Category: Music

Schubert & Bruckner At The Proms: Saying Goodbye To That “Magic Wand” Conductor, 24 August 2001

This was the seventh and last time that I saw the great, nominatively determined conductor, Günter Wand, perform. It was his last Prom and one of his very last performances.

We heard:

  • Franz Schubert – Symphony No. 8 in B minor, ‘Unfinished’
  • Anton Bruckner- Symphony No. 9 in D minor

Here is the BBC Prom stub for this concert.

I’m not certain that Janie and/or the Duchess were as awe-struck by this event as I was. We’d actually made one or two failed attempts to see Gunter perform Bruckner in the preceding years, which meant that I was especially delighted that he was well enough to attend and perform the advertised programme that night.

Wand’s touring that summer and autumn with the NDR Symphony Orchestra (now known as the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra) was his last hurrah. This link, and the following embed, is their performance of the Bruckner, a few week’s before our Prom, at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Lübeck.

Returning to our Prom, it gathered rave reviews.

Here’s a link to the one in Classicalsource.com

This obituary piece from music-web-international also contains a review of the 24 August 2001 concert.

Coincidentally, trawling my log, my first encounter with Günter Wand, in November 1986, included the same Bruckner Symphony in the programme. I have a private recording of the 1986 concert, made in rudimentary fashion by setting the 1980s gizmondry to record while I was out!

Now I have found the formal 2001 recording in the public domain, I must make the time to listen to both recordings and see if I can sense Gunter’s journey with that astonishing but unfinished piece.

I was trying to think of something profound to say, to conclude this Ogblog piece. But given the two unfinished symphonies that were performed that evening, surely it is more fitting for me to…

The Proms – Sir Colin Davis & The European Union Youth Orchestra Doing Tchaikovsky & Elgar, 5 August 2001

The first of two visits to the Proms with The Duchess that season.

We heard:

  • Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 in F minor
  • Elgar – Symphony No. 1 in A flat major
  • Dvořák – Slavonic Dances, Op 46 No. 1 in C major (encore)

Here is a link to the BBC stub for this concert.

The Duchess was always partial to a youth orchestra, so Sir Colin Davis conducting the European lot was bound to be a good choice for her.

I have always been partial to Tchaikovsky’s 4th symphony and don’t mind admitting it. It’s the classical/romantic music equivalent of admitting to liking Mr Blue Sky by ELO. Almost everyone likes it really but only some of us are brave enough to admit to that guilty pleasure.

Here is a video of an antipodean youth orchestra belting out the finale of Tchaikovsky’s 4th.

Janie tends to find Elgar a bit heavy-handed and frankly I find it hard to disagree with that, although he doesn’t displease me as much as he seems to displease Janie.

Here’s the BBC Symphony Orchestra doing the Elgar a few years later at The Proms:

Daniel Hope & Friends, Wigmore Hall, 16 April 2001

I think I booked this one because of the Weill/Brecht. I really like the songs from The Threepenny Opera and you don’t often see them on the Wigmore Hall listings. Janie likes a bit of Shostakovich, so we thought we’d give it a try.

The concert comprised:

  • Alfred Schnittke – Sonata No 1 for Violin and Piano
  • Dmitri Shostakovich – Sonata for Violin and Piano Op 134
  • Maurice Ravel  – Kaddish
  • William Walton – Sonata for Violin and Piano
  • Kurt Weill, Simon Mulligan & Bertolt Brecht – Songs from “The Threepenny Opera”

In truth, I think this concert convinced us that 20th century music, on the whole, is not for us.

Here’s the first movement of the Schnittke, to give you an idea:

Try the last movement of the Shostakovich

I do recall rather liking the Kaddish, which I hadn’t heard before:

Here’s the first movement of the Walton:

Finally, here is a link to a more recent recording by David Frühwirth & Henri Sigfridsson, which I think is a similar sound to that of Hope & Mulligan doing the Threepenny Opera thing, although I think Hope and Mulligan were a bit more jazzy.

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Wigmore Hall, 30 March 2001

Janie and I were partial to the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and also we are Telemaniacs, so this concert was an obvious one to book, even coming so soon after another delicious-looking Baroque concert on the preceding Sunday.

We were not disapointed.

We heard:

  • Georg Philipp Telemann – Volker Ouverture in B flat major TWV55:B5
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsicord Concerto in D minor BWV1052
  • Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Concerto Grosso in A minor Op 3 No 8 RV522
  • Georg Philipp Telemann – Ouverture La Bizarre in G major TWV55:G2

Below are some good embeds of the above pieces:

The Musicke Companye, Wigmore Hall, 25 March 2001

I sense that this particular collection of musicians under this particular “olde worlde nayme” did not last long, despite the plaudits.

But what a lovely concert. Sunday evening bliss.

  • Alessandro Scarlatti – Motet “Salve Regina” in F minor for soprano, alto, strings and continuo
  • Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Concerto in G minor RV 416 for cello, strings and continuo
  • Domenico Scarlatti – Motet “Salve Regina” for soprano, alto and continuo
  • Giovanni Battista Pergolesi – Motet “Stabat Mater” for soprano, alto, strings and continuo
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Concerto for Oboe d’Amore BWV 1055 (also transcribed Harpsicord)

I have replicated the gig below with some excellent versions in YouTube embeds.

Real Millennium Concert, Florilegium & Emma Kirkby, Wigmore Hall, 31 December 2000

Unusually, this was an afternoon, not an evening concert. It had a very geeky name for a very beautiful concert.

Technically speaking – geeky people took great pains to point out when we all celebrated the new millennium on 31 December 1999 – as there had not been a year zero – the real millennium must be 31 December 2000. The fact that calendars had changed, days added and all sorts was put to one side for those who wanted to celebrate the new millennium on 31 December 2000.

Janie and I just wanted to see this lovely concert and we were not disappointed. We were very keen on Florilegium and Emma Kirkby and the programme was enticing:

  • Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Flute Concerto “La Notte” in G minor Op 10 No 2
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Susser Trost, mein Jesus kommt from Cantata BWV 151
  • Arcangelo Corelli – Trio Sonata in D major Op 1 No 12
  • Giovanni Battista Pergolesi – Salve Regina in C minor
  • George Frideric Handel – Sweet Bird from L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato
  • Henry Purcell – The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace
  • Henry Purcell – Music for a While
  • Henry Purcell – Suite from The Fairy Queen

Here is a nice vid of James Galway with the Ventian Soloisti under Claudio Scimoni playing La Notte:

Here’s Maria Keohane singing Susser Trost – very Christmassy it sounds to me:

Here is the start of the Pergolesi Salve Regina performed by Florilegium, with Robin Blaze, not with Emma Kirkby. I love this album, which I think I bought at that time – possibly that very night.

Here’s a link to the whole album on YouTube Music.

Here’s Emma Kirkby singing Sweet Bird, with the Academy for Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood – then Music For A While.

Oh boy, can she sing.

I don’t think Florilegium and Emma Kirkby have ever recorded together, so you’ll just need to take our word for it that the combination for the real millennium was the real deal…

…or, as we put it in my log:

Super.

Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi, Wigmore Hall, 18 November 2000

A lovely concert of fairly standard baroque fare, beautifully performed by Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante.

We heard:

  • Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Concerto in G Minor for Strings RV 157
  • Wilhelm Friedemann Bach – Sinfonia in F major F67 Die Disonanzen
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Violin Concerto in G minor (after BWV 1056)
  • Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Violin Concerto in B flat major op 8 No 10 La Caccia
  • Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Concerto in D minor Op 3 No 11 for two violins, cello & strings
  • Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Concerto in G minor for 2 violins and cello Op 3 No 2

There’s not much video of Europa Galante from that early period of their existence – but this one of them performing the delicious Vivaldi RV558 gives a good idea of what they looked and sounded like back then.

The inclusion of some WF Bach was a bit unusual. Biondi hasn’t recorded it and I’m not allowed to embed the linked vid, but you can click through to a video of some other Italian geezers performing it – here.

The Vivaldi RV157 also seems to be a bit rare – Biondi has not recorded it. It’ a very sweet piece. Here is the Iris Ensemble performing it.

If you are in search of the sound of Europa Galante with Fabio Biondi playing lots of Vivaldi of the Op 3 and Op 8 variety, then this playlist of mine on YouTube Music will be for you.

Alternatively, if the orchestral works of WF Bach float your boat, then this playlist is for you. I am pretty sure I bought the first album on that playlist on the back of hearing that sinfonia at The Wig that night.

Kinky Friedman Live In Brighton With David Seidel & Rachel Barnard, 12 November 2000

Kinky live in Texas 2006

I had been a bit of a Kinky Friedman fan for a while before I met David Seidel. Michael Mainelli had recommended/lent two or three of Kinky’s novels to me, which I had very much enjoyed. Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola is a title I especially remember.

Also, fascinated by the idea that a group could even be moderately successful with the name Kinky Friedman & the Texas Jewboys, I had bought a couple of his albums on CD and found myself listening to them surprisingly often. Sold American in particular pleased me – here’s a link to the album on YouTube Music. I also have a copy of Lasso From El Passo – here’s the YouTube Music link to that one.

Anyway…

…Kinky came up in conversation with David Seidel one day, as well it might have done, given our shared interest in humorous music. David said that Kinky was due to play Brighton in November and that he and Rachel planned to go, as they lived out that way – Hove, actually.

Would Janie and I like to…

…naturally, that Sunday meet up was set.

I remember that afternoon/evening fondly. We started off at David & Rachel’s house – I think it might have been the first time that Janie and I met Rachel, then went under their local guidance to the show.

I’m pretty sure we all thought the show was good fun.

I remember talking about Janie’s and my visit to the Royal Court the previous evening and agreeing that we would arrange a reciprocal visit to London for the Royal Court in the new year, which we did.

But the centrepiece of the evening was Kinky Friedman, accompanied by but one of the former Texas Jewboys, Little Jewford, who was the last of that sub-tribe.

The following previous piece by Clark Collis in The Telegraph (of all sources) provides more background than most readers will want about Kinky and that tour…with plenty even for the most diligent readers.

Kinky Collis Telegraph Kinky Collis Telegraph 4 Nov 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Maddy Costa in The Guardian gave the show a rave review…sort of:

Kinky Costa Guardian 1 of 2 Kinky Costa Guardian 1 of 2 18 Nov 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Kinky Costa Guardian 2 of 2

Article from 18 Nov 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

Kinky’s performances at that time looked a bit like this. Trigger warning – Kinky Friedman parodied bigots and misogynists by using their style of language, some of which is very offensive:

And if you would like to learn more about Kinky through a documentary, here’s a 50+ minute documentary made about a year after that concert.

The Genius of Josquin: Part 2, The Tallis Scholars, Wigmore Hall, 12 October 2000

No idea what Part One was about – presumably Part Two looked the more interesting concert to us or Part One was on a date we couldn’t do.

We heard:

  • Josquin Desprez – Missa Sine nomine
  • Josquin Desprez – Memor esto
  • Josquin Desprez – Victimae paschali
  • Josquin Desprez – Tu solus qui facis mirabilia
  • Heinrich Isaac – Tota pulchra es
  • Nicholas Gombert – Magnificat IV

The Tallis Scholars under the leadership of Peter Phillips are always terrific at this sort of stuff. Among the finest exponents of Josquin, The Tallis Scholars have recorded the lot.

Here’s a link to their recording of Josquin’s Missa Sine Nomine on YouTube Music.

Here’s a more recent example video:

Here’s a recording of them singing Heinrich Issac’s Tota Pulchra Es:

While here is a short excerpt from the Gombert Magnificat.

I’m pretty sure that I bought my copy of that CD, with all the Gombert Magnificats, at that concert. That’s a recording I return to quite often, as it is so good. Here’s a link to the whole thing on YouTube Music.

A splendid Thursday evening at The Wig.

Sargent Cancer Care For Children Concert At The Wigmore Hall, 26 September 2000

Actually Julian Bream had to drop out of this concert at the last minute, so we got everyone else, but not him. We also got all the other pieces, but not the Bach Cello suite on the guitar.

I made no note about a replacement piece, so I suspect we had a shortened concert. This is what we heard:

  • Thomas Tallis – Loquebantur
  • John Taverner – Quemadmodum
  • William Byrd – Tribue, Domine 
  • Fryderyk Chopin – Ballade No 1 in G minor, op 23
  • Johannes Brahms – Intermezzo in A major, op 118 no 2 –
  • Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner – Isoldens Liebestod
  • Leos Janacek – String Quartet no 2

My only other log note is that we bumped into James Davidson, who was (or probably by then, had been) the Director of Finance at Cancer Research Campaign, one of my earliest Z/Yen clients in the mid 1990s. He lived nearby in Notting Hill Gate and used to address me (in the street or at CRC) as “Lord Harris”, because he said my fee rates were so high. When we asked him for a testimonial to put on our spanking new Z/Yen website, he said:

expensive, but worth it…

…which we thought at the time was as good as it gets.

I suspect that this Tuesday night charity concert was expensive but worth it too.

Sadly, Julian Bream never recorded his live party piece of playing the BWV1012 Cello Suite on the guitar, but here’s a recording of a fine guitarist, Paulo Martelli, who has recorded his playing of part of it live:

So there’s the stuff we didn’t see or hear.

Here’s a recording of the Tallis Scholars singing Loquebantur, which is wonderful:

Here’s the Gesualdo Six singing Taverner’s Quemadmodum

Back to The Tallis Scholars, as there is a vid of them singing The Byrd:

PHILLIPS: Hey, are you looking at my Byrd?

There’s not a lot of Martin Roscoe to be found on-line – but here is Krystian Zimerman playing the Chopin:

I don’t suppose the Janáček string quartet much pleased us. Here’s the Amphion String Quartet doing their level best with it:

The things we do for charity.