tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post9102617324055364390..comments2024-03-05T10:14:38.181+00:00Comments on CLASSICAL ICONOCLAST: Mahler, Dramatist - Symphony No 8 Jurowski Royal Festival HallDoundou Tchilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469682216179706743noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post-64267565932304954842017-04-09T12:22:38.874+01:002017-04-09T12:22:38.874+01:00This is a great review and I wish I could have att...This is a great review and I wish I could have attended this concert. It sounds like Jurowski really thought about it. But "a two-hour symphony?" Most Mahler 8ths clock in at a little over 80 minutes and there is at least one -- the BBC Music Magazine recording by BBC Scottish conducted by Donald Runnicles -- that fit on a single disc, without cuts. Maybe you were adding the interval between Parts 1 and 2. Not sure I agree with that idea but you made it sound at least plausible.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02350464588723842816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post-44640736786296913452017-04-09T11:58:03.070+01:002017-04-09T11:58:03.070+01:00What an enriching, insightful review - thank you!
...What an enriching, insightful review - thank you!<br /><br />My friend and I found last night's concert an overwhelming experience. It took us back to the LPO Tennstedt recording on EMI that first hooked us on this sublime work of art - both were taut, brilliantly controlled performances although the LPO last night sounded more refined and precise. The balances were superb too (apart from the screeching piccolo). We heard detail we'd not picked out before in live performances or recordings. Where Jurowski stood out, I think, is that you never had the sense of 'unwieldy forces'- the performance was taut, and all the more powerful in the climaxes because of the economy in dynamics. His cues to choirs and orchestra alike were impeccable.<br /><br />I would be interested to know what you meant by a lack of interpretive depth.<br /><br />The concert as a whole was a masterclass in how to innovate with staple repertoire without descending into gimmickry. Spem in alium as an exquisite prelude moving so rewardingly without pause into the Veni Creator Spiritus, the placing of choirs and soloists (reminiscent of Abbado/Lucerne Mahlers), lighting - all brilliantly done. We would only have preferred the trumpet and trombone bells to be facing the audience - that's standard practice for very good reasons. You're spot to highlight and praise the bold, unorthodox scheduling of the interval. <br /><br />We have treasured memories of live M8s. Maazel/Philharmonia in 2011, also at the RFH was an impassioned performance, but in an overheated hall in which Maazel tried to wring out a bit too much from the choirs, who struggled. A bassist fainted and my brother dashed forward to catch her instrument as it fell off the stage! We were also at St Paul's Cathedral for Gergiev/LSO - wrecked by our cheap seats in the transept, rendering the sound mushy and distant. So disappointing - I've heard the recording is excellent, but have never had the heart to buy it. Before last night, our high point was Maazel/LSO at the RAH in the mid nineties. Being in the stalls helped no end. Plus... THAT organ, and Maurice Murphy on principal trumpet! But last night was right up there in our most impacting and cherished experiences of this astonishing symphony. Unforgettable.<br /><br />Thanks again for sharing your excellent review, and the preceding reflections on Mahler's Eighth.Matt Cliftonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16944403991882062014noreply@blogger.com