End of this blog

I decided to stop this blog, and started a similar one in Dutch: http://klassiekemuziek.blogspot.com/

Start of the summer

Monday July 3, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Antonino Siragusa - Il Conte d'Almaviva
Donato di Stefano - Bartolo
Silvia Tro Santafé - Rosina
Angelo Veccia - Figaro
Giovanni Furlanetto - Basilio
Choir of the Dutch Opera
Dutch Chamber Orchestra, Julian Reynolds (conductor)

Repetition of the performance last january. Good start of the summer and another great concert season.

Sokhiev & Mork

Friday June 23, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Firsova: The garden of dreams
Sjostakovitsj: Cello concerto no. 2
Prokofiev: Symphony no. 7

Truls Mork, cello
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Tugan Sokhiev (cond.)

A fine concert, by the very good playing of Mork in that great cello concerto by Sjostakovitjs. Never heard the 7th symphony of Prokofiev before.

again

Thursday June 22, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Sjostakovitsj: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

performers: see below

The Boris were played by Kotsjerga, but the singing side-stage was by Vladimir Vaneev. Again: this was the production of the year!

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Monday June 19, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Sjostakovitsj: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Anatoli Kotsjerga - Boris
Eva-Maria Westbroek - Katerina
Christopher Ventris - Sergej
Ludovít Ludha - Zinovi
Choir of the Dutch Opera
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons (cond.)

One of the most exciting opera performances I've ever joined. Everything was perfect: the stage production, the singing and above all the orchestral playing.

Vienna Philharmonic

Monday, June 12 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Mozart: Symphony no. 32

Mozart: Flute concerto, KV 313

Sjostakovitsj: Symphony nr. 10

Wolfgang Schulz (flute)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Bernard Haitink (cond.)

Good concert; it's always fine to hear this great orchestra. But they are not familiar with Sjostakovitsj. By Haitink (who is!) it became a good performance.

Simon Boccanegra (2)

Thursday May 25, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra

Andrzej Dobber - Simone Boccanegra
Roberto Scandiuzzi - Fiesco
Angela Marambio - Amelia
Roberto Covatta- Gabriele
Marco Vratogna - Paolo
Roberto Accurso - Pietro
Choir of the Dutch Opera
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra - Ingo Metzmacher (conductor)

A new, even better tenor and for the rest again a great performance. But they should fire the stage producer (Mussbach) fot the rest of his life.

Wednesday May 24, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Bach: Mass b minor 'Hohe Messe'

Joanne Lunn - soprano
Christina Landshamer - soprano
Robin Blaze - altus
Gerd Türk - tenor
Peter Kooij - bass
Bach Collegium Japan - Masaaki Suzuki (conductor)

A very good performance of this great work, which I heard almost 20 years ago for the first and last time live. Especially the two most wonderful parts of this work, the 'Et incarnatus est' and 'Crucifixus' were beautifully sung.

Simon Boccanegra

Monday May 15, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra

Andrzej Dobber - Simone Boccanegra
Roberto Scandiuzzi - Fiesco
Angela Marambio - Amelia
Alfredo Portilla - Gabriele
Marco Vratogna - Paolo
Roberto Accurso - Pietro
Choir of the Dutch Opera
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra - Ingo Metzmacher (conductor)

Besides the awful stage direction this was a great evening, by the suberb singing of Dobber, the conducting of Metzmacher and by that wonderful music of Verdi. Dobber has a powerful silver baritone with similarity of the voice of Mario Sereni you can hear on some old recordings. I look forward to my second visit!

Babi Jar

Friday May 12, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Mozart: Symphony nr. 29

Sjostakovitsj: Symphony nr. 13 'Babi Jar'

Sergei Leiferkus (bass)
Prague Philharmonic Choir
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Kurt Masur (conductor)

An impressive concert. The Babi Jar is a great symphony, which was played very good. The singing of Leiferkus was superb. Also good to hear Mozarts KV 201, the most classical symphony there is.

Maazel

Saturday May 6, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Wagner: The Ring without words

(arr. Maazel)

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Lorin Maazel (conductor)

Maazel is the most arrogant conductor I know, but some of his concerts were very good - especially when he conducts R. Strauss. Tonight he played his own arrangement of some orchestral parts from the Ring. It's always good to hear the Concertgebouw Orchestra play Wagner, but after the concert the conclusion of my concert friend and I was: they could better play three times the Ouverture Meisteringer before the break and three times Siegfrieds Trauermarsch after the break instead of this compilation...

Revenge (2)

Sunday April 30, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

R. Strauss: Elektra

Nadine Secunde - Elektra
Felicity Palmer - Klytämnestra
Gabriele Fontana - Chrysothemis
Donald Kaasch - Aegisth
Gerd Grochowski - Orest
Toonkunstchoir Amsterdam
Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra, Ingo Metzmacher (conductor)

Bought a ticket for a second visit to this great opera. A lot of opera's I try to visit two (or sometimes three) times.

Revenge

Tuesday April 25, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

R. Strauss: Elektra

Nadine Secunde - Elektra
Felicity Palmer - Klytämnestra
Gabriele Fontana - Chrysothemis
Donald Kaasch - Aegisth
Gerd Grochowski - Orest
Toonkunstchoir Amsterdam
Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra, Ingo Metzmacher (conductor)

With such good singing and playing and with this music you forget time.

Being 30 and conducting Der Abschied

Friday April 21, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Sjostakovitsj: Chambersymphony, op. 110a

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Sarah Connoly, alto
Peter Hoare, tenor
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Daniel Harding (conductor)

Two years ago the now 30-years old Daniel Harding made a succesful debut with the RCO, and now conducted a very convincing concert again. Two very difficult works, but he did a great job. Harding likes very clear performances, without any form of overacting. Haiting will conduct Das Lied von der Erde next fall also, but this was a very good performance by itself.

Palau de Musica in Barcelona

Saturday April 8, 2006 - Palau de Musica Barcelona

Mozart: Requiem

Isabel Monar, soprano
Lydia Vierlinger
David Alegret, tenor
Joan Martin-Royo, bass
Cor Madrigal
Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, Salvador Mas (conductor)

During our short trip to Barcelona we also visited the world famous concert hall Palau de Musica. It's a very colour full hall with very bad acoustics. The sound is very dry. How would a Mahler 7 survice here (which was performed some weeks before there)? Anyway, I wanted to visit this building, and booked in advance tickets for this saturday evening concert. The performance wasn't bad at all.

Haitink

Friday March 31, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Mozart: Piano Concerto nr. 15
Bruckner: Symphony nr. 7

Ronald Brautigam, piano
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink (conductor)

I look forward for a year to this concert, and indeed it was one of the memorable concerts ever. Haitinks Bruckner performances became better and better year by year, and this Seventh was the best I ever heard. Powerful, emotional and full of tension. The performance is recorded for their own CD series of the RCO.

The double opera

Tuesday March 14, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana

Leoncavallo: Pagliacci

Cavalleria:
Janny Zomer - Santuzza
Tania Kross - Lola
Nicola Rossi Giordano - Turiddu
Zeljko Lucic - Alfio
Livia Budaï - Mamma Lucia

Pagliacci:
Anna Maria martinez - Nedda
Dennis O'Neill - Canio
Zeljko Lucic - Tonio
Riccardo Botta - Beppe
Kyle Pfortmiller - Silvio

Choir of the Dutch Opera
Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Rizzi (conductor)

This was Italian opera at his best. Good singing, wonderful orchestral playing (Rizzi is a very good conductor!) and one stage production for both opera's with a lot of details.

Leon Fleisher

Friday March 10, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Kox: Umbrae Futurae

Hindemith: Pianomusic with orchestra

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto nr. 4

Leon Fleisher, piano
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Markus Stenz (conductor)

Fleisher was a world famous pianost in the fifties and sixties, but had to stop playing by physical problems. Now he returned paying two pieces for the left hand. Never heard both concerts before. Beautiful concert.

Roy Goodman

Thursday March 2, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Verhulst: Ouverture Gijsbrecht van Aemstel

Haydn: Symphony nr. 103 'Drum roll'

Beethoven: Violin Concerto

Lisa Batiashvili, violin
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)

A great classical concert with inspired and well-played performances of Haydn and Beethoven. Goodman played with a relative small orchestra, which sounded very clear. Batiashvili is a very good violinist.

Maurizio Pollini

Sunday February 26, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Beethoven: Pianosonata nr. 1, op. 2 nr. 1

Beethoven: Pianosonata nr. 2, op. 2 nr. 3

Beethoven: Pianosonata nr. 29, op. 106 'Hammerklavier'

Maurizio Pollini, piano

When I noticed Pollini would play the Hammerklavier I didn't hesitate a second and bought one of the last tickets available. It was a great performance, even played faster then Pollini plays on his famous DG-recording from the seventies. A memorable evening. After the concert Pollini signed booklets of his own cd's - I bought the new Chopin Nocturnes.

St. Petersburg Philharmonic

Tuesday February 14, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Tsjaikovksy: Polonaise from Jevgeni Onegin

Brahms: Pianoconcerto nr. 1

Tsjaikovsky: Symphony nr. 4

Hélène Grimaud, piano
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Temirkanov (conductor)

Though Temirkanov is a little bit strange, he has a lot of authority and with this great orchestra you've a good concert.

Janácek

Tuesday January 31, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Janácek: The cunning little Vixen

Dale Duesing - Forester
Rosemary Joshua - Vixen
Natascha Petrinsky - Fox
Choir of the Dutch Opera
Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Holland, Ingo Metzmacher (conductor)

Janácek will never be my favourite composer, allthough his music is quite good. But i miss the dramatic emotions in his music. This evening was wonderful though by one of the most beautiful stage productions I've ever seen.

Dario Fo and Il Barbiere

Thursday Janyary 26, 2006 - Muziektheater Amsterdam

Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Antonino Siragusa - Il Conte d'Almaviva
Donato di Stefano - Bartolo
Silvia Tro Santafé - Rosina
Angelo Veccia - Figaro
Giovanni Furlanetto - Basilio
Choir of the Dutch Opera
Dutch Chamber Orchestra, Julian Reynolds (conductor)

The stage production by Dario Fo was first performed in 1988, and this series of performances is the fifth since then. It is still a very good and humorous one. Very good singers also. next July I will join another performance!

Sunday January 22, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Sjostakovitsj: Symphony nr. 7 'Leningrad'

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons (conductor)

The orchestra in topform. I gave this concert as a birthday gift to my father who loves the music of Sjostakovitsj and visited the Concertgebouw only once in the fifties or sixties.

Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic

Friday January 20, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Kyburz: Noesis

Mahler: Symphony nr. 4

Sally Matthews, soprano
Berlin Philarmonic Orchestra, Simon Rattle (conductor)

A very disappointing concert. I didn't like the music of Kyburz, and the performance of Mahler 4 was very mannered. The Berlin Philharmonic is one of the best orchestras of the world but Rattle didn't understand this symphony.

Leonhardt conducts Purcell

Wednesday January 11, 2006 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Purcell: Welcome to all the Pleasures (Ode for St. Cecilia's Day)

Purcell: Now does the Glorious Day Appear (Birthday Ode for Queen Mary II)

Purcell: Hail, Bright Cecilia (Ode for St. Cecilia's Day)

Johannette Zomer, soprano
Michael Chance, coutertenor
Charles Daniels, tenor
Maarten Koningsberger, bass
Harry van der Kamp, bass-bariton
Capella Amsterdam
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Gustav Leonhardt (conductor)

Very pleasant start of the new concert year. I know the Hail, Bright Cecilia Ode by the great recording of Paul McCreesh and this was a good chance to hear this music live, conducted by the 77-years old Leonhardt. Very good performances, but I was by one point disappointed: the wonderful song 'Tis Nature's Voice was sung by Michael Chance, instead of Charles Daniels (as on the recoring by McCreesh), and though Chance is a good singer, Charles Daniels has one of the most beautiful voices I know. But alas, he was there and sung some wonderful parts. A great evening.

Jansons

Friday December 23, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Bernstein: Chichester Psalms

Henze: Sebastian im Traum

Poulenc: Gloria

Luba Orgonásová, soprano
Dutch Radio Choir
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons (conductor)

Nice concert with a lot of beautiful singing. I think I liked the Chichester Psalms the most.

Bruckner 0

Thursady December 15, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Liszt: Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo

Liszt: Totentanz for piano and orchestra

Bruckner: Symphony nr. 0

Barry Douglas, piano
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Iván Fischer (conductor)

Great performance of the Totentanz. I thought my recording on cd by Thibaudet and Dutoit was unsurpassable, but this live-performance was better. The orchestra played only once before the 'Nullte' of Bruckner (in the sixties with Haitink) which was before my time. Not Bruckners best symphony, but good enough for regular playing.

Zubin Mehta

Friday December 2, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Bruckner: Symphony nr. 8

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Zubin Mehta (conductor)

This was the first time Zubin Mehta coducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Though not the best Bruckner ever, his performance was convincing, clean and beautiful.

Thielemann - München - Bruckner

Tuesday November 29, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

R. Strauss: Metamorphosen

Bruckner: Symphony nr. 7

Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann (conductor)

Some years ago I heard Thielemann for the first time in a concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. That was a very good one, with the Symphony Pathetique of Tschaikovsky. And now he conducted again a wonderful played concert with a great performance of Bruckners Seventh. Thielemann is conducting like a man who wanted to become the goal keeper of a soccer team, but weren't succesful and became conductor as second choice. But it is very effective! The orchestra does exactly what he wants, and he gave a very open, clear Bruckner with big differences between soft and loud. Every time I hear a Bruckner symphony life I think that he's the best composer of symphonies... More Bruckner will follow next month.
It didn't understand why Thielemann conducted the Metamorphosen with much more string players as the prescripted 23.

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Alan Gilbert

Saturday November 26, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Berwald: Ouverture Estrella de Soria

Schumann: Cello concerto

Dvorák: Symphony nr. 6

Gregor Horsch, cello
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Alan Gilbert (conductor)

Alan Gilbert is a young, talented conductor. Two years ago he made his debut with the orchestra and now he was asked back for only this one concert. But the rehearsals must be very effective; the playing was very good and inspired. The Schumann concerto isn't my favorite cello concerto, but a good idea to ask the leader of the cellists from the orchestra to be the soloist.

The New York Philharmonic

Friday November 11, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

R. Strauss: Tod und Verklärung

Mahler: Symphony nr. 5

New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maazel (conductor)

This concert gave exactly what I expected: a wonderful Strauss, and a disappointing Mahler. Maazel is a mannered conductor and that fits with Richard Strauss. Beautiful played and a very clear sound. It's a good piece also. The Mahler 5th was a little boring: playing the notes and that was it. Though: the New York Philharmonic sounded a better orchestra than I expected in advance. But this wasn't a very convincing concert.

iPod

Yesterday I purchased a 30GB iPod (5th generation). I still can't believe: I have only used 5% of disk space, and on this small thing I already take with me the complete symphonies of Mahler and Sibelius, the three last symphonies of Bruckner, the Suites for cello of Bach and some other stuff...

Your comments

Dear visitors,
Please leave your comments after visiting this Concert Diary Blog. I look forward to read them. If you have your own Blog, please put a link to this Blog and let me know. Of course yours will be linked here! Hope to get in contact soon!
Amsterdam, Jan Anton

Elias

Thursday November 10, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Mendelssohn: Elias

Camilla Tilling (soprano)
Elise Caluwarts (soprano)
Ann Hallenberg (alto)
Rainer Trost (tenor)
Christian Gerhaher (bariton - Elias)
Choir of the Dutch Radio, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor)

The last time this orchestra performed this huge oratorio of Mendelssohn was in 1930! Concerts in the Netherlands always start at 8.15 pm, and normally end around 10.15 pm, but tonight we were out after 11 pm. A long evening with a lot of beautiful and sweetish music, played and sung at the highest level. With Herreweghe as conductor there's always a special atmosphere of real music making. He is one of my favourite conductors and every year he conduct at least one programme with the RCO, and these concerts are always inspired. Ann Hallenberg was the best singer: her voice confluenced wonderful with the orchestra. But there were no weak points in this performance. Nice to have heard this special work at a live performance.

Sibelius

Friday November 4, 2005 - Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Lindberg: Feria

Bartók: Piano Concerto no. 2

Sibelius: Symphony no. 5

Peter Donohoe, piano
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)

I have two subscription series for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. One series offers the more iron repertoire, the other 20th and 21th century music. This concert was in that modern series, though the programme was relative conventional. The piece by Magnus Lindberg gave a lot of noise; a bad orchestral work but a good physical training for the conductor. The Bartók and Sibelius are masterpieces of course, and were performed very well. I think chief conductor Mariss Jansons would do a more exciting Sibelius, but as a real lover of Sibelius I'm glad with every performance of his works by this great orchestra.

Alcina

Tuesday October 25, 2005 - Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam

Händel: Alcina

Christine Schäfer - Alcina
Silvia Tro Santafé - Ruggiero
Marijana Mijanovic - Bradamante
Ingela Bohlin - Morgana
Jeremy Ovenden - Oronte
Choir of the Dutch Opera, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset (conductor)

The Dutch Opera started some years ago with a 'Händel-cycle' in the small but intimate City Theatre, and after a wonderful Giulio Cesare they now offer two opera's alternately: Alcina and Tamerlano. I went to Alcina, which was a very beautiful performance by the great singing of the female singers. Mijanovic is one of the most talented alto's, and with Schäfer in the title role nothing could go wrong. The orchestra however sounded weak. There are a lot of good orchestras on period instruments, but Les Talens Lyriques played unstable. For that reason I decided not to buy a ticket for Tamerlano, allthough the singing and staging were first class. But listening for four hours to a bad orchestra...