bubbly reading very much.

That looks like a wonderful concert, the Meistersinger 3rd Act prelude is incredibly moving.

Bert Schurink posted:

Some more pictures as it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site...

 

 

For interested people a nice video about the opernhaus...

kuma posted:

Nice itinerary Morton.

I forwarded a ticket purchase info for Bayreuth to a friend to see if he can score 'em.

How many years did you have to wait for yours?

I first applied for tickets (without success) in the late 1970’s then gave up.

Recently I thought I would have another go, so for the past three years I have been applying in September for the following August, again without success.  I then found out that they keep some tickets back and release them on a first come first served basis, for this year it was on March 18th.

 I waited online in a queue for about a hour but was eventually able to get two good tickets for Parsifal, the downside being that any movement up the queue for tickets I had accrued by applying in September every year has, I think, now been lost.

We are in Manchester at the moment for an excellent concert performance of Siegfried, with the Halle orchestra conducted by Mark Elder, acts one and two were last night, act three was tonight.

Simon O’Neill sang Siegfried, possibly for the first time, he was the only one to have a music stand. He did miss a couple of lines but he did have a beautiful musical tone for this killer of a role.

He has previously sang Lohengrin and Parsifal at Bayreuth, Andreas Schager is Parsifal this year.

The Stones at Old Trafford, Manchester, last night.

What to say?

Having seen them many times in the past, I've never seen them so "on it" as they were last night.

They absolutely nailed every song, and were on stage for a full two hours.

We were down on the pitch, rather than in the stands, and the atmosphere was just one huge party, with much dancing and singing.

An unforgettable evening. 

Not my video clips, as I was too busy partying with my daughter down on the pitch!

"Borrowed" from YouTube,  so credit to Natalie Natters, and her YouTube channel.

Here's Midnight Rambler ............ stunning!

Finally, apologies to Richard, if these videos are taking up too much real estate on the site, but I'm sure lots of folks on here will enjoy watching them. 

Great Right up Dave - Thanks for sharing .Well pleased it was a memorable night.Looking foward to checking your posted videos

Cheers Ian

Oops! Falling behind again! Time to catch up!

To the Hand in Hand in Brixton, for the usual Sunday night jam. Playing this time were Ese & The Vooduu People, along with a horde of local musicians chipping in - including the legendary Nik Turner from Hawkwind (now well into his 70s but still very sprightly) and Jah Wobble's singer Aurora Dawn. A highlight was a 23 minute version of the Stone Roses' "I Wanna Be Adored" with the aforementioned Mr Turner on sax! Two and a half hours' worth of music!

Setlist: Up in Smoke/Police & Thieves/Home Is Where The Hatred Is/Where Did I Go Wrong?/Family Affair/Instrumental Jam/Grey/Valerie/I Don't Mind/She Said/Fairytale/Oh Well/You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At Its Cover/I Want Candy/Whoo-Hoo Jam/Alien/I Wanna Be Adored/Silver Spoon.

In the middle of The Big Freeze, on 27th Feb I schlepped over to Café Oto in Dalston to see the fabulous Chris Forsyth and his Solar Motel Band. A superb improvisatory guitar trio, they certainly warmed the place up with their two sets (material gleaned mostly from the last two albums), and I enjoyed a long chat with Chris afterwards.

Here's what they sound like, for those interested: