papsrus

I agree with you. I enjoy the closer listening experience for just the high-impact and clarity, particularly with vocals, as was the case today. And I've found those sometimes annoying "audience distractions" are largely absent when you sit reasonably close and in toward the middle. The sound is washing over you in such a way as you don't really notice anything else. I recall being in the back balcony at what was then Avery Fisher Hall in NY and there were people doodling away on their cell phones. I moved to orchestra level at the break. I should reiterate that one has to be particularly selective in our local, fan-shaped hall. The music just doesn't project well out into the upper reaches. Or even the middle reaches. Depending on what's being played and by whom, your experience can be that the music just stays on the stage, as if you're watching it on TV or something. Particularly if you're too far off to the side. Whereas close in, you're fully enveloped. ---> And yeah, concertos work nicely up close.

Vivaldi, 6 Cello Sonatas Peter Wispelwey, Florilegium Ensemble Just arrived the other day, giving it a first listen. Quite nice. I have no other reference point for these, but the performances here seem sensitive and holistic, rather than showy and pyrotechnic. Gentle in nature rather than all "look at me go!" Nature of the beast, perhaps.

Arvo Part — Credo Mozart’s Requiem Sarasota Orchestra with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Anu Tali, conductor I was unfamiliar with (and unprepared for) Part’s Credo. After all, it’s a relatively short number and I, like I expect most folks in attendance, was there for Mozart’s Requiem. But this thing is intense. A delicate piano line based on Bach C major prelude bookends what I can only describe as a fierce, terrifying, dissonant, full force onslaught. As social commentary, it's a defiant swipe at Soviet ideology, and was promptly banned there. Structurally, it’s more than simply all frightening dissonance in the middle — there’s a structure there of course, based on Bach turned inside out and upside down, that’s well described elsewhere, but wow, for a piece that begins (and ends) so beautifully, this thing is intense. I actually started to have a physical reaction to it a little bit. Stomach tightens, grip tightening, eyes widen. I’m going to have to listen to it more to get any kind of real handle on it, frankly. The Requiem was performed beautifully. Not that I’m an expert on the local band, but I’ve never heard them play so beautifully — and seamlessly, and sensitively with the soloists and choir. This was the final of four performances of this program, so the symbiosis was about as polished as they were going to get, I’d guess. With the size of the orchestra slightly reduced from the Part Credo performance, the overall impression I got was that this was a somewhat sensitive, lighter treatment of the Requiem, meant to showcase the choir, which numbered about 26 singers evenly split male/female standing behind the orchestra. Soloists out front. All for the good. The balance was excellent. I also thought, unless my eyes deceived me, that there's sections in there where the violins and violas are playing three different lines all at once. i suppose with Mozart, not unusual, but as others have noted, something you don't necessarily pick up on consciously without the visual. And then the sound and direction of those different lines stands out a bit more. My fifth row dead-center seat afforded me what I would consider to be the optimal listening spot in the hall, but I’ve sat in similar seats for other performances by this orchestra and better (or at least more esteemed) orchestras, and few have sounded this good. … The house was packed, the audience was transfixed, an A+ performance all around. Speaking of which, JSngry, how are you enjoying your front and center seats at the Meyerson?

JSngry -- Van Zweden has a relatively recent Bruckner complete symphonies box out with the Netherlands Radio Phil. Haven't heard it, but that No. 7 is a trip. And you're right, re-listening to it after reading your impressions, there is a sort of minimalist (or hypnotic?) quality to it in parts. I think Bev has talked about how with Bruckner in general, the resolutions kind of -- take a looong time to resolve. Van Zweden (along with Barenboim) seems to be one of those who is not at all shy about doing a deep dive on Bruckner. I recall reading somewhere that Levine wouldn't touch him. (Not that he couldn't, but that he had no interest). And I get the impression Bruckner was somewhat rarely performed pre-80s. Certainly less so than he is now. I circle back to Celibidache for all things Bruckner. And in fact, Celi may deserve some credit for brining him into more prominence. Not sure. On Ax, I heard him in NYC with the NYPhil in Chopin's Piano Concerto No.2 a few years ago. A pro -- clean. Everything just right. To my mind, more along the lines of Mr. Dependable than Mr. I'm Going to Blow Your Mind. One of those guys who is constantly on stage, particularly in NYC. A go-to guy if you want everything buttoned down just right. I'm sure once Van Zweden takes over in New York, he and Ax will be doing a lot of stuff together.

Minnesota Orchestra w/ Osmo Vanska, cond.; Alisa Weilerstein, cello Chinese Images for Orchestra, Kalevi Aho Concerto for Cello in B minor, op. 104, Dvorak Symphony No. 5, Sibelius The first piece was pretty much lost on me, and judging by the tepid applause, most everyone else, too. Chinese dissonance delivered with volume. Heavy timpani. Muddy. Sat eighth row, left center for this concert, which turned out to be directly in front of cellist, Weilerstein, for the Dvorak. Even at that, she was overwhelmed by the orchestra at times, where her fingers were flying but damed if I could make out the notes. The acoustic in our local barn is partly to blame, I'm afraid. The effect can be all the sound basically stays on the stage and doesn't project out. But ... things took a turn for the better after intermission with the Sibelius, which was top notch, played expertly. Almost seemed like a different band. The muddiness replaced by clarity, passion and fullness. Sibelius is really a specialty of this orchestra, and what everyone came to hear anyways. A beautiful piece of course, so the Minnesotans acquitted themselves well on this score after a shaky first half. I've got Mozart's Requiem with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir coming up next month. Looking forward to that.

Yah. ... Sacred indeed. Will check it out, thnx

Ordered these three yesterday: Bach: 6 Favorite Cantatas, Joshua Rifkin & Bach Ensemble Monteverdi: Vestpro della Beata Vergine, William Christie & Les Arts Florissants Bach: Cantates For Alto, Philippe Herreweghe, Orchestre du Collegium Vocale The first seems to be a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it recording, with soloists singing choral parts and a somewhat rigid approach. I'm just sort of starting to drill down a bit into the music of Christie and Les Arts Florissants, and was intrigued by a recent thread here on Mondeverde's vespers, all of which led me to the second disc. The third recording I landed on while looking for Bach cantatas that leaned more toward the brighter/joyful side of things. We'll see. ...

Hutch, I will seek out the Ives, thanks. I believe there was some mention of it on the American Composers thread? Sampling the Szymanowski now. Beautiful. Bev: Brahms, yes. Will look for the others. Interested in hearing Holst, as admittedly when I think "Holst" I think Planets. That needs to change. And Elgar, need to dig that up. Thanks. I was listening last night to some stuff from the Celibidache Sacred Music box -- the Faure Requiem, which is orchestrated in this instance for full orchestra and choir. A first version apparently was composed for a much smaller ensemble and without choir. Although I haven't listened to that first version, reviews seem to characterize it as a much "lighter," perhaps more elegant piece, and intentionally so, as it was Faure's reaction to some of the big orchestra, "heavy" Romantic pieces that preceded it. Also listened to Verdi's Requiem. Bit of an odd duck, this one. Celibidache apparently had some reservations about the whole thing -- how to interpret some of Verdi's score notes -- and although my listening may have been colored somewhat by reviews that characterize the piece as a little unfocused, it does seem to lack a certain heft. To say that it meanders or gets lost would be too much, but I did get the sense in certain passages that they were just sort of trying to get to the next section. Also, there's a certain "Verdi-ness" to the piece that veers toward a kind of lilting, Italian operatic vibe. ... I don't know, just seems kind of out of place? Forced? Perhaps Celibidachi's spacious tempi didn't help in the Verdi either. Although more generally, I think his approach does allow these sacred pieces to breathe, and lets the music perhaps reveal itself in ways that otherwise may not be apparent. In the case of Verdi, I'm guessing more brisk might help.

I had been listening to a good deal of baroque over the summer, and dovetailing with that, various sacred musics. Being the heathen that I am, I’ve been kind of stumbling around in the desert with no guidance whatsoever, tripping over things by chance more than anything … which is the way it goes mostly anyways. Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis has been a revelation, truly an amazing piece of music that should be regarded alongside the best music that he produced; as well Mozart’s Requiem; Bruckner’s Te Deum; Bach’s Mass in B minor. How did I miss all this until now? I mean, I was aware, but not really “aware.” I’m currently engrossed in Ensemble Correspondances' forays into Moulinie and Charpentier motets, to turn back to the baroque roots of all this. Beautiful. Realizing that the religious underpinnings of much “classical” music (or perhaps music in general; thinking of the church’s influence on jazz) should have been obvious for anyone who cared to take notice (I seek absolution on the matter here), and realizing that the term “sacred music” spans an enormous period of time, I nonetheless will take a leap of faith that some of you may have recommendations (most welcome) or observations or broader insights / revelations to share. Apologies for all the corny puns, now tell it to the congregation. …

Looks like that second one is available now. ...

I know very little about modern composers (or their relative greatness), but the discussion reminds me of an observation made by New York Times investigative reporter David Barstow, a guy who in his own right has produced important, maybe even "great" work. In his view, the single most important aspect of what he does was simply the act of doing his craft as well as he could. Get the process right and letting the chips fall where they may. Approaching the work from the point of view of wanting to achieve something great is folly, in his view, and destined to lead to disappointment for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps the act of creating a piece of music with the goal of achieving something "great," or the act of listening to a piece of music while trying to discern its "greatness," is folly, too? Perhaps not, but I found Barstow's observations struck a chord with me (no pun intended) in how I listen to music myself. I don't instinctively try to place a piece of music in some sort of hierarchy. I don't, for instance, try to evaluate or grade how well the music might succeed in conveying various themes (love, anger, tenderness, etc.) in comparison to other works. I believe I really do try to appreciate a given work in its own right. I can tell if something is well crafted, I think. I cannot discern its larger social significance or place in history, or don't care to. It's simply not how I listen. This puts me at odds with those who have evangelical views about the relative greatness of this or that piece of music. But it I think it does come down to craftsmanship for me. Loved the "Butterflies Remember ..." That was great!

Bev, I was nosing around looking at where those Ring cycles were being performed and somehow stumbled on this blog, From the Sound Up, one person's impressions of various concert halls around Europe and the UK. One of the concert halls where the cycle is being performed is (was) Leeds Town Hall, which this guy loved. (If you hit the "index" link you can find it. Jim, this passage from the above writeup on Leeds might be of interest: "My colleague at Arup Tateo Nakajima recently pointed out to me that Mahler poses an acoustical challenge because despite the large orchestral forces, many passages are chamber-scaled, requiring conversations between individual instruments often situated across the stage from each other. The vastness and intimacy are difficult to accommodate within one acoustical room response." Be interested to know how this might dovetail (or not) with your experience.

Boy, you step away for a few weeks and come back to find Peter Cropper in the round (in spirit), cornetts in cathedrals, reading the seams on fastballs and Wagner's Ring cycle in concert setting! <----- That last one sounds amazing. They all sound pretty amazing. I get more from the reviews by you guys than I do from the more rigid assessments in the funny pages. ... Not to mention, there's basically a handful of folks sharing their experiences in here, yet the variety of music touched on is pretty broad. Nothing really going on in these parts lately ... Sarasota Music Festival coming up fast (student festival in the mould of Aspen) ... although I did recently stumble across a Bach festival in Winter Park (Orlando) that apparently has quite a heritage, having been around since 1935. So, that's something I'll be paying attention to going forward.

OK I'm in. Followed Leicester City's run to the Premier League championship this spring and have gotten kind of hooked on soccer. (Watching a rock 'em, sock 'em Bundesliga relegation match on replay between Bremen and Stuttgart right now! Bremen's rolling. ... A warmup for the Champions league match between Real Madrid and Manchester City later today) ... Have been reading up on the various Euro leagues and teams, getting acquainted with the power teams, the history of the sport, etc. Now, I just have to pick a favorite team somewhere. I like Tottenham in the Premier just because they seem to be a quality, mid-level team, pretty rich history, usually in the hunt (especially this year) but never quite get over the top -- at least recently. Also, I just like saying "Tottenham Hotspur." Plus we get select Premier League games broadcast in the U.S. now, so I'd be able to follow them. As far as leagues go, is the Bundesliga generally considered to be more wide open offensively than in other European leagues? This game I'm watching now (Bremen-Stuttgart) seems really wide open! Just went final at 6-2! Either that, or defensive play in the Bundesliga is ... not good. Mind you, this is a relegation match, so ... Anyways, some of you soccer experts lay some knowledge on me about what I should watch for, what leagues are best, how they differ, etc. I'm a sponge at this point.

FWIW, I took Larry's assessment of No. 7 as "horrible piece of music" to be a subjective observation, buttressed by Bartok, but nonetheless his own view, entirely valid of course, as is Bev's. And I would note that Larry pointed out the orchestra played wonderfully, and surely he knew what he was in for when he entered the fray.

Speaking of quiet music, the aforementioned comments by Van Zweden were part of his larger comments on Mahler No. 9. I only caught the ending of the final movement as performed live by the DSO, which preceded his comments. You could hear a pin drop. Pretty amazing. (There's a DSO Live label, apparently -- similar to LSO Live (?)) Back to Wagner: The term 'narcotic' captures it nicely. Irresistible, dreamlike, with a darkness that is at once a little frightening and wonderously beautiful. And as a listener, you're either all in or you turn away -- to Mozart perhaps, where every note seems perfectly in place. I found it curious at first when someone described attending a Bruckner symphony that was paired with and preceded by Mozart. There's a mood shift. But I see now it's apparently not that uncommon as at least one of the Carnegie Bruckners next season is paired Mozart. I would suppose pairing Wagner with Haydn has a similar effect.

Wagner ... Primal, yes. There's a brief, lighthearted but nonetheless illuminating discussion of the Tristan Chord here. (somebody give me a quick refresher on inserting video). A chord often described as quite literally marking the beginning of modern music. And it's all about that tension Wagner is so masterful at creating, and maintaining. And the richness of the harmonic landscapes he weaves around all of that to take the listener where precious few can, or dare to. Very mysterious music, very rich music, at times crushingly tragic music. And irresistible. For me, where Wagner goes deep in creating that sexual, primal tension, Bruckner achieves a similar effect coming from a religious point of view. Bruckner, like Wagner, weaves these rich harmonic tapestries that often seem to intentionally evade resolution. And the overall effect in both composers can be a sense of dark mystery. Coincidentally, I was listening in the car this evening as I headed back to work to Van Zweden talking about this dark, richness in Bruckner and how some of that can be attributed to him composing all of his music on the organ -- every note of it, he said.

You guys are going to some strong concerts. The Mahler sounds amazing. And Wagner should be great. Season's over here, sadly, and I didn't get to go to a few things I intended to. But the highlights were Orpheaus Chamber Orchestra and Vienna Phil, particularly in Wagner, so I'll be interested in JSngry's impressions of the DSO's performance. Already looking forward to a few possibilities next season, prime among them right now is a complete Bruckner cycle at Carnegie Hall next January with Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin. Seriously considering part of it -- all of it would be insane.

Wrong terms or not, nice review Bev. Gives a good sense of the music / experience. Sounds like a wonderful concert.

I have a friend who keeps trying to cajole me into attending the Sarasota Ballet. Truth be told, the company is easily the most acclaimed local cultural institution (if that's the right term), compared to the orchestra, certainly, and the opera. They performed last summer at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts, which from what I can gather is one of the leading dance festivals in the country, if not the leading event. Here's a review of one of their performances there. They'll be hitting the Joyce Theater in New York this summer, where they've performed in the past. They do performances with live orchestra, which is nice not only because it's live music, but because it demonstrates a certain level of craft. And they have some fascination with a Sir Frederick Ashton, who I know nothing about but apparently is something of a specialty in the repertoire. And yeah, who wouldn't want to watch perfect bodies flying around the stage in feats of athleticism pretty much unmatched? The season runs a little longer than the orchestra and opera, so I may yet have an opportunity.

Nottingham Royal Theatre looks like a terrific venue. Glad you enjoyed yourself. The music is entirely the thing with Mozart, yes? As you say, the story is a bit absurd. And I readily admit that once I get a visual sense of the staging of a given scene (in any opera), I feel free to close the old peepers and just listen for long stretches. Some might think that kind of defeats the purpose (why go if you're not watching what's going on?) But once I familiarize myself with the general storyline prior to attending, once I get the visual of the stage and who the characters are, etc., it's a long evening and things can get a little static on stage from time to time. It's good to just listen. Sung in English ... is that common in the UK? I suspect I'd much prefer Italian, as we had here with Cosi.

Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (live) Rattle, Vienna Philharmonic No. 3 seems to be charging along at quite a brisk tempo here.

Second Bev's Elgar rec, and I'll throw in another probably obvious one -- Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1 in C. It, along with the Elgar and a feast of other cello music, are on the Jacqueline Du Pre EMI box set, which I wouldn't be without.

EnsembleNewSRQ Inaugural Festival Church of the Palms, Sarasota Program: David Hertzberg — “Meditation Boreale” for string quartet Milton Babbitt — “Beaten Paths” for solo marimba Steve Reich — “Mallet Quartet” for percussion quartet Nico Muhly — “Seeing is Believing” for large ensemble with solo electric violin George Nickson (marimba) and Samantha Bennett (violin) are the leaders of this new music ensemble that is comprised of a rotating cast of musicians. Both studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Nickson is a percussionist with the Sarasota Orchestra, Bennett a violinist in the Florida Orchestra (Tampa). Tonight’s concert — the first of two comprising this inaugural "new" music festival — is an attempt to cultivate a contemporary music scene/audience in Sarasota. Despite the modest but enthusiastic audience, I’d say they’re off to a good start. The first piece, “Meditation Boreale,” was performed by a string quartet and the music was meant to evoke the Aurora Borealis. Alternating between very soft, almost microtonal-sounding techniques to more sweeping bowing techniques, the piece was beautifully played and indeed conjured up images of shimmering northern lights. “Beaten Paths” was a short piece, highly percussive, obviously. First time I’ve heard the marimba live and the instrument resonates in a much more muscular way than I’d anticipated. As a solo instrument, perhaps an acquired taste. None the less, an engaging piece. “Mallet Quartet” was a piece for two marimbas and two xylophones. Hypnotic layers of sound, almost tribal. And there was a spot somewhere in the middle of the piece where it almost began to sound like a submerged calliope playing in a slow, dreamlike way. Trippy. They saved the best for last, as the highlight of the evening for me was “Seeing is Believing,” played by a 14-piece orchestra, plus Bennett on six-string, electric violin as soloist. Nickson conducting. The piece ran 25 minutes and it flew by. The music references the practice of mapping the sky, where dots connect to form a cohesive image. As described in the notes, an unchanging series of eleven chords form the harmonic structure of the piece. So the individual voices of each instrument form a wall of punchy, staccato layers on top of this eleven-chord progression all guided by the six-string, electric violin to form this beautiful tapestry that was quite exciting and magical. There was a bit of “herding cats” quality to it all, with the electric violin acting as shepherd. It was an incredible piece though, and sounded beautiful in the large, circular church space. All mostly unfamiliar territory for me. I kind of attended this one on the spur of the moment as the church is right up the street from me. But I'd say things are off to a good start for this bunch, and it's nice to see young members of area orchestras, having been trained in larger Northeastern urban areas where contemporary music has greater currency, bring their enthusiasm for this music and make it a reality. The concert was being filmed, so perhaps the link above to their website will have video of the concert at some point.

Three quick postscripts: I figured out from reading a NYT review of the same concerts performed at Carnegie Hall last weekend that the encores were Johann Strauss' "Kaiser Waltzes" and "Pleasure Train" polka. Secondly, at the conclusion of each piece last night (except for the shorter encores), the audience let the final notes fade away to a dead silence that hung in the air for literally 10 - 15 seconds, which seems like a lot longer when you're sitting there, the concert hall still and silent. I don't think I've ever experienced that before; more typical for the audience to jump in and start applauding within a few seconds. Finally, despite Sarasota and Naples being pretty similar demographically -- large retirement populations -- the audience in Naples was in general quite a bit younger than what we get here in Sarasota. Largely 60s and over, but plenty of younger folks as well, which was nice to see. Here in Sarasota it's pretty typical to see people in walkers and wheelchairs, or elderly couples hanging onto one another just to stay upright, bless 'em. In Naples, everyone seemed to be striding along under their own steam. And as I said, more than a few in their 30s and 40s.