Romantic - my/maSCENA

Nagano/OSM: Brilliant Beethoven Beats Out Bland Bruckner

By Paul E. Robinson on 29 October 2011 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonBoulez: MémorialeBeethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major Op. 19Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E flat majorTimothy Hutchins, fluteTill Fellner, pianoOrchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM): Kent Nagano, conductorLa Maison symphoniquePlace des ArtsMontréalSaturday, October 15, 2011Montréal’s new hall, La Maison symphonique, has been presenting concerts for over a month now, and after an ‘unfinished’ opening, we’re finally into the fine-tuning phase of the project. An impromptu example occurred mid-concert when maestro Nagano stepped down from the podium after the first movement of the Bruckner to announce that he was unable to continue until his wonky podium…

Mahler: Symphonies Nos 1-10

By La Scena Musicale Team on 14 June 2011 CD and Book Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

Vocal soloists; Schweizer Kammerchor; Zürcher Sängerknaben; WDR Rundfunkchor Köln; Kinderchor Kaltbrunn; Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich/David Zinman RCA Red Seal 88697 72723-2 (15 Hybrid SACD – 794 min 24 s/ DVD 80 min) ***** It used to be that a Mahler symphony cycle on record typically required a decade or more to complete. The sessions for this set began in 2006 and concluded last year. RCA threw in super audio (playable on conventional CD decks) recording and launched the cycle with military precision in 2007. The performances reached collectors in sequence, at mid-price and in short order. The appearance of this lavish…

Jaap van Zweden Masterly in Shostakovich Eighth

By Paul E. Robinson on 8 November 2010 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonClassical TravelsMeyerson Symphony CentreDallas, TexasOctober 22, 2010Mendelssohn: Violin ConcertoShostakovich: Symphony No. 8Nicola Benedetti, violinDallas Symphony Orchestra/Jaap van ZwedenJaap van Zweden took most of the summer off to nurse a sore shoulder. The recuperation seems to have been successful and he is back in town leading the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) with even more energy than before. Among his specialties are the symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler and Shostakovich is not far behind. Last season in Dallas he conducted a stunning performance of the Symphony No. 7 and this season he followed it up with an equally fine…

Wagner at the Welsh National Opera

By La Scena Musicale Team on 7 July 2010 Concert Reviews, Opera, Romantic

By Frank Cadenhead Wagner as compelling dramatist? Who knew? The wordy, inflated and repetitive tales we are so accustomed to were nowhere to be seen in the new and revelatory production by Richard Jones of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürenburg with Cardiff’s Welsh National Opera. This Meistersinger boasted an enjoyable cast that would be envied in Vienna, New York, Berlin, London or Paris, led by the grand Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel as Hans Sachs. Terfel only seems to grow as an artist. After his definitive Don Giovanni at the Verbier Festival last July, his Hans Sachs could be a model…

Mahler Resurrection a Dallas Symphony Specialty!

By Paul E. Robinson on 6 June 2010 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonI try to get to Dallas as often as I can to bask in the glory of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, one of the world’s great concert halls. After listening to concerts in other venues, it is always a shock to experience the Meyerson. To hear every instrument in the orchestra as it was meant to be heard, and to hear the perfectly blended sound of a fine orchestra, with a presence that is palpable, is satisfaction beyond words. Simply put, as the saying goes: “You had to be there!”Of course, the Meyerson is simply…

Austin Symphony Shines Again in Mahler

By Paul E. Robinson on 31 May 2010 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonThe 100th anniversary of Mahler’s death is in 2011, but conductors and orchestras are already programming his music at every opportunity – Symphony No. 2 with Jaap van Zweden in Dallas at the end of May, for example; and more recently, Symphony No. 1 with Peter Bay leading the Austin Symphony.Mahler’s Long Lost Blumine Blossoms on its OwnMaestro Bay opened the evening’s programme with Blumine, which began its life as part of the Symphony No. 1 until Mahler decided it didn’t belong there after all.At the first three performances of the Symphony No. 1 in the 19th…

Strauss’s Don Quixote Brought to Life by Bay and Austin Symphony

By Paul E. Robinson on 24 March 2010 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonWhat a revolutionary idea it was to provide surtitles (“translated or transcribed lyrics/dialogue projected above a stage or displayed on a screen”) in the opera house! All of a sudden, people actually understood what was going on. An art form that had been forbidding and impenetrable for millions was transformed into something welcoming and meaningful. Shame on the Karajans and Levines who, for whatever reason, delayed that monumental breakthrough in communication.I believe the concert hall could use the same communication overhaul afforded the opera house. To my mind, vocal works should always have surtitles; most often, they…

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