Tag: Gustav Mahler

A Concert With Cousins Angela & John, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, 28 March 2012

Angela & John “a few” years ago – Michael & Pam would approve the photo choice

This concert was the evening before Uncle Michael’s funeral, for which I was scheduled to be the soloist – i.e. eulogist.

Angela and John are patrons of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). They suggested that I might join them for this concert. An element of bonding exercise and an element (I suspect) of last minute stage management. John had stuck his neck out a little with his Rabbi by suggesting that a member of the family undertake the eulogy and they didn’t want any mistakes.

We discussed matters over drinks and nibbles with the patrons and benefactors before the show.

“Rabbi Rosenfeld is absolutely clear that you should keep the eulogy brief”, said John – who is a graduate of the Arsène Wenger school of management.

“I got the message – I’ve timed the speech; eighty-nine minutes…”

“…EIGHT OR NINE MINUTES…if it goes past ten minutes I’ll shut you up myself…”

…I think John knew I was joking.

Meanwhile, unlike our family funeral, the concert was not going to proceed as planned. The Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin had gone down with “severe gastric flu” (as described in the apologetic programme note).

So we had a late substitute from one of the other dominions, Australia, in the form of Matthew Coorey.

The result was a game of two halves in some ways.

Supersub Coorey was spared the first half of of the concert, as Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili, wisely, chose to lead the orchestra herself in the Mozart Violin Concerto No 3.

I say the first half…of course the Mozart is quite a short work whereas the second half, Mahler Symphony No 9, is a 90 minute marathon. So it was more like an 80:20 thing than a game of two halves…

…I’m digressing. Point is, the first piece I suspect included all the nuance and personality that had been planned for this concert. I have an affection for that simple but charming piece and it was delivered very well that night.

By contrast, the Mahler seemed, while very professionally performed, a somewhat retreated, standard performance of the great work. Hats off to Coorey for taking on such a monumental work at such short notice. But “letting the orchestra just do its thing” is probably as good as it gets in those circumstances.

Here is a short video of Lisa Batiashvili playing at home, Tbilisi. I couldn’t find a legitimate vid of her playing Mozart so I thought this gorgeous piece of Bach would do nicely.

While here is a short vid of Matthew Coorey conducting. It isn’t Mahler…instead it is Kodaly, so there is still rather a lot of early 20th century noise and some unusual percussion – it was the closest I could find:

Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto & Mahler’s 6th Symphony, BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, 26 July 2000

This one has Pauline, Duchess of Castlebar’s fingerprints all over it. Not in terms of who paid for the evening, obviously, but in terms of who chose that concert.

Here is the BBC Proms stub for that concert.

A Wednesday evening (virtually guaranteeing a rush job for me and Janie after work), a large concert hall, big sound music…

…Janie does not much go for Beethoven orchestral works nor Mahler on a large scale. Mahler’s 6th would not be my first choice of Mahler symphony. I’m not sure it would even be my 6th choice.

Tim Ashley in The Guardian rated this concert “unmissable”. I always think that a bit harsh on anyone who wasn’t there at a concert, as they are by definition one-offs so anyone who wasn’t there missed it:

Jarvi Prom Ashley Guardian

Article from 28 Jul 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

Rick Jones in The Standard also rated this one highly. He also informs me (25 years later) that this was Paavo Järvi’s first Prom.

Prom 16 Jones Standard

Article from 27 Jul 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

So, it was no doubt a seriously good concert, and in those days I still enjoyed the opportunity to hear large orchestral works…

…even if The Duchess was part of the price, both additional ticket-wise, plus the costly sense of nervous tension before and after the concert.

“Did the evening continue on to dinner with The Duchess, even after such a long concert?” I hear sympathetic readers cry, while sensing a wave of pity for me and Janie.

Yup, if Janie’s bookings diary is to be believed. Atlantis in Pitshanger Lane – one of the few restaurants in Ealing that would take such a late booking – probably still would 25 years later:

Welcome

No doubt The Duchess insisted on one more cigarette, one or two more anecdotes hurled in the direction of the tolerant…some might say sycophantic…waiting staff, and zero appreciation that Janie and I both had really early starts the next day.

At sparrow-fart the next morning, Janie headed off to Ham to visit patients, while I headed off crack of dawn to Bristol to visit a Children’s Society site. It was “just what we did” back then – we wouldn’t dream of packing it in like that 25 years later.

A Night At The Proms With The Duchess & The Hallé Orchestra, 5 August 1999

In those days we used to take Janie’s mum, Pauline, aka The Duchess, to the Proms at least a couple of times a season.

She was partial to a bit of Mahler, and a bit of Ludwig van…

…and a bit of verbal ultraviolence, now I come think of it.

Anyway, this is what we heard:

  • Symphony No 7 in A major by Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Violin Concerto by Alban Berg
  • Adagio from Symphony No 10  by Gustav Mahler
  • Henry V: A Shakespeare Scenario – Touch Her Soft Lips and Part by William Walton, arr. C. Palmer (encore)

The Hallé Orchestra, leader Lyn Fletcher, conductor Kent Nagano, violinist Kyung-Wha Chung.

All that information and more is on the excellent BBC Proms stub for this concert, which also enables you to hear and read about the stuff we heard – click here.

Janie’s diary suggests that we ate at Golden Chopsticks afterwards, with the helpful name “Mr Chow” jotted beside the phone number. (Harrington Road…long since gone.)

Resurrection With Myung-Whun Chung & The London Symphony Orchestra At The Barbican Hall, 21 February 1999

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No 2 in C Minor “Resurrection” to be precise.

This was a very good concert. I hadn’t heard of Myung-Whun Chung before I booked this concert but was mightily impressed with what we heard and saw.

It possibly looked and sounded a bit like the following – Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by that chap:

Rick Jones in The Standard lauded it…

Myung-Whun Chung StandardMyung-Whun Chung Standard 22 Feb 1999, Mon Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

…while berating the fact that the hall was far from full. Lorin Maazel was coming later in the week, which might have held some people back.

We most fortuitously got to enjoy a bit of both…

…see next!

Nash Ensemble At The Wigmore Hall, 13 October 1998

I think we must have been experimenting a bit at The Wigmore Hall for this one, as I don’t think of this music as being Janie’s taste. Perhaps I was especially keen to encourage her to hear the Richard Strauss songs…or at least i was keen to hear them performed live. Olaf Bär certainly gave them some baritone oomph.

We heard:

  • Ludwig van Beethoven – Trio in B Flat Op 11 for Clarinet, Cello and Piano         
  • Gustav Mahler – Kindertotenlieder for Voice and Ensemble     
  • Richard Strauss – Five Songs    
  • Arnold Schoenberg – Verklarte Nacht Op 4 for String Sextet.

I sense that I enjoyed this concert more than Janie did.

A Rotterdam Good Prom On My Birthday, Royal Albert Hall, 28 August 1990

Bobbie joined me on my birthday in 1990 for this Prom. I seem to recall it was a goody.

James Conlon conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in the following works:

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Violin Concerto No 4 in D major, K 218
  • Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 6 in A minor

Isabelle van Keulen was the soloist for the Mozart. She was a young star back then, as was Mozart when he wrote his violin concertos.

Here are YouTubes of Isabelle’s recording of the Mozart 4 Violin Concerto. With the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra rather than the Rotterdam Philharmonic, but you can’t have everything. The girl can play.

There’s not much out there to illustrate James Conlon conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, but this section from Liszt’s Faust Symphony is rather charming:

While here is the Rotterdam Philharmonic more recently, with current Principle Conductor Lahav Shani, performing a short snatch from Mahler 6:

Meanwhile, back to that 1990 concert, Robert Henderson in The Telegraph seemed satisfied but not ecstatic:

Conlon Prom Henderson TelegraphConlon Prom Henderson Telegraph 31 Aug 1990, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Edward Greenfield in the Guardian waxed lyrical about the Mahler but not so about the Mozart. Comparing a 24-year-old prize winner debuting at the Proms with Pinchas Zuckerman seems a tad unfair, though.

Conlan Prom Greenfield GuardianConlan Prom Greenfield Guardian 31 Aug 1990, Fri The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

A Prom Commemorating The Day War Broke Out, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Simon Rattle, Royal Albert Hall, 3 September 1989

Another CBSO with Simon Rattle concert and another note in my diary wondering who joined me for this one. My prime suspect this time is Bobbie. For sure she was around again by then, as she had been away for most of August that year but for sure was back by the end of the month when we saw the Merchant Of Venice:

The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare, Phoenix Theatre, 29 August 1989

Here is a link to the BBC stub for this prom. This is what we heard:

  • Benjamin Britten – Sinfonia da Requiem
  • Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 7 in E minor

Anthony Payne in the Independent thinks Mahler’s 7th is a tough work and that the CBSO under Rattle did a good job with it:

Rattle Prom Payne IndyRattle Prom Payne Indy 05 Sep 1989, Tue The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Robert Henderson in the Telegraph thought the pairing of these two works ingenious while expressing his own doubts about Mahler’s 7th:

Rattle Prom Henderson TelegraphRattle Prom Henderson Telegraph 05 Sep 1989, Tue The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Want to judge for yourself? Here is Thomas Adès conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the Sinfonia da Requiem at the Proms in 2013…

…and here is Claudio Abbado with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra doing Mahler’s 7th.