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Here is a little music presented in a light-hearted manner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNDWCLVnpw

Classical doesn’t have to be stuffy!

I hope it brings a smile to everyone at this festive time. Have an enjoyable and safe Christmas!

Garth

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OscarCP

Oscar, that Prokofiev work I did not know, and although he is not one of my favourites, there is certainly a great vitality there. And what a tour de force – the technical difficulty is so great, Argerich simply makes it look so easy. I think there would be many concert pianists half her age who would settle for something quite a lot less than that performance.

Half an hour of extremely demanding technical ability, and she looks as fresh as a daisy at the end. What a performance!

Garth

A wonderful tenor, Nicolai Gedda.

Garth

As Oscar said some time ago, “there has not been enough Mozart here”, and rather surprisingly there has not been any performance of his Flute Concerto No.1 in G major in either part of this thread. I propose to remedy that with one released earlier this year by the RSNO with Principal Flute Katherine Bryan taking the lead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlgVrBzD95M

As with all recent live performances, the orchestra is considerably diminished for safety reasons, but in this case that is not really a problem. I suspect with an orchestra of less than 30 we are getting back more towards what the composer might have experienced in the late 18th Century.

And for good measure, the Mozart Oboe concerto in C major by the same orchestra, with Principal Adrian Wilson in the lead, again conducted by Gregory Batsleer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvWWlkGOHwk

Whatever the case, it’s always good to get back to Mozart!

Garth

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OscarCP

It was wonderful last night to be able to experience a live concert again, after nearly two years! The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra performed in Perth, Scotland, in Schumann’s 2nd Symphony, and coincidentally another Weber favourite, his 1st clarinet concerto. It was much appreciated by all that the orchestra came and performed, admittedly only about 45 strong rather than the more usual c70 performers, but that was doubtless due to social distancing.

Unfortunately this BBC orchestra don’t have the Weber work available on Youtube, but here is an equivalent with Jörg Widmann, who was indeed the director and clarinet soloist last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37kaymgFkUI

Garth

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OscarCP

Recently released version of Weber’s Clarinet Concerto, with Timothy Orpen and the RSNO Chamber Ensemble, Glasgow. The players are mostly principals of the main Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LahlQHoZ-9s

I always think this is a lovely piece, liquid and totally tuneful.

Garth

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OscarCP

Oscar, that tribute to Jacqueline du Pré featured on BBC TV last week here in the UK, so I was able to watch it. What came over to me was, as you mention, the over-riding joie de vivre (literally the joy of life) she had, as well as, of course, a complete and masterful musical talent that is so rare. It is absolutely worth an hour of anyone’s time.

Garth

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OscarCP

Welcome, and enjoy. Feel free to contribute.

Garth

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OscarCP

Here is a short but typically exuberant performance by the RSNO’s master timpanist, Paul Philbert, in Mahler #1. Paul is a perfectionist, as can be seen at any of his concerts, and also is a holder of the MBE for services to music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMI1Qv4I_Ss

There are several interesting follow-on links available when seeing this.

Garth

I think this was probably a one-off, done as an opener physical performance after the forced isolation due to Covid. It was done in conjunction with radio station Classic FM here in the UK. It was not a full orchestra by any means, something like 60% I think.

Nevertheless, there are links available for the RSNO online, which you may find rewarding. If you look at their subscription channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYfVi1Q2DP-NkY2loIquRwA

you will see some works available, as well as brief interpretive sessions with performers, and something for the younger element.

Garth

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OscarCP

Here is a new performer for me, Korean cellist Hee-Young Lim, playing Massenet’s ‘Meditation’ from Thais.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H75wuVUi0Lo

And then, to follow, an arrangement for cello and piano of the song “Vocalise” by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKAYL0nT-Lo

Beautiful music, beautifully played in this video.

Garth

And now for something in a slightly different format.

My regular orchestra here in Scotland is the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RSNO for short. As a result, I received an invitation to see a recent live performance in Glasgow; I could not be there, so the availability for the moment on Youtube is helpful for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_9y2czDCaY

This is a special live-stream of Sibelius’ Karelia Overture, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No.5. Rory Macdonald conducts, and one of the RSNO’s own stars, clarinettist Timothy Orpen, takes centre stage for the concerto, held in the New Auditorium of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Most of the performers are recognisable to me, as a regular attendee, so I can very much recommend this for viewing. How long it will be available I don’t know, so I suggest watching as soon as you can.

Garth

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OscarCP

Oscar,

I think this is somewhat misguided, even almost a pastiche, for the very reason you gave. Late Beethoven is a particular style (if one could so describe it) that would have been the summation of all his experiences, yes, but that does not mean that equal weight would have been given to all such experiences. He would surely have discarded some earlier experiences as being less worthwhile, or simply not working as well, or indeed wanting to move on or progress, so any such process as this would properly have to evaluate that experience, surely an impossible task. At the very least, the AI input should minimise the input from say the first half, or two thirds, of Beethoven’s life.

Indeed, just stating that shows the fallibility of the whole idea.

In musical terms, the work as played is perfectly innocuous, and does sound vaguely ‘Beethovenish’, but that’s all. There is no particular spark there. Just because it is now possible to do something such as this, does not mean one should!

Garth

The Carmen soloist is Clémentine Margaine, I believe, and according to the credits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9mentine_Margaine

Garth

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OscarCP

Yes, Nicola Benedetti has very few full-length performances on Youtube. The undoubted best IMV (and possibly only one) is Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, a wonderfully tuneful piece, and one with which I suspect she sympathises as very much part of her heritage and Scottish upbringing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpX8DoS2hr8

Garth