NCPA's Western Classical Season

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Hey, this thread has been inactive for a while (come on JLS, Bhagwan) and we have had such lovely music coming our way.

In February the great Augustin Dumay was here with his Guarneri from 1743 (and we change cables every fortnight?) and had a brilliant programme of orchestral and chamber music - lots of French including Chausson (Concert) and Bizet. A lovely Ravel too. Sound to tune your music and hifi senses for sure.

An amazing Pictures at an Exhibition on piano by Sofya Gulyak and a brilliant Beethoven by Damev.

Also attended one of the Arties concerts featuring Mozart and Schubert 15 string quartet - great performances on both.

Now we have Chopin coming up on Tuesday. Zubin Mehta celebrating his 80th in style sometime soon - I think he sells out in Mumbai faster than U2 would elsewhere!

My friend ThreeOranges, how have you been?
 
Haven't been able to attend too many concerts this season, but Sofya Gulyak is my personal best so far for this season. Having only heard Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition in the Ravel orchestral form and never in its original format of solo piano, her performance was a revelation for me. Dumay was a close second. So far I've not been too enthused by the other chamber performances.

Looking forward to upcoming Israel Philharmonic concert with their lifetime conductor Zubin Mehta at the helm.
 
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Zubin Mehta played the most ravishing Daphnis and Chloe orchestral suite in Bombay. And a wonderful Beethoven Concerto with Zukerkman too.

Now comes the stadium filler! But music does not stop....

On May 4 and 5, we have Vanska and Capucon with Suisse Romande. You may not know them at all, but please look at the following:

Beethoven Symphony 4,5 Vanska BIS SACD 1416 [PJL]: Classical CD Reviews- March 2005 MusicWeb-International

Classical Net Review - Beethoven - Complete Symphonies

And he's doing Brahms 2nd (remember his 1st was called Beethoven's 10th?).

Suisse Romande is from the 1920s and was set up by the great Ansermet - A MATHEMATICS PROFESSOR TURNED CONDUCTOR! Very well recorded and respected.

Capucon is a young violinist who has recorded a lovely Ravel CD. Also a well reviewed Franck Sonata.

Hope you can make it...

Then on 6th is China Philharmonic...
 
vivek_r said:
On May 4 and 5, we have Vanska and Capucon with Suisse Romande. ......

Then on 6th is China Philharmonic...
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I'm booked for the 4th and 6th.

And I'm glad I didn't go for the Mehta concert at Brabourne Stadium:) By all accounts (I heard) it wasn't worth the price of admission. But to be fair, the same set of friends told me that the concert at the Bhabha in the NCPA was very good.
 
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The concert on the 4th was unbelievably good. Ravel, Beethoven and Brahms, with an encore of Gluck Orpheus on the violin.

How I wish people would know not to clap between movements!! Perhaps NCPA should make an announcement. Or as one concert goer said, have a red light and a green light to cue audience applause!!!

Terrified of tomorrow's concert with Prokofiev. Every two-three minutes at the pause, I think people will clap...and anything dhum dham like death of Tybalt is going be only disruptive.
 
And it went really spectacularly well after all...Debussy, Saint Saens, Ravel and finally Prokofiev (but without the balcony scene alas).

For those who can travel in on July 7 and July 8, Lucerne is here with Dvorak 8 and 9, and Grieg piano concerto.
 
The program on 4th by the Orchestre Swiss de la Romande with Osmo Vanska conducting and Renaud Capuon on violin was simply brilliant. It kicked off with Ravel's Pavane pour une infante dfunte. Up next was Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Renaud Capuon on the violin shone like the mid day sun. The tone of his Guarneri violin, made in 1737 was simply mesmerizing. This is the second Guarneri-wielding violinist that had visited our shores this year (Alexander Dumay being the other violinist). After the breaks it was Brahms' Symphony No. 2. I haven't really grasped the No. 2 though I love the No. 3. I now realize why the No. 2 is the most popular of his symphonies:)

Day 2 of the Swiss de la Romande kicked off with Debussy's Prelude a l'apres midi d'un faune. The slow tempo of this piece betrayed the fact that the rest of the evening was gonna be an electric light orchestra. Saint-Sans' Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso upped the tempo with another superb performance by Renaud Capuon on the violin. Ravel's Tzigane was very good too, but the center piece of the evening was without doubt Prokofieff's excerpt from Romeo and Juliet. The horn/woodwind/brass section as well the two big drums were let loose for some rock concert-grade SPLs:) Here was a study of tonal colours, wild dynamic swings, and tempo variations from the very slow to waltz-like bounciness and dynamism, to heat seeking missile-like urgency, all squeezed into two movements. What a great orchestra the Swiss de la Romande is. And what great conductor Osmo Vanska is. He truly deserves his reputation. I'm mildly sad because they didn't squeeze in a Sibelius number (of which he's one of the foremost interpreters). And Renaud Capuon is my new violin hero:)

The highlight of the China Philharmonic Orchestra's performance tonight was without doubt the Beethoven Symphony No. 7. It was performed with unusual delicateness and lyricism. The two traditional Chinese compositions were truly lyrical pieces - nuanced and flowing (which unfortunately one can't say of their staccato-sounding Mendelssohn performance:()

Three days, three concerts. A personal milestone for me:)
 
Just an alert for July 7 and 8th for Lucerne Symphony (Dvorak 8 and 9), and

Bebop and beyond concert week after (June 17) with saxophonist Greg Banaszak. There is also a trombonist accompanying (Chris Anderson) and looks like fun....
 
vivek_r said:
Just an alert for July 7 and 8th for Lucerne Symphony (Dvorak 8 and 9), and

Bebop and beyond concert week after (June 17) with saxophonist Greg Banaszak. There is also a trombonist accompanying (Chris Anderson) and looks like fun....
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Sir,
Thanks for the 'heads-up'
I got my tics yesterday.
Looking forward to Dvorak's 8th & 9th
Will be good.
The only issue is on the 8th of July, my favourite Male Vocalists are performing in NCPA - Ajoy Chakraborty & Venketesh Kumat & I will miss them. I do hope this is a 'correct' choice I have made...I do love the 9th by Dvorak...
 
And so went day 1 of Lucerne, which went very well indeed!

Started off with Euryanthe overture, then onto the Beethoven piano concerto by the lovely Khatia Buniatishvili (who also was very sweet and patient with autograph hunters and selfie takers) with Hungarian Rhapsody as encore. In particular, the second movement was played extremely well.

Finally, we had Dvorak's 8th - which along with his 7th, is a piece that I love. (The very popular 9th comes second in my book). Full of lovely melodies, it was Bohemian Rhapsody indeed!

For lovers of sound (not just the music), the Osmo Vanska/Suisse Romande had a much better sonic landscape. More liquid, and greater textures.

Look forward to the Grieg piano concerto (prefer to Beethoven), the Oberon (prefer to Euryanthe) and Dvorak's 9th (which is still so beautiful, love less or more!).
 
@ VR - Excellent Summary;
I did like the performances.
Nothing to write home about - but nice quality to be treated to in Peak Summer [Europe Dates] - since the Orchestra's do not travel much during these months. Lest they visit India...
Today should be good.
The Pianist looks stunning - I was on Row 2 for the 1st half of the performance - where Ms. Khatia Buniatishvili played. I was finiding it difficult to concentrate on the B C # 1 - she is just so lovely to look @ - specially up close.....
The Dvorak for me was on 'Row E' [my seat] so the wind & horns were really well developed for me.
Looking forward to # 9 - from the new world.
 
For Day 2, Khatia Buniatishvili pulled out in my opinion, all stops and it was a brilliant Grieg concerto/Handel encore. So this was the one to call, email, fax, post, courier and send the courier pigeon home!

Note that there were music lovers in the audience who felt the day before's Beethoven was a "revelation". While thats not what I thought, I thought Ms Buniatishvili played brilliantly yesterday, especially the lyrical portions of Grieg piano concerto. (I could have strangled the guy in row O who coughed violently and continuously through the first solo portion, and then proceeded to clap between movements).

Then came Dvorak's 9th, and yes I am now sure one more time that I like the 7th and 8th more, and I do like the 9th a lot! It was beautifully played, and you hear so much more in a live concert even if you have heard the piece a thousand times before. Like the cello contrasting with the violins some three minutes into the second movement, with the cellos sounding like they are singing a hymn...woah!

However, given that this is a forum, let me be odious and compare it to the Dutoit SOI Dvorak's 9th. When I heard the tempo of the adagio that opens the symphony last October, I went into a panic because I knew something magical was happening! By the time the cor anglais came in second movement, I was in the prairies!

That is not to say that this concert wasn't lovely ("Nothin lost, all is gain"). Somedays there is magic, and you have to be there to experience it. Bhagwan will know how spontaneously half of the JBT crowd was at its feet at the end of Dutoit's concert.

Oberon was beautiful.

I even felt that the sound yesterday was better than day before! Less dry! So did friend TSB who generously offered me a better seat than the one that I paid for.
 
Khatia B was hot. Smouldering H.O.T. :) both on the piano and the looks department (I swear I saw smoke billowing from that red dress! :licklips:).

She aced the Grieg Piano Concerto, the piece I was most looking forward to for the evening. She was especially good in the second movement. We got glimpses of her sensitive side even on the first movement, although the first movement is more of a series of cross-keyboard virtuoso arpeggio runs. I think her performance of the Grieg concerto matched, if not exceeded, my personal reference (John Ogdon).

The fourth movement of the Dvorak 9 was one fine piece, and easily the highlight of the rest of the evening.
 
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vivek_r said:
For Day 2, Khatia Buniatishvili pulled out in my opinion, all stops and it was a brilliant Grieg concerto/Handel encore. So this was the one to call, email, fax, post, courier and send the courier pigeon home!
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I agree;
Day 2 was great for the Piano.
I loved the performance. Apart from the Pianists looks & attire [excellent mind you] the performance too was great !

The Dvorak 9 for me was a 'let down'
This Orchestra is great at 'romantic' pieces - the encore they played was excellent.
The 9th is not their forte.....
The SOI played the Dvorak's 9th & that to me was a great performance.
I did have excellent seats - B26 & had a nice view & the sound too was good - but I felt the Orchestra was playing in a 'disjointed' matter - winds & strings could not come together.
I am sorry, I do not know much & my knowledge in Western Classical Music is 'rather limited' so if I said a thing or 2 that may not be accepted by anyone - I apologize for it - right now & here.
 
Another brilliant concert at the NCPA - Alexi Grynyuk, a Kiev born pianist, turned in an virtuoso performance of Liszt Sonata in B Minor.

The power, precision and artistry was outstanding in this piece. Dynamic shading was brilliant, without seeming gimmicky.

I also heard for the first time Liszt Horowitz Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. Sounding different from the Liszt original which I know and love (lot more stops and starts, making it sound really modern), I really enjoyed this. Very. Much.

Even as I type this, listening to to Horowitz version again - what do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v95I6kGghmk

The program also featured Rachmaninov Sonata (superb) and Chopin (polonaise), including a nocturne as an encore.

Just one phone ring, one sms ting, a few less critically placed coughs and a couple of nitwit teens who gestured and giggled during the concert (missed a gun with a silencer).

Now for the concert on the 20th featuring Beethoven 7th. Unfortunately, skipping the 19th concert, but need my quota of Parsi bhonus as well, which is even rarer than a concert.
 
I really don't want 2016 to end, if there is a magic associated with concerts this year. Yesterday was a concert by Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra, with Philippe Herreweghe, conductor and Stefan Jackiw on the violin for the Mendelssohn concerto.

The concerto was supremely played. The conducting was spot on. Competing with excellent performances on the Beethoven 7th and overture, this was a jewel. Lucky, lucky, lucky!

On Beethoven's 7th - does anybody else find the third movement out of place? I love the 2nd movement with the melodies being handed from one string instrument to another, and then to wind. The audience (who had remained quiet, mercifully) clapped after the second movement - frankly, it was so beautiful that even I had to show restraint! But then comes the third movement. Suddenly jumping around lively scherzo (like an item number suddenly thrust into a movie?!!! ok sacrilege). Why Herr Ludwig?

The violinist was special. The concert was superb. Awesome! Like that!

The audio - I rarely comment on that, but it was my first experience at Tata (instead of the usual JBT) with a full orchestra. Extremely mid range focussed sound! It was like listening to large BBC monitors. I must say that I prefer the sound bouncing around JBT for the large orchestral pieces, but on the violin concerto especially, the sound was intimate, perhaps contributing to the emotional beauty.

How lucky. Shout out to Mr. N from Chembur who sat with me - knowledgeable! Hope you ar part of the forum, and please PM me.

There was a violin encore of Bach and Brahms encore of Hungarian dance number 1.
 
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