A tale of two concerts

The last few weeks have seen the classical seasons kick off in earnest in London. A time of year I always enjoy, especially this year after what has seemed to me to be a rather underwhelming Proms season  (I’m not a massive fan of the Proms anyway, but maybe more of that another time).

Opening the Southbank’s visiting Orchestra season was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and I made it to the second of their two vastly over-priced concerts there. Really, the prices being charged were pretty outrageous – £75 for the stalls (usually about £35), £50 for the side stalls (usually about £25 or so). No wonder that the choir stalls sold out first, and that the second concert was some way short of full.

But hey, this is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and with boring the esteemed Bernard Haitink, so surely we were in for an exceptional night out? Hmm… Well I have to say it was perfect. But unfortunately perfection doesn’t necessarily make for a thrilling evening. The opening Haydn had no joy, no life, no sense of fun, entertainment. It was as if to say ‘ this is how symphony orchestras play Haydn’, no one had bothered to rethink it, enquire or question. It was, in short, flat. Oh to hear the OAE or AAM play it! To be fair, I had higher expectations of the Bruckner that followed. But no, my hopes were dashed. Sure, it was very good, note perfect etc. But it had no passion, and I had no sense that the players or indeed conductor were really interested in playing it. Of course the performance was greeted by wild applause and a standing ovation, but if I had paid £75 I think I would have wanted to pretend it was the best performance ever too.

A spot-on review in the FT here:

A few days later I was back at the RFH for one of the LPO’s season openers: Mahler 2, coupled with a piece by Kurtag. Now, the LPO is by no means as perfect as the CSO, and Vladimir Jurowski’s performances are sometimes too clinical. But this performance, for me, knocked the socks off the CSO a few days previously. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but that doesn’t matter when you can feel the music in this way, when you are exhilarated, taken on a journey and transported. It wasn’t music making ‘by numbers’, and perhaps the fact it does stretch the orchestra adds to the excitement. For me, this was real music-making, done with seriousness, intent, but also love and passion, which for me, is what music is all about, be it classical or otherwise. For this season, the home team is currently winning one-nil.

A hidden Scottish gem

A couple of months ago I found myself in Aberdeen, and happily found out that the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra was in town at the same time. Not only them but conductor Carlo Rizzi and violinist Anna Akiko Meyers. And a fantastic programme as well – Ravel Mother Goose Suite, Barber’s Violin Concerto and Frank Symphony in D. A perusal of brochures suggests that Aberdeen has an unexpectedly thriving classical music scene. There are about 4, 5 or 6 visit from each of the BBCSSO, RSNO and Scottish Chamber Orchestra – plus the occasional visiting international orchestra and a series from the Scottish Ensemble – all in all pretty impressive. However the most impressive thing turned out to the the venue – Aberdeen’s Music Hall. Behind the stern exterior lay a stunning foyer and bar and beyond them a real jewel of a auditorium – something along the lines of the typical continental concert hall, such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. A bit of a cuture shock to someone used to the Southbank’s concrete brutalism!. The concert hall has a classic ’shoebox’ shape with beautiful murals dotted around. I’m no expert, but the sound seemed pretty good to me, certainly if this hall were in London it would quickly become my favourite.

Two things dampened the otherwise fantastic venue and music-making. First the rather sad state of the hall. A leaflet in the foyer proudly told the reader that it had been throughly refurbished in the late 80’s! Twenty years ago! It was certainly showing signs of neglect, and looked rather sad in places. Second, there was a rather paltry audience – the house manager said about 600 (50%), and said that that was typical for classical concerts. If this hall was on the continent it would almost certainly be loved by audiences and seen as a huge asset for the city – it’s a shame that Aberdeen doesn’t seem to recognise the hidden musical jem on Union Street.

The worst value programmes in London?

Is this the worst value programme in London? Quite possibly. It’s a programme produced by the Southbank Centre for its two concerts with the

Southbank Centre programme

Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. Now, if I had been going to just one of these concerts and bought this, I would have paid £3 for two, yes just two, pages of programmes notes. Ok, there are a few other things, but nothing you would actually want to read – long and boring biographies, probably just produced by the artists agent. A list of players names, some adverts, and a list of donors. So really, the only thing of interest to the punter is the notes, and I think £3 for these is pretty poor value.

Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra

It’s hard to know what to write about the visit this past week of this much-hyped ensemble. There has been so much coverage it’s hard to know how I could possibly add to it in any meaningful way. What most reviewers seem to have agreed is that while it’s not the best orchestra in the world, it is one of the most exciting.

I’d largely agree with that. It’s been a fantastic experience to sit though two concerts which have had such a buzz around them, where the audience has been hungry for the music, and where the Orchestra seem excited to be there. It’s a marked contrast to the many concerts where it feels like a duty for audience and orchestra alike to be there.

Blogging at last

So, here we go, my first personal blog entry. I’ve been thinking about doing this for ages, but as is the way with lots of things in my life, a good idea never quite made it into reality. Until now. After composing yet another ‘virtual’ blog entry in my head on the way to this evening’s Simon Bolivar concert at the Festival Hall, (or Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall as it’s catchily known these days), I decided I should really actually DO this.  After all by now I’ve got quite a few blog articles written in my head.