...so now I can mention that this weekend is the San Francisco Symphony's more-or-less annual bargain ticket sale. All tickets are $25 or $55. I am stocked up for the spring, with these:
Metzmacher/Bartok, Ligeti, Shostakovich
MTT/MTT, Sibelius, Shostakovich (wondering if the two MTT pieces will be better than Island Music, which I was much too kind to in my review)
Gilbert/Stucky, Mozart, Nielsen
Dutoit/Falla, Strauss (have wanted to hear Master Peter for 30 years)
Labadie/Haydn
MTT/Brahms 3, PC2
MTT/German Requiem, songs for women's chorus (wondering if the songs are Op. 17)
Gaffigan,Shwartz, Bohlin/Turnage, Poulenc, Prokfiev, Bartok
Oramo/Lindberg, Beethoven, Debussy, mostly for the Lindberg
Robertson/Lutoslawski, Janacek, Dvorak
I passed on Dudamel (I know, I know - I'll see how I'm feeling that week), I sorta feel like I should see MTT/Gil Shaham for the W. Schuman violin concerto, a real rarity, but....
I really hate the way SFS bills their concerts: the Alan Gilbert series is advertised as "Goode Plays Mozart!" Well, yes, but the other pieces are the draw for me.
7 comments:
Richard Goode is a fantastic Mozartean! Alan Gilbert is, what, a mind-blowing Nielsenian?! That's a rare example of smart marketing.
I think it has to do with how they list their concerts, which necessitates careful reading. It's smart marketing if you're trying to highlight celebrity performers and well-known pieces. But they're missing anyone who is looking for the offbeat or lesser-known performers. I have nothing against beloved masterpieces or famous performers -- they're often a draw for me. But I've also learned I need to read the Symphony's listings very carefully, because often the pieces I would like to hear are tucked away in the shadows of the sure-fire seller.
I'd push you to go see Dudamel, Lisa, if only the program were more interesting.
Marc, sadly I find Goode something of a bore. Gilbert's strength is in 20th c. and contemporary music, and the Stucky & Nielsen are the draws for me.
Patrick, yes, exactly.
Steve, I'm conflicted about Dudamel; the amount of publicity he's getting is enough to make me wary. I share the concern of Out West Arts, who worries that Salonen's imaginative programming at the LAPO will give way to something duller. Only time will tell, of course, and of course I have not HEARD Dudamel yet. Probably I should go....
I'm interested to know what you think of Grimaud. I heard her in recital at Davies--admittedly quite a few years agao--and was sort of disappointed.
I heard her play a concerto at SFS some years back and thought "eh," but I've never heard any of the Bartok concertos live, so....
Steve, I'm conflicted about Dudamel; the amount of publicity he's getting is enough to make me wary.
As it should! He's still really young and has a limited amount of works in his repetoire. My worry is that the Los Angeles Philharmonic is going to be the orchestra he does on-the-job training with.
I share the concern of Out West Arts, who worries that Salonen's imaginative programming at the LAPO will give way to something duller.
That would make the average subscriber happy! More Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms, less Messiaen, Lindberg and Saariaho. :-) To be honest, except for the stand alone festivals and stuff he does with the Green Umbrella group, Salonen's programming isn't all *that* adventurous. A survey of Beethoven symphonies? John Adams? Ummmm, no. But Mr. Dudamel'll bring his own enthusiasms to the table; I suspect we're going to hear the complete symphonies of Carlos Chavez or something similar, for example. I'd prefer more Birtwistle and Boulez and so on, but oh well......
Only time will tell, of course, and of course I have not HEARD Dudamel yet. Probably I should go....
Yeah, you should hear for yourself. I've heard him twice, with the LAP (Kodaly, Rach 3, Bartok Concerto for Orchestra) and the SBYO (Bernstein, Mahler 5). I liked the LAPO concert quite a bit --they played really during the Bartok and Yefim Bronfman was amazing during the Rachmaninov-- the SBYO not at all.
My impression is that he drives everything, everything is done for maximum excitement and momentum, the moments of repose and calm get steamrollered. This was the case during the SBYO concert and I found it really wearying after a while.
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