What was the last concert you went in 2016?

I have seen Peter Stark a few times as "He has been Principal Conductor of the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra since 1994." -- i have just confirmed from his CV. My daughter used to play double bass in that Orchestra and i was honoured when he spared a few minutes to chat to me after they had played Schoenberg "Gurre-Lieder" a few years ago. Not sure i said anything that was worth his time -- but i was touched nevertheless...

would have liked to attend this one ... but hey...

enjoy

ken

Monteux's Enigma Variation is one of my fave as you spotted in his ballet like rhythmic pulse. Altho Boult/London Philharmonic's Nimrod also is moving. ( but the rest is sort of meh )

More I listen to the score it became one of my favourite variations and I am looking forward to hearing it live this season with CSO.

Dear Kuma,

Boult playing Elgar ... sort of meh!

I cannot let that pass really. Boult is a very often a rather straight-forward type of conductor most interested in letting the music speak without conductor added embellishment, which is far from saying that Boult was a boring conductor on the whole. He recorded the Enigma Variations commercially many times, and there are not surprisingly also countless live recordings. 

His BBC SO recording from the mid-1930s is incredibly strong and even more driven than Toscanini’s contemporary BBC SO performance. In 1953 [when nobody was still playing Elgar for recordings to speak off] Boult and the LPO canned one of the greatest performances of the work. In 1963 or 64 Boult again directed the LPO in a stereo remake that may just be the best recording of the music he left. Slightly taughter than the 1953 performance, and better recorded ... Later on he traversed the work with the LSO in a performance that really does take self-effecement to new levels! Superb recording, and nothing out of place, but rather a polite traversal in my humble opinion!

A popular view is that Boult became a more interesting conductor in his extreme old age. One only has to listen to his earlier recordings to realise that like his friend Otto klemperer, in reality his golden period in the recording studio was not the last ten years!

ATB from George

PS, The best recording yet is actually by Elgar in 1926, and that should surprise nobody! Scrappy playing at breakneck speed on times, it get the swing just so, and the recording is frankly primitive. April 1926 was a brave new world in recording and the techniques were evolving by the month!

George,

I agree that Elgar conducting his own is pretty good! Interesting that his Nimrod is done faster and straighter than most other conductors. Actually Toscanini's '53 NBC is also fast clocking a bit over 3 min. whereas '62 Boult/LPO is well over 4 min. This is why I like Boult's beautiful reflective Nimrod. 

I think that his '62 recording is subtle and very British and his classy style fits well for nationalistically maybe but I prefer Elgar's conducting for the rest because it's a bit more livelier and I get more vivid portrayals of each subject.

I recently listened to Sinopoli's Enigma Variations. Very different and not very British per se, but loved his gigantic operatic approach. Imagine that!

Went to Lucinda Williams in Vicar Street last night. What a disappointment. We had the ears beaten off us! Nobody would buy a CD which sounded like that.

I brought a friend who didn't know how great her music is, and I was embarrassed and frustrated. Lucinda is so much better than this. 

It started around about the edge volume wise of what was appropriate for a small venue like Vicar Street, but by the end it was ear splitting. Does nobody monitor what it sounds like out front? 

Can we do nothing about this? I'm listening now at home to something much better than I heard last night. It should be the reverse. 

I was at Massive Attack in the Olympia myself but was left similarly underwhelmed.

Great audio-visuals/ lighting which for about 3 songs was stunning but there was far too much wandering off stage , back on, this is our first gig of the tour vibe. A lot of the visuals were to do with the refugee crisis and while worthy I have been to many U2 gigs with less hectoring.

Add this to an hour and a half set with no encore and I didn't leave a happy bunny at all.

Here's hoping Teddy Thompson next week will put things back on an even keel.

SJB

David O'Higgins posted:

Went to Lucinda Williams in Vicar Street last night. What a disappointment. We had the ears beaten off us! Nobody would buy a CD which sounded like that.

I brought a friend who didn't know how great her music is, and I was embarrassed and frustrated. Lucinda is so much better than this. 

It started around about the edge volume wise of what was appropriate for a small venue like Vicar Street, but by the end it was ear splitting. Does nobody monitor what it sounds like out front? 

Can we do nothing about this? I'm listening now at home to something much better than I heard last night. It should be the reverse. 

 

That's a shame - I saw her last night in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall - the sound & volume was great.  What a powerful,  tight band she has.  Just shows how much the venue can affect things.  The live treatment of some of her stuff was quite different to that on CD but hugely enjoyable.  

Borders Nick, I'm glad to know that someone got to hear her properly. May I ask what size is the Royal Concert Hall? In Dublin she thanked specifically her own 'front of house' person. Do you know who would have been in charge in Glasgow?

The most frustrating thing is that, as you say, Buick6 who backed her are a really talented bunch, but they are behind the overblown amp/speakers and have no idea what the audience is being subjected to.

The really sad thing is that the audience doesn't seem to realise how awful it sounded and how much better it could have been.

I just checked her schedule and she'll be playing at Old Town School of Folk Music in April.

Tickets are already sold out but this is a wonderful smallish venue.

How big of a venue is *Vicar Street*?

David - Glagow Royal Concert Hall seats around 2500.  Don't know if it was the same sound engineers - but she did specifically thank them.  First time I have seen her live (although a long time fan) - I would have been gutted too if the sound was as bad as your experience.  

Listening to the Buick 6 album via tidal at the moment - sounds great - one for the wish-list.  

This past Saturday night, Blue Rodeo in moderately sized concert hall in the middle of the Canadian Prairies.  Great concert and Jim Cuddy didn't miss a beat.  His son played at a small club here in Saskatoon this past Wednesday, the Capital, owned by one of the original SheepDogs; also a great performance.

Friday 22nd Jan - Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra @ Jack Singer, Calgary
with Augustin Hadelich
Guest Conductor Christoph Konig

Respighi - Belfagor Overture
Sibelius - Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op 47
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 6 in B Minor, Op 74 "Pathetique"

An enjoyable concert, always good hearing a 300 year old Stradivari violin being play well.

Borders Nick posted:

David - Glagow Royal Concert Hall seats around 2500.  Don't know if it was the same sound engineers - but she did specifically thank them.  First time I have seen her live (although a long time fan) - I would have been gutted too if the sound was as bad as your experience.  

Listening to the Buick 6 album via tidal at the moment - sounds great - one for the wish-list.  

Nick, Vicar Street measures in the hundreds, I would say. The venue is is ideal, but all too often fails to entertain, because of the abysmal amplification. Ed Power gave the concert a very favourable review in the Sunday Times Culture Section today - I am mystified. We were at the same concert so one of us must be wrong!!

I would like to have a conversation/ exchange of views with Ed in order to understand what's going on here. It could be so much better!!

Have just been to Gibbston Valley (Queenstown New Zealand) Winery concert featuring Melissa Etheridge, REO Speedwagon and Huey Lewis and the News. Melissa and Huey were fantastic, REO  were good. We don't get enough quality acts down here.  

Joe Bonamassa at Carnegie Hall. Great show. The last gig on a three-week acoustic tour. He really is a class act. Terrific band and sound.

Steven Wilson Bristol Colston Hall last night, he played two sets the first was the entire album Hand.Cannot.Erase. The second was mostly Porcupine Tree and a couple of tracks from the New mini album 4 1/2. The sound quality was excellent from where I was sat about 10 rows back, nearly 3 hours of live music for £30. A really good night out. Karl

Karl posted:

Steven Wilson Bristol Colston Hall last night, he played two sets the first was the entire album Hand.Cannot.Erase. The second was mostly Porcupine Tree and a couple of tracks from the New mini album 4 1/2. The sound quality was excellent from where I was sat about 10 rows back, nearly 3 hours of live music for £30. A really good night out. Karl

I saw the Brighton show the night before, as you say great sound,a great show, and great value for money.

Steve Strange memorial night last week with Heaven 17, Electro 80s and what's left of Visage plus others.  A really fun night with lots of people dressed up in 80s gear and tributes to Bowie and Mr Strange.  Plus Electro 80s are brilliant to watch

Sloop John B posted:

I was at Massive Attack in the Olympia myself but was left similarly underwhelmed.

Great audio-visuals/ lighting which for about 3 songs was stunning but there was far too much wandering off stage , back on, this is our first gig of the tour vibe. A lot of the visuals were to do with the refugee crisis and while worthy I have been to many U2 gigs with less hectoring.

Add this to an hour and a half set with no encore and I didn't leave a happy bunny at all.

Massive attack last night at Leeds O2.

They seem have gotten things together a few gigs into the tour, and, as SJB says, the audio visuals and lighting were quite brilliant.

Again, about a 90 minute set, but we did get an additional two song encore, and the sound, as is usually the case at this venue, was excellent.

I do agree that the visuals were somewhat politically based, but it wasn't enough, for us at least, to take away from a great night.

Highlight of the evening was the arrival onstage of Horace Andy to complete a great night out.

Dave.

Michael Schenker - Liverpool Tuesday 26th.

Played six tracks from the new album, the rest classic UFO, MSG and Scorpions songs. I was a bit disappointed when I saw so many new songs on the set list, so many old classic track omitted. However the new album is very strong, and the new tracks where excellent live.

Another top notch gig from the Flying V vielding genius. In fact, I seriously considering heading off to Manchester to watch tonights gig.

Teddy Thompson - Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (Celtic Connections, Wed 27th)

Teddy Thompson's CDs are good, but he is so much better live and only accompanied by his acoustic guitar. I had 2nd row seats right in front of the stage, and so was able to see just how good his guitar playing is - almost on a par with that of his Dad.

He played a lot of the old favourites, but was accompanied superbly on-stage for a number of tracks from his forthcoming album by an American singer, Kelly Jones.

A word for the support act as well. Holly Macve is a young Yorkshire singer with a stunning voice & some great songs. I hear that she has just signed up with a small recording label, and so hopefully will be releasing an album in the not too distant future. One to look out for.

Very highly recommended if you get the chance to see him on his current tour.      

Alas Kelly Jones had to "go back to LA - cause she hates the Irish"

Not being able to duet with her apparently made him have to change the set list which seemingly threw him but he handled his forgetting lyrics and stops mid songs with grace and humour. Built up to a nice crescendo. Very enjoyable.

............with all due respect though his Dad is by far the better guitar player.

SJB

Sloop John B posted:

............with all due respect though his Dad is by far the better guitar player

OK, but you have to admit that Teddy has a 'better' voice.

I say this as a huge long term fan of Richard Thompson, and someone who has 15 or so of his albums (counting the Richard & Linda Thompson ones, but not the many Fairport Convention albums I have). Richard's voice is 'great' in many ways, but does tend to 'grate' a little after an extended listen.

Teddy is a pretty accomplished guitarist though. I hadn't seen him live before, and his live performance is significantly better in my opinion to his sometimes slightly over produced CDs.

Pity about Kelly Jones. I take it your comment was in jest, or a joke made by Teddy himself? 

Teddy is playing in Edinburgh in May (with Kelly), so I've already snapped up some tickets for that. 

Hmack posted:

Sloop John B posted:

............with all due respect though his Dad is by far the better guitar player

OK, but you have to admit that Teddy has a 'better' voice.

I say this as a huge long term fan of Richard Thompson, and someone who has 15 or so of his albums (counting the Richard & Linda Thompson ones, but not the many Fairport Convention albums I have). Richard's voice is 'great' in many ways, but does tend to 'grate' a little after an extended listen.

Teddy is a pretty accomplished guitarist though. I hadn't seen him live before, and his live performance is significantly better in my opinion to his sometimes slightly over produced CDs.

Pity about Kelly Jones. I take it your comment was in jest, or a joke made by Teddy himself? 

Teddy is playing in Edinburgh in May (with Kelly), so I've already snapped up some tickets for that. 

 

The Kelly Jones quote was a joke made by Teddy, which I thought showed a great confidence in his relationship with his audience.

It was a very enjoyable gig and indeed I think I'll look out for the next tour. My only complaint on the night is the one dimensionality of the songs, they tended to be all lyrically about falling in love, falling out of love, and why you shouldn't fall in love with Teddy.  I commented during the gig that it would be a relief to hear a song about a yellow submarine.

The version of Cohen's "Tonight will be fine" was sublime.

SJB

David posted:

Karl posted:

Steven Wilson Bristol Colston Hall last night, he played two sets the first was the entire album Hand.Cannot.Erase. The second was mostly Porcupine Tree and a couple of tracks from the New mini album 4 1/2. The sound quality was excellent from where I was sat about 10 rows back, nearly 3 hours of live music for £30. A really good night out. Karl

I saw the Brighton show the night before, as you say great sound,a great show, and great value for money.

I saw the Manchester show last night. Great sound, great set and as you say almost 3 hours of music. I went to see him in Wolverhampton in March last year and have to say the show last night was much better, althoug Wolverhampton was still good.

Regards,

Nick