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.