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In late January and early February of 2003, the Muenchener Symphoniker had been giving a Mozart-Zyklus of piano concerti and opera overtures in four different programs.
The performance took place in the Prinzregententheater, a jewel of a small concert hall that is decorated in Neo-classical friezes and festooned with delicate swirls.
The playing was very good, and Howard Shelley, the conductor, was clearly quite accomplished, as he played the piano and conducted the orchestra, all the while able to not muss up the tails of his tuxedo. I enjoyed the fact that he was highly annoyed by someone's sniffling and sneezing when he was starting a particular movement. His concentration was disturbed just as he was about to commence.
After the first overture, it became apparent to me that my favorite orchestra instrument is the tympani. There was no tympani in the piano concerti, unsurprisingly.
I was made deeply unhappy by the ringing of a cellular phone during the second movement Andantino of Piano concerto No. 9, which destroyed my concentration. The phone rang twice, and convinced the American woman next to me to shuffle though her purse to turn off her electronic device, which made a nice beep as it put into the off position.
I ventured to the Philharmonie im Gasteig to hear the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg conducted by Hans Zender. Apparently SWR stands for Südwestrundfunk, Southwest Broadcasting.
Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Fawn" was fairly dull and moody. The best part of the evening was the Piano Concerto No.20 in d minor, KV 466. The soloist was Till Fellner, a gawky young man from Austria. He played well, as did the orchestra.
After the intermission was Schubert's Symphony No.9 in C Major, D 944, that they had listed as Symphonie, Nr. 8, C-Dur, "Die Grosse", D 944. This is because what would have been Symphony No.7 in E Major, D 729 is only a four-movement sketch completed in orchestral score in 1821, but not fully written out. At any rate, D 944 sounded pastoral to me, melodic but plain except for parts in the third movement Scherzo. Their playing was adequate. I couldn't stop thinking of fields and cows for most of this symphony. This probably doesn't speak well of me.
Due to a scheduling mishap, La Cenerentola and Angelika Kirchschlager's recital of Lieder von Franz Schubert on one evening. The opera started at 5pm and ended at 8:15pm, the recital began at 8pm but was only 5 minutes away by taxi. Nonetheless, the first half of the Lieder were missed. Straining to listen in the hallway, but it was not quiet enough.
Kirchschlager's voice is clear and warm, without the slightest darkness whatsoever. She has very good control and precise enunciation.
The Saturday before Easter, the Collegium Vocale Gent sang J.S. Bach's Johannespassion, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe and with the Orchestra of Collegium Vocale Gent.
The soloists were Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Sebastian Noack (baritone), Sibylla Rubens (soprano), Ingeborg Danz (contralto), Jan Kobow (tenor), and Thomas Bauer (baritone).
The music was sublime, so very different than opera, having a much greater intensity. Apparently, this ensemble has performed both the normal 1724 version of this work, and the second version of 1725. On this occasion, they performed the former. Herreweghe conducted adequetely, the choir was very solid. The period instruments involved sounded a bit strange to my ears that are too accustomed to hearing only the orchestra at the Bavarian State Opera. The instrumentation includes viola d' amore, viola da gamba, oboe d'amore, the english horn, the lute, and the continuo.
The strongest singers were Christoph Prégardien, the first tenor who sang the Evangelist, and Sibylla Rubens, the soprano. Rubens sang the aria "Zerfliesse, mein Herze" exceedingly well.
Sebastian Noack, the first baritone who sang the part of Jesus, has a nice upper range, but does not project well in the lower. The second tenor, Jan Kobow, seemed much to quiet to me. Ingeborg Danz, the contralto, left me indifferent, and I like the contralto voice best in general. So that was odd. Thomas Bauer, the second baritone who sang Pilate, also left me cold.
The performance had the largest crowd I have seen at the Philharmonie am Gasteig, probably because it was the long Easter weekend. The applause was on the hysterical side, with much foot stamping. Utterly absurd.
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