Edinburgh Festival 2012

[Orphical]

Makropoulos Case well worth it. Very good, straightforward production, finely sung.

[aeolium]

I won't be able to get to any of the EIF performances unfortunately but will be listening to as many of the R3 broadcasts as I can, and there's a superb programme coming live from the Queen's Hall at 11.00 today: two masterpieces of the string trio repertoire played by Frank Peter Zimmerman, Antoine Tamestit and Christian Poltéra.

[doversoul]

I won't be able to get to any of the EIF performances unfortunately but will be listening to as many of the R3 broadcasts as I can, and there's a superb programme coming live from the Queen's Hall at 11.00 today: two masterpieces of the string trio repertoire played by Frank Peter Zimmerman, Antoine Tamestit and Christian Poltéra.

…plus:
Wednesday 15
Les Vents Français, an ensemble featuring five of the world's top wind players make their Festival debut live from the Queen's Hall with a charmingly witty programme of mostly french music by Ibert, Ravel, Barber, Milhaud, Zemlinsky and Taffanel
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lt1y4

Thursday 16
Leif Ove Andsnes plats Beethoven and Chopin
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lt26w

Friday 17th
Leonidas Kavakos teams up with the brilliant Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky for sonatas by Janáçek, Brahms, Stravinsky and Respighi
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lt2rc

Chamber music at its most glorious. Do catch it before it disappears.

[PJPJ]

If you missed today's 11am concert by Daniil Trifonov, it's well worth catching up on iPlayer...........

[Northender]

If you missed today's 11am concert by Daniil Trifanov, it's well worth catching up on iPlayer...........

[Flosshilde]

Just got back from the Mahler Youth Orchestra concert - Act 3 prologue & Good Friday music from Parsifal, & Mahler 7. Both stunning, the horns especially good in the Mahler, wind generally very good in both.

(I just wish I'd remembered how uncomfortable the Upper Circle in the Usher Hall is - especially if you have longish legs. Not a good idea for sitting through a Mahler symphony. Great sound though)

[kernelbogey]

If you missed today's 11am concert by Daniil Trifonov, it's well worth catching up on iPlayer...........

I heard part of this on the car radio on a long journey yesterday. Astonishing technique combined with great musicianship. On iPlayer for another six days. Scriabin, Medtner, Stravinsky, Debussy & Chopin. He's only twenty-one, and clearly has a huge future.

[Kuhlau]

I attended the Trifonov recital, and I must say it was the most wonderful performance, this young man is an artist of astonishing potential. I cannot remember enjoying any concert as much as those two hours spent in a crowded Queens Hall. I met him briefly afterwards when he was signing programmes etc, and he seems excited to be returning to Glasgow in November, and also to be playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in Birmingham next year.

His FOURTH encore (not broadcast on Radio 3), a transcription of Die Fledermaus, was probably the most breathtaking pianism I have ever witnessed. And I am certainly not one for hyperbole!

Whilst in Edinburgh, I also took in Busoni's Piano Concerto, Garrick Ohlson as Soloist. Astonishing stamina required! I'm still trying to quite comprehend such a labyrinthine piece - it must be a life's work for some pianists to reach a performance standard for this work - incredible!

[Curalach]

Just got back from the Mahler Youth Orchestra concert - Act 3 prologue & Good Friday music from Parsifal, & Mahler 7. Both stunning, the horns especially good in the Mahler, wind generally very good in both.

(I just wish I'd remembered how uncomfortable the Upper Circle in the Usher Hall is - especially if you have longish legs. Not a good idea for sitting through a Mahler symphony. Great sound though)

That's interesting. I was at this concert last night and, sitting in the stalls, had some issues with the sound. The playing was excellent, although there were some ensemble problems, particularly in the Mahler. The woodwind were frequently swamped by the sheer weight of gorgeous string sound and most of the Nachtmusik tintinnabulations were lost. In the last movement the lute, positioned behind the strings next to the harps was practically inaudible.
From my perspective, these were all balance issues which the conductor failed to get right. I was left wondering if you could have too many string players in an orchestra!
The reading of the Mahler was, for me, too civilised and frequently far too slow, particularly in the first movement. It's a piece that needs a Tennstedt or a Bernstein to inject a level of excitement and, dare I say, malice, which Gatti signally failed to do.

[salymap]

Good to read about this year's Edinburgh Festival, difficult to realise it is 60 years [1952] since I last visited that beautiful City and saw the Tattoo and enjoyed the concerts.