The Emperor, Yes Anton we heard you, and dear, dear Franzy....

[thoreau]

The program last night, Philharmonia Baroque performing the 'Emperor' Piano Concerto #5 by Beethoven - as followed by two interesting - and beautiful pieces: Anton Reicha's Overture in D major and Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 3.

The first, the Beethoven, was beautiful. Pianist Robert Levin was masterful, swift and commanding on the fortepiano. I had not heard the piece on the actual "historical" instrument before - a fortepiano sounds like a hybrid between a modern piano and a harpisichord. It has a VERY tenor sound - and almost has a tinny sound - making the percussive Beethoven even more interesting. Why? on a modern piano the swirls of notes might merge a little, creating a wave of sound - but on the forte piano you could hear every single note of the runs and the swirls. It was overtly precise - which really does Beethoven's concerto justice. :)

The Philharmonia itself was interestingly staged - with the strings up front - the french horns in the back - and the wind section (two flutes, two clarinets, two oboes and two bassoons) on a riser sitting above the rest of the orchestra on two levels. The affect - being that it gave the winds greater emphasis that I've ever seen before in this sort of performance.

The Reicha piece - first after intermission - demonstrated why most baroque music isn't always my cup of tea. Reicha introduces a 9 or 10 bar melody then plays it over and over and over and over. and over and over and over and over. never rethinking it - never rekeying it - just - 20 minutes of the same bars repeated. ugh.

The Schubert however! Sublime. But then I'm soft on Franzy - a great deal. Four movements with lovely little musical conversations with the strings and the winds. I enjoyed it a great deal.

As always, Mr. P's company was wonderful. We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. particularly talking about a woman who had dressed in the LOUDEST red silk suitpantensemble with black polkadots, a matching coat and - oh dear god - a matching silk hat that - well - someone had not thought through. it looked like the rest of the outfit (hideous already) had taken a giant fashion sized dump on her hairdo. it was ghastttttttully. (no polka dots were harmed in the retelling of this fashion disaster) Now - to set this up correctly - you have to realize that Eric P. has an armor piercing projectile laugh. so - we're walking out for intermission and I whisper "fashion disaster at 10 o'clock" - and well - Mr. P looks up at the poor dear and explodes in laughter - literally. so - we pushed our way through the crowd to outfront of the Herbst and exploded laughing. (yes, I know, karma and all - we're both headed to hell.) but - conversation then ranged from "why do red gummy bears taste so good" to outrage over the Herbst not having drinking fountains - but insisting you buy the $5 bottled water at the "bar."

anyhow. it was a great great evening.

Comments

I TASTE DELICIOUS

[bootedintexas.livejournal.com]

[xianjessen.livejournal.com]

Next time you're at the Herbst Theatre check out the inside lobby to the right--there is drinking water there in the form of a water cooler and cups. No charge. The old water fountains have been disabled for some years now, but only because the plumbing needs a complete overhaul.

[kenwoodville.livejournal.com]

I laughed so hard about the polkadot lady I had tears in my eyes...!

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

oh - it was priceless! the poor dear. but our behavior was a little "loud" --- but - its fun to write about afterwards.

[bearfuz.livejournal.com]

Love the review of what was obviously a fun evening. I, too, am fond of Schubert, and sometimes I find myself wondering what he might have done for 19th-century music had he lived past age 31. Ah well, the road not taken and all that.

A tiny point of accuracy: While I'm not at all familiar with the Reicha Overture in D, and I therefore don't dispute your description of it, it's *not* a Baroque piece; Reicha was a contemporary (and good friend) of Beethoven, which places most of his productive composing years pretty squarely into the early Romantic era, though no doubt his early influences were more Classical (as were Beethoven's). ;-)

[fallen-x-ashes.livejournal.com]

The Schubert however! Sublime. But then I'm soft on Franzy - a great deal. Four movements with lovely little musical conversations with the strings and the winds. I enjoyed it a great deal.

romanticism! Romanticism! Romanticism! ROMANTICISM!!!!

[fallen-x-ashes.livejournal.com]

That would explain repeating the same thing over and over. As that sounds more like Overture of 1812 to me then Der Geist Hilft

[f8n-begorra.livejournal.com]

I can't believe Robert Levin was in town last night and I wasn't! Dear god, where's my social life gone?