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concert review: Vienna Philharmonic
Feb. 27th, 2011 06:44 pmI've been having my ears filled with the Vienna Philharmonic. Not only did I write the preview article on their three-concert residency in Berkeley, as I described earlier, I've been to two of the concerts.
I wasn't expecting this. I went to the first concert (Schubert on the one hand, Wagner and Bartok on the other) as the emergency fill-in reviewer. And a hasty substitution it was, too: Four hours after getting the call from my editor, I was prepped and had made the hour trip to Berkeley to have a very fast dinner and attend the pre-concert talk. Here's the emergency fill-in review. I found the concert highly ear-opening, particularly the Wagner which felt precision-made for their strengths. I have, of course, heard the orchestra's famous recording of Wagner's Ring with Georg Solti, but there's nothing like being there in person.
After that, there was nothing the second concert, which I attended on private benefaction, could do except confirm what a great opportunity this was (even in annoying Zellerbach, overloaded in the front seats, muffled further back). And to do it in music more to my own tastes than Wagner or Bartok, two symphonies by Schumann and Brahms. Again, lovely playing, particularly in slow movements of transcendent beauty. Cellos again leapt out at you when given Brahms's yearning themes.
( And now, a Controversial Topic )
I wasn't expecting this. I went to the first concert (Schubert on the one hand, Wagner and Bartok on the other) as the emergency fill-in reviewer. And a hasty substitution it was, too: Four hours after getting the call from my editor, I was prepped and had made the hour trip to Berkeley to have a very fast dinner and attend the pre-concert talk. Here's the emergency fill-in review. I found the concert highly ear-opening, particularly the Wagner which felt precision-made for their strengths. I have, of course, heard the orchestra's famous recording of Wagner's Ring with Georg Solti, but there's nothing like being there in person.
After that, there was nothing the second concert, which I attended on private benefaction, could do except confirm what a great opportunity this was (even in annoying Zellerbach, overloaded in the front seats, muffled further back). And to do it in music more to my own tastes than Wagner or Bartok, two symphonies by Schumann and Brahms. Again, lovely playing, particularly in slow movements of transcendent beauty. Cellos again leapt out at you when given Brahms's yearning themes.
( And now, a Controversial Topic )
