RLPO Live on 2nd May, Brahms and Beethoven

[salymap]

RLPO conducted Vasily Petrenko, soloist in the Brahms Andreas Haefliger.

Brahms Piano Concerto no 1 in D minor

Beethoven Symphony no 5 in C minor

I only heard the Brahms, except I couldn't hear it. Whether tireness, tinnitus, or my radio and TV recorder, it wasn't getting through to me. I didn't wait about for the Beethoven.

What was it like for you [to coin a phrase]?

[DracoM]

Pretty muscular Brahms, but brisk and effective. Band in good nick, and Haefliger a persuasive champion of the work - well, IMO.
B's 5th was ....er, well.......B's 5th.

[salymap]

Pretty muscular Brahms, but brisk and effective. Band in good nick, and Haefliger a persuasive champion of the work - well, IMO.
B's 5th was ....er, well.......B's 5th.

Draco M I started to listen and record the Brahms. There was silence for some seconds although the volume was set quite high, then an almighty crash when that big chord near the beginning nearly burst the recording box. In other words balance - the middle sound seemed to be missing.Ill listen to the recording again later.

[rauschwerk]

Heard only the first movement in the car and was not encouraged to hear the rest when I got indoors. The main tempo marking is Maestoso and the second subject is marked poco piu moderato. In this performance the main tempo was very fast indeed, and the second subject tempo almost twice as slow. I considered this to verge on the ridiculous.

[DracoM]

Agree about tempi, but it made me think about the contrasts of material rather more. But I take your point.

[Caliban]

Heard only the first movement in the car and was not encouraged to hear the rest when I got indoors. The main tempo marking is Maestoso and the second subject is marked poco piu moderato. In this performance the main tempo was very fast indeed, and the second subject tempo almost twice as slow. I considered this to verge on the ridiculous.

Likewise, I caught the first movement and agree - the Maestoso aspect was lost. It was trim, precise, well-played, but the emphatic sounded merely clipped, too often.

[rauschwerk]

Likewise, I caught the first movement and agree - the Maestoso aspect was lost. It was trim, precise, well-played, but the emphatic sounded merely clipped, too often.

I did wonder about the sound quality, but am always reluctant to make judgments based on listening in the car. At first I thought it must be a chamber orchestra, since the piano seemed so loud in relation to it.

[Sir Monty Golfear]

The sound was very bass heavy with a somewhat recessed midrange .....slightly muddy, and certainly dynamically challenged. Perhaps that is why I could not really get into the Brahms. ..the sound seemed to rob the performance of life .

[3rd Viennese School]

I joined in the fun half way through Beethoven 5. Got a bit thrown when they missed out the repeat in the finale and went straight into the Development section.

Heard the Dvorak windy piece and was suprised that it wasnt from the Channel 4 testcard.

3VS

[Sir Monty Golfear]

I joined in the fun half way through Beethoven 5. Got a bit thrown when they missed out the repeat in the finale and went straight into the Development section.

Heard the Dvorak windy piece and was suprised that it wasnt from the Channel 4 testcard.

3VS

I think they missed the repeat out because there was a football match on the tv at 11, and they didn't want to miss the game.