[Jim and Pat Dalton]

Last June for my birthday Pat bought me tickets to see Daniel Barenboim and also Lang Lang for the following Jan/Feb

Last Saturday was the day for Barenboim who with the Staatskapelle Berlin was to play Verklarte Nacht and No5 The Emperor piano concerto.

We had been to the Symphony Hall (BSH) once before to see Christy Moore (who was disappointing musically) and we were delighted with the ease of access to the centre of Birmingham along with the surrounding facilities and the facilities in the hall compared to London venues such as the RAH. We also knew the acoustics were very good.

Our seats (for both concerts) which were difficult to obtain were a bit of a Hobson's choice and for this evenings performance we found ourselves on the 5th floor abeam the stage left.



The seats were very comfortable, not fixed in position and there was loads of room around us. Next to us was a nice chap (84 years old) and ex civil engineer and a regular attendee of the BSH. Talking to him he explained that we were in one of the best positions for orchestration at this venue and he talked us through all the best places to sit for various types of performance.

Anyway the Transfigured night is not a fav of mine, Ive heard recordings of it and its a bit Tess of the D'Urbervilles for me leaving me a bit depressed. But I love the piano playing on The Emperor and we settled down on the 5th floor staring at Barenboim's bald patch for the proceedings to start.

Verklarte Nacht started and I was hit with this wall of the most beautifully executed string music that caught me completely by surprise. Barenboim and the Staatskapelle must be one of the best Conductor/Orchestral combinations going. The acoustic quality of the BSH far outstrips anything I have heard in my short musical experience. The start of the 2nd movement was just utterly amazing.

Having attended St Albans Art College on a special day release from school from age 13. I sometimes like to kid myself that I still have an appreciation of fine visual art despite being an ignorant grunt. What struck me about this "thing" that was happening this evening was, I'm hearing some of the very finest of art.

Art that was riding on air and could only be experienced within a short moment of time and only ever shared between the listeners and performers present at this very moment of time. There is no recording on any medium so far invented that could replicate what I was experiencing.

For the Emperor, I was in a the most fantastic postion to watch Barenboim play as well as aurally and for the encore Barenboim appropriately played some Chopin

Last Saturday, Daniel Barenboim, The Staatskapelle and the BSH took me to another level and my life has been changed. Also The Birmingham Symphony Hall just rocks imho!!!

This morning I wasted most of my piano lesson today enthusing to my teacher about my experience and then paid her for the privilege!!!

Anyway, this Thursday its Lang Lang, The Appassionata and............ the wrong seats

Sorry to bore you I just have to keep telling someone, anybody.


Jim

[Keef]

Lucky blighter!

[Steve D]

Sounds wonderful. I envy you.

I think there are a few 'challenging' pieces (Verklarte Nacht among them) which I would like to hear live, and I won't dismiss them as pieces I don't like until I've heard them that way. Because even the best recording and the finest hifi can only be a facsimile, and in the most difficult cases it just isn't enough.

Even for pieces I love, the experience of a live performance is transcendent. I went to a performance of the BBC Phil doing Mahler 1 at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall a week or so ago. A life-affirming experience, no question about that.

[Gerard Clarke]

I would say that Verklarte Nacht is pretty tame by Schoenberg standards. I like that piece, but am unable to warm to his later stuff. As for Second Viennese School generally, I can put up with Berg if watching Wozzeck or Lulu on stage, but can't listen to his stuff at home or elsewhere.

I agree that the Symphony hall is a great venue, and Barenboim must be one of the greatest of living musicians.

[Jim and Pat Dalton]

Barenboim is certainly very talented, but tell me is it ok to have forgiven him for his selfishness in betraying that english rose whilst she was so ill yet?


Anyway we are getting ready to nip up to Birmingham this afternoon for Lang Lang, should be interesting and from now on I will have to ensure I don't carry any biase into a live music venue again. Lesson well learn't.

Cost me £1 to park last Saturday and the restaurants are pretty competitive too, so the whole experiance is very pleasing and you get the BSH on top.

With Lang Lang, Its obviously a show off session (would you expect anything else)

Beethoven Piano Sonata in C, Op 2, No 3 26’
Beethoven Piano Sonata in F minor, Op 57, Appassionata 24’
Albéniz Iberia Book 1 21’
Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 7 18’

But i'm looking forward to spending more time at this venue for lots of other stuff in the future.




Jim

[Steve D]

I would say that Verklarte Nacht is pretty tame by Schoenberg standards. I like that piece, but am unable to warm to his later stuff.

I'd agree. Before he got into serialism, Schoenberg was shaping up to be a great composer. I've not yet heard a serially-composed piece of music that I like. I may, at a pinch, concede that some are interesting (in a purely academic way) but musically? Not for me, thanks. That doesn't just apply to Schoenberg, of course - Britten had his moments - but I hold him responsible.

[Gerard Clarke]

Britten was not a serialist or an atonal composer. He planned to study with Berg but never did so, Britten was a genius, and well worth getting into (as Peter Pears would agree, albeit for reasons not exclusively musical).

As for Barenboim and Du Pre, he is too private and maybe too decent a man to give his side of the story, and every family story has two sides. Her family's version of events is well known. I would not call him a betrayer, and, even if he was one, he has surely atoned for that by his work for peace in the Middle East.

[Steve D]

Sorry, Gerard. Must disagree, Britten's 'The Turn of the Screw' is serially composed and I'm afraid I just don't get it. Other Britten (Sea Interludes, YPGTO, Ceremony of Carols, St Nicholas, Peter Grimes...) are indeed very fine, I do enjoy them and share your general admiration for Britten, but The Turn of the Screw leaves me unmoved and rather bewildered.

[Jim and Pat Dalton]

David Mellor gave a good review of Barenboim and the Staatskapelle in today's MOS

I'm still a musical novice in a lot of respects, so haven't founds the ear for that other Shoenberg stuff. Its is interesting to hear you guys discuss him and Brittan, maybe one day I shall have a good listen and see if it connects.

But for me I'm afraid right now i'm turning towards Latin subjects and after hearing Lang Lang play the evocation the other night, I'm scared that I may be about to bite off more than this feeble brain can chew.

I was also really annoyed at the amount of coughing that went on at the BSH, I couldn't believe people were so blimming rude!


Jim

[Gerard Clarke]

I am not a huge fan of "Turn of the Screw" either, Steve, but the other Britten operas ("Curlew River" excepted) press all of my buttons. Seeing Michael Chance as Oberon in the Glyndebourne production of "a Midsummer Night's Dream" on midsummer night a few years ago was one of my greatest ever experiences in musical drama.

[Gerard Clarke]

The concert that Jim attended is on R3 now. Very fine. Jim, you lucky bloke.