Featuring:
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2
- Olli Mustonen The Old Church at Petäjävesi
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4
Olli Mustonen - Piano/Director
I was really looking forward to this concert only to be let down big time. The two Beethoven's piano concertos came up really short, and included some awkward phrasings and quirks that I don't really enjoy at all. Olli Mustonen is a fine pianist, but his readings of Beethoven's concertos left me cold. With the 2nd piano concerto, I missed the clarity of the notes. Also, throughout the whole concert, Olli seemed to play a lot of final resolving notes of a phrase so softly that I almost cannot listen to them. This is really annoying me and sometimes I just have to make up the sound of that resolving notes to complete the playing of a beautiful phrase in my mind. Directing and playing a piano concerto will always be a challenge, and it's really frustrating when the ensemble wasn't perfect, e.g. a couple of mistimed entries, and the balance of the orchestra was really off. On top of that, Olli busted out quite a number of wrong notes in the 4th piano concerto. His cadenzas are weird, sort of jazzy and sound 'pop'ish. The last movement of the 4th concert was interpreted like a horse galloping to finish line. Fast tempo and nothing else. I can't honestly say I felt any of the soul from the performance of this favourite Beethoven's concerto of mine. The audience clearly didn't share my opinion and cheered loudly for the performance. Well, I guess it's hard to stay put after you listened to the finale's brilliant coda.
This frustrating performance got even more frustrating for me when in the beginning of the 4th PC during the magical chords of the opening, which for me is a big factor of the enjoyment of this concerto, an audience member sitting right behind me said 'oh, I love this' right when she recognised that magical chords. Thanks very much for speaking out my mind lady, but I prefer if you keep it to yourself next time. Also, in the 2nd movement of the same concerto, someone tried to unwrap candy in the prayer-like section till the end of that movement. Thanks for ruining the performance further. What a joke. I swear I'm not going to let anyone sitting beside me to do this thing in a concert although there's a good chance he/she won't like me very much after that.
It might be a very frustrating concert, but there's some good moments here. Olli Mustonen's symphonic-suite music is actually quite enjoyable. The music, depicting an old church in a Finnish city, is in 5 movements. The first depicting the activity of builders of the church with changing and time signature and ends suddenly. Sacred Touch, the next movement, highlights the beautiful woodwinds writing for it. The Demons, and St. Christopher (3rd and 4th movements) are my favourites with the highlight definitely goes to the slightly out-of-tune hymn-singing portrayal. The finale ends as sudden as the opening. When I think about the piece again at the end, I think it definitely has a lot of the ideas from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
The best moment of the concert is the encore Mustonen gave after curtain calls for his Beethoven's 4th performance. Here, he found the touch, the clarity, the sensitivity, and the sonority to express chorale-like melodies found in the piece. Sadly, I would never know what it is.
Sunday 30 May 2010
Saturday 15 May 2010
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert 15 May 2010 - Trumpet Superstar
Featuring:
- Grieg Norwegian Dances
- Haydn Trumpet Concerto
- Richard Strauss Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life)
Giuliano Sommerhalder - Trumpet
Andrew Litton - Conductor
A MSO concert after a long 2 months break, and it's a good one. I enjoyed discovering these 3 pieces that I'm not familiar at all in this concert.
As usual, I'll go on chronologically - Grieg's Norwegian Dances is a set of 4 simple ternary form Norwegian dances inspired by, duh, what else but Norwegian folk music. All 4 pieces placed woodwinds in the spotlight, especially the oboe which deservedly was asked to stand to receive his wonderful contribution throughout. I personally enjoy the first and the third dances the most. The first dance reminiscing of the pomp march of the trolls in the composer's famous In the Hall of the Mountain King, here the rhythms pushed by the gutsy cellos. The third dance started with a beautiful melody in the major key and for the contrasting section, Grieg put the same melody in the minor key, and back again to major key. Simple, but works very well. These pieces cement his position as the master of miniature pieces for me.
Next up is Haydn's famous Trumpet concerto. I'm ashamed to not having the pleasure to listen to this beautiful concerto before. It's a classic Haydn piece, playful melodies with tasteful wits, and what gorgeous Andante - the program is not mistaken pointing out its similarity to the famous melody in Haydn's Kaiser Quartet, of which the melody of current Germany's national anthem is based on. I just love the first note that the solo trumpet played, one single simple plain note. Not more. It's so Haydn. No one would have the same wit starting a solo trumpet with just that.
Being a complete stranger to the varieties of trumpet, I am unable to comment on the sort of trumpet Giuliano used. It produced a lean, clean, crisp sound instead of big sound normally found in jazz band. It's also a bit tame compared to the trumpets that I used to hear in concert hall. Giuliano's phrasings are delicate, and they're supported by the clarity of the notes produced by the instrument. His cadenza is simply delicious. I love the moment in the finale where the main theme came back again in the end, slightly altered, to round off the work. It's so nostalgic, and I always succumb to the beauty of such composer's trick. After several curtain calls, Giuliano came back, and I believe, having changed his trumpet, gave an encore which I sadly could not identify.
I have slight reservation in terms of the orchestral accompaniment. I preferred a stronger attack on the strings, and more woodwinds presence. Otherwise, it's all fine.
The afternoon's concert highlight is Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. Often being derided as semi-autobiography writing of Strauss's own life, it depicted, to put it simply, a hero's triumphant life. I don't generally regard Strauss's music at the highest level, but in this piece, I have taken several likings to his mastery: the main theme of the hero's, the depiction of the critics with the fluttering winds, and the whimsical solo violin depicting of the Hero's wife. The special effects are overwhelming, the percussions and brasses totally overpowered the woodwinds section in climax passages, apart from the piercing piccolos. The hero's final retreat is touching, and provided a quiet moment to what is otherwise an orchestra showpiece.
Andrew Litton conducted with vigor in climaxes, and sensitivity in developing long sensuous melodies, giving them a chance to breath and develop fully without rushing. Wearing a black tie with colourful circles on it, Andrew's a pleasure to watch on the podium. It's a shame that I am not interested in next MSO's concert 'Russian Showcase', that I can't see him conduct again in Melbourne.
MSO, incorporating many guest musicians for Strauss's epic work, played wonderfully today. The brass section is solid today, too solid perhaps that some of woodwinds players require a special noise blocking device placed behind their heads - separating them from the brass section.
Good music doesn't necessarily translate to good audience though. I can probably count the number of people in balcony using my fingers and toes. The circles and stalls are around 80% full.
My next concert is a set of 2 Beethoven's piano concertos, the 2nd and the 4th. I'm so looking forward to the 4th, my favourite out of the 5. I believe I have attended 2 concerts featuring the 4th twice last year, one with ACO and another with MSO. I could never get tired of this wonderful piece. The 2nd PC is different matter though, it's my least favourite Beethoven's piano concerto. I should give it another listen again before the concert.
- Grieg Norwegian Dances
- Haydn Trumpet Concerto
- Richard Strauss Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life)
Giuliano Sommerhalder - Trumpet
Andrew Litton - Conductor
A MSO concert after a long 2 months break, and it's a good one. I enjoyed discovering these 3 pieces that I'm not familiar at all in this concert.
As usual, I'll go on chronologically - Grieg's Norwegian Dances is a set of 4 simple ternary form Norwegian dances inspired by, duh, what else but Norwegian folk music. All 4 pieces placed woodwinds in the spotlight, especially the oboe which deservedly was asked to stand to receive his wonderful contribution throughout. I personally enjoy the first and the third dances the most. The first dance reminiscing of the pomp march of the trolls in the composer's famous In the Hall of the Mountain King, here the rhythms pushed by the gutsy cellos. The third dance started with a beautiful melody in the major key and for the contrasting section, Grieg put the same melody in the minor key, and back again to major key. Simple, but works very well. These pieces cement his position as the master of miniature pieces for me.
Next up is Haydn's famous Trumpet concerto. I'm ashamed to not having the pleasure to listen to this beautiful concerto before. It's a classic Haydn piece, playful melodies with tasteful wits, and what gorgeous Andante - the program is not mistaken pointing out its similarity to the famous melody in Haydn's Kaiser Quartet, of which the melody of current Germany's national anthem is based on. I just love the first note that the solo trumpet played, one single simple plain note. Not more. It's so Haydn. No one would have the same wit starting a solo trumpet with just that.
Being a complete stranger to the varieties of trumpet, I am unable to comment on the sort of trumpet Giuliano used. It produced a lean, clean, crisp sound instead of big sound normally found in jazz band. It's also a bit tame compared to the trumpets that I used to hear in concert hall. Giuliano's phrasings are delicate, and they're supported by the clarity of the notes produced by the instrument. His cadenza is simply delicious. I love the moment in the finale where the main theme came back again in the end, slightly altered, to round off the work. It's so nostalgic, and I always succumb to the beauty of such composer's trick. After several curtain calls, Giuliano came back, and I believe, having changed his trumpet, gave an encore which I sadly could not identify.
I have slight reservation in terms of the orchestral accompaniment. I preferred a stronger attack on the strings, and more woodwinds presence. Otherwise, it's all fine.
The afternoon's concert highlight is Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. Often being derided as semi-autobiography writing of Strauss's own life, it depicted, to put it simply, a hero's triumphant life. I don't generally regard Strauss's music at the highest level, but in this piece, I have taken several likings to his mastery: the main theme of the hero's, the depiction of the critics with the fluttering winds, and the whimsical solo violin depicting of the Hero's wife. The special effects are overwhelming, the percussions and brasses totally overpowered the woodwinds section in climax passages, apart from the piercing piccolos. The hero's final retreat is touching, and provided a quiet moment to what is otherwise an orchestra showpiece.
Andrew Litton conducted with vigor in climaxes, and sensitivity in developing long sensuous melodies, giving them a chance to breath and develop fully without rushing. Wearing a black tie with colourful circles on it, Andrew's a pleasure to watch on the podium. It's a shame that I am not interested in next MSO's concert 'Russian Showcase', that I can't see him conduct again in Melbourne.
MSO, incorporating many guest musicians for Strauss's epic work, played wonderfully today. The brass section is solid today, too solid perhaps that some of woodwinds players require a special noise blocking device placed behind their heads - separating them from the brass section.
Good music doesn't necessarily translate to good audience though. I can probably count the number of people in balcony using my fingers and toes. The circles and stalls are around 80% full.
My next concert is a set of 2 Beethoven's piano concertos, the 2nd and the 4th. I'm so looking forward to the 4th, my favourite out of the 5. I believe I have attended 2 concerts featuring the 4th twice last year, one with ACO and another with MSO. I could never get tired of this wonderful piece. The 2nd PC is different matter though, it's my least favourite Beethoven's piano concerto. I should give it another listen again before the concert.
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