The BBC Proms continue to dominate the classical calendar in the UK this week with the limelight been stolen by a visiting American orchestra.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis got their teeth into Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Davis attacked it at this Prom with ambition and scope as he's a conductor determined to conquer it. Soloist Sarah Connolly was fully in charge of her vocal colours, while the chorus faced their challenging task with unfailing bravery and energy.
Saturday's Matinee concert at Cadogan Hall provided an otherworldly experience of contemporary classical music. With beauty and ugliness in controlled balance, young cellist Nathalie Clein confidently guided the audience through Gubaidulina's modernist, Russian-tinged music. The pure sound of the BBC singers was brought out by the Renaissance pastiche of the Tippet and the diverse and broad nature of the programming is showcased at the Saturday Matinee's.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra were in fine fettle on Tuesday night, with conductor Manfred Honeck delivering a typically idiosyncratic version of Mahler Five which was bright, brash and bracing. The result was riveting and they proved that they could also do meek and mild when it suited them in the spectral Lohengrin Overture and Wolfgang Rihm's ethereal violin concerto Gesungene Zeit.
A well-chosen curiosity by Walter Braunfels, a vivid orchestral variation of a Berlioz song was performed by the same orchestra the previous night and had its own swaggering charm in this cut-down version. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 again leaned too far towards the strident however, as the drama and urgency was pushed out by conductor Honeck at the expense of coherence.
Yuri Bashmet's outstanding pairing of Brahms and Tchaikovsky and an intriguing collection by contemporary composer Leonid Desyatnikov make up the best classical CD releases of the week. Also impressive was the bargain box set of the flamboyant, entertaining and yet neglected Russian composer Rheingold Glire.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis got their teeth into Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Davis attacked it at this Prom with ambition and scope as he's a conductor determined to conquer it. Soloist Sarah Connolly was fully in charge of her vocal colours, while the chorus faced their challenging task with unfailing bravery and energy.
Saturday's Matinee concert at Cadogan Hall provided an otherworldly experience of contemporary classical music. With beauty and ugliness in controlled balance, young cellist Nathalie Clein confidently guided the audience through Gubaidulina's modernist, Russian-tinged music. The pure sound of the BBC singers was brought out by the Renaissance pastiche of the Tippet and the diverse and broad nature of the programming is showcased at the Saturday Matinee's.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra were in fine fettle on Tuesday night, with conductor Manfred Honeck delivering a typically idiosyncratic version of Mahler Five which was bright, brash and bracing. The result was riveting and they proved that they could also do meek and mild when it suited them in the spectral Lohengrin Overture and Wolfgang Rihm's ethereal violin concerto Gesungene Zeit.
A well-chosen curiosity by Walter Braunfels, a vivid orchestral variation of a Berlioz song was performed by the same orchestra the previous night and had its own swaggering charm in this cut-down version. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 again leaned too far towards the strident however, as the drama and urgency was pushed out by conductor Honeck at the expense of coherence.
Yuri Bashmet's outstanding pairing of Brahms and Tchaikovsky and an intriguing collection by contemporary composer Leonid Desyatnikov make up the best classical CD releases of the week. Also impressive was the bargain box set of the flamboyant, entertaining and yet neglected Russian composer Rheingold Glire.
About the Author:
As a writer in London, Steve Alexander has built up a considerable knowledge of the best classical music in the UK. For more information and reviews from the classical music world, visit theartsdesk.com.
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