When was the last concert you went in 2017
Posted by: kuma on 05 January 2017
Ok, my scheduled next concert isn't till Feb but I'll start a new thread for 2017!
The concert was a real pleasure. Rafal played with a great feel for the music. The best recital of this year so far... Bach heavenly, Beethoven solid, Chopin delicious...
22nd February: At the famous Half Moon in Putney (where The Who, Stones and Kate Bush played back in the day):
Andre Rieu yesterday at the SSE Wembly Arena, This was a birthday gift for my Son when he turned 16.
We had a wonderful time and Rieu is a great entertainer.
It does make me chuckle that it is my Son who listens to Classical Music and tells me to turn down my noise!! :-)
Salonen/CSO + Leila Josefowicz
Program:
Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
John Adams Scheherazade.2
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
John Adam's Schehrazade was written for Josefowicz. As many modern classical music, is a bit tough to take and I felt that it went along too long but Josefowicz played wonderfully with many bold and spontaneous moves. This was the first time I got to listen to this score and was a Chicago premier. I actually enjoyed its slow movement but afterwards, I felt like one of the audience sitting at the premier for the Mahler's 1st. ( confused with a lot of dense scoring coming at you )
Here's what composer & violinist has to say about it.
Salonen's Le sacre did not change much in terms of the direction from what he did back in the 80s. Obviously, it's much larger in scale. Both reading have rather prominent drums and percussion but live performance it was at times distracting as if the beat was slightly out of tune. I don't mind the loud per se, but quiet passeges need to be equally compelling, or if not better, to counter balance. Audience loved it but I still prefer Stravinsky's much *svelte*, quick-footed bare bone version.
kuma posted:
Salonen/CSO + Leila Josefowicz
Program:
Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
John Adams Scheherazade.2
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
Kuma,
Thanks for the invitation, sorry I couldn't join. Nice to learn that John Adams was acceptable. Last time we saw him at Northwestern University it felt like attending a mechanical engineering class.
Salonen/CSO & Yo-Yo Ma
Program:
John Adams Slonimsky's Earbox
Salonen Cello Concerto [World Premiere, CSO Co-commission]
Stravinsky Petrushka
The concert opened with another Adams' piece but this time, more digestible 15 min. score. I felt it was much more put together than his over long Scheherazade 2.0. He said so much with a fewer notes, do I dare say it was even enjoyable!
Second piece was Salonen's own Cello Concerto written for Ma. This was a World Premiere performance in a packed house. Here is a fascinating conversation between the two before the piece was completed.
Salonen's own compositions, are often very organic and *cosmic* in nature. Floaty, dense and rich, at times a bit Debussy-esque. The score starts off with somewhere in galaxy and slowly zooms into the earth and getting closer and closer to the player himself. Ma of course, executed it beautifully and skilfully. Wonderful rapport between them were apparent and audience gave them a warm cheer afterwards. What I loved about them so much is that they are super talented yet so down to earth and not taking themselves so seriously! ( unlike Adams! )
2nd half of program continued on with Stravinsky's Petrushka. As his Le Sacre a few days earlier, rhythmically it was a touch slower and again, quieter passages not compelling enough that eerie supernatural feeling ( ghost of Petrushka at the final scene ) was completely missing.
Yep. I still prefer composer's own ( '60s version. )
A live broadcast of Folk Stage at the WFMT studios featuring Ronny Cox, a film actor and folk singer mostly know for his role in the movie 'Deliverance':
Sarah Jarosz here.
