Pushing Brahms Down the Temple Steps
Another Monday, another concert report:
Thursday evening, I went to see the Berliner Philhamoniker perform again, this time under the direction of one Maestro Pierre Boulez, playing 18 Stücke für Orchester (Four from Bartok, Five from Schönberg, Six from Webern, Three from Berg). That concert programming, incidentally, I would argue, is not nearly as contrived as it might seem (its certainly no Mozart Symphonies Nrs. 38 - 41). Actually, of course, the program makes a lot of sense - no different than exhibiting a set of paintings without titkes by artists of the same school (and one artist of a different, but helpfully so, school (a school, really, all of his own)).
An absolute tour de force of orchestral prowess, this concert. Easily launches in the "Top Five" I've ever seen. I knew that the Berliner Philharmoniker is ridiculously good, but their performances of these pieces was just mind-boggling good. So glad to get to see Boulez conduct as well - never have before - his hands carry more information more economical than... well anyone's, I suppose. Never before have I seen a band have so much fun performing either - after the end of the Berg (program was Bartok, Schönberg, Webern, Berg), the orchestra just kind of all slouched a moment, than released, and all looked around at each other, smiling and congratulating one another.
I think its fair to say that, if I never leave the States again, it is well likely that I'll never hear all four of those pieces played again in the rest of my life, unless a similiarly programmed concert is put on somewhere that I can get to (but where... San Fran? St. Louis?). This was a tourist-season concert, but still, its amazing to me to think that Berlin can pack a house with such ease, that its actually still even more of a draw to see a concert like this one. Boulez was brought out for 6 or 7 rounds of applause, including one where the orchestra remained seated and applauded with the audience.
Maybe at another time I'll write more about my impressions of the music...
Friday night, I went to a concert of two piece for chamber strings - Brahms' 2nd Sextet (Opus 36), and the main draw, Georges Enescu's Octet for 4 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos. I was extremely tried leading up to this concert, and after a last ditch effort to awaken (involving instant coffee, some warm water, and a large spoon), decided that I was going to have to go to the concert tired. I met a friend of mine there, and after we found our seats, leaned over to him and said "I'm too tired, so I'm going to sleep through the Brahms in order to really focus on the Enescu."
Plan executed perfectly. The players sounded quite nice on the Brahms, but I was only awake for about three minutes of it (out of about 45 (a nice nap!)). The Enescu, I was quite well awake for, properly refreshed, an astounding piece. About 50 minutes in length, but felt like about 10. He wrote it when he was startlingly young as well. There certainly are aspects of it that reflect the youth - in terms of the audibility of its harmonic progressions (or maybe thats only a reflection of the concert I'd heard the night before), but even those progressions were really interesting to listen to. I've not had a lot of opportunities to hear Enescu's music in concert, but its well worth it everytime.
With three weeks left in Berlin, it seems like most of my concert-going has now happened - only a few straggling concerts remain to be attended. Note on them as they happen...
Thursday evening, I went to see the Berliner Philhamoniker perform again, this time under the direction of one Maestro Pierre Boulez, playing 18 Stücke für Orchester (Four from Bartok, Five from Schönberg, Six from Webern, Three from Berg). That concert programming, incidentally, I would argue, is not nearly as contrived as it might seem (its certainly no Mozart Symphonies Nrs. 38 - 41). Actually, of course, the program makes a lot of sense - no different than exhibiting a set of paintings without titkes by artists of the same school (and one artist of a different, but helpfully so, school (a school, really, all of his own)).
An absolute tour de force of orchestral prowess, this concert. Easily launches in the "Top Five" I've ever seen. I knew that the Berliner Philharmoniker is ridiculously good, but their performances of these pieces was just mind-boggling good. So glad to get to see Boulez conduct as well - never have before - his hands carry more information more economical than... well anyone's, I suppose. Never before have I seen a band have so much fun performing either - after the end of the Berg (program was Bartok, Schönberg, Webern, Berg), the orchestra just kind of all slouched a moment, than released, and all looked around at each other, smiling and congratulating one another.
I think its fair to say that, if I never leave the States again, it is well likely that I'll never hear all four of those pieces played again in the rest of my life, unless a similiarly programmed concert is put on somewhere that I can get to (but where... San Fran? St. Louis?). This was a tourist-season concert, but still, its amazing to me to think that Berlin can pack a house with such ease, that its actually still even more of a draw to see a concert like this one. Boulez was brought out for 6 or 7 rounds of applause, including one where the orchestra remained seated and applauded with the audience.
Maybe at another time I'll write more about my impressions of the music...
Friday night, I went to a concert of two piece for chamber strings - Brahms' 2nd Sextet (Opus 36), and the main draw, Georges Enescu's Octet for 4 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos. I was extremely tried leading up to this concert, and after a last ditch effort to awaken (involving instant coffee, some warm water, and a large spoon), decided that I was going to have to go to the concert tired. I met a friend of mine there, and after we found our seats, leaned over to him and said "I'm too tired, so I'm going to sleep through the Brahms in order to really focus on the Enescu."
Plan executed perfectly. The players sounded quite nice on the Brahms, but I was only awake for about three minutes of it (out of about 45 (a nice nap!)). The Enescu, I was quite well awake for, properly refreshed, an astounding piece. About 50 minutes in length, but felt like about 10. He wrote it when he was startlingly young as well. There certainly are aspects of it that reflect the youth - in terms of the audibility of its harmonic progressions (or maybe thats only a reflection of the concert I'd heard the night before), but even those progressions were really interesting to listen to. I've not had a lot of opportunities to hear Enescu's music in concert, but its well worth it everytime.
With three weeks left in Berlin, it seems like most of my concert-going has now happened - only a few straggling concerts remain to be attended. Note on them as they happen...
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