An Evening With Tchaikovsky

[thebes]

Last night a few of the usual suspects, GaryMD, Steve
Skonopa, Mike Lindsey , colonial Who, yours truly, and our esteemed Larry Clare
gathered at DC's premiere acoustic treat, The Strathore Music Center for the following
program:

Polonaise from Eugene Onegin

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23

Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy

1812 Overture, Op. 49

I'll let my fellow attendees flush out the particulars, but first up for me was the prowness of the 20 year old piano prodigy. Wow! While I've heard players bring a bit more dynamics (ie louder playing) to concert venues, I've seldom seen anyone with his speed on the keys.

Then there's those familiar opening sounds of the Romeo and Juliet Overture, star of a million "Hooked on Classics" TV commercials and a famous character who I'm sure Gary will let you know about.

Finally, one of classical music's most beloved pieces, the 1812 Overture. Now I had been under the impression we were gong to get the whole piece, but we just got something called Opus 49. In any event, it was a barn burner with all the strings sawing away like mad, and yeah for the boy in me, cannon shots.

My only quibble. Not enough French Horns because to me they seemed like they had a hard time being heard over strings. My feeling that as far as the 1812 goes, the classical equivalent of "more cowbells', is "more French Horns"

On a technical note we didn't get actual cannon shots blasting off the stage but recorded cannon shots coming from two stacks of subs placed to either side of the stage. They did and awesome job. I tracked down the guy who does there electronic stuff and he tells me they were D&B Audtiotechnik, a German company. Most impressive.

Finally, a hearty round of applause for Larry, his work on organizing the get together (16 folks all told) and lining up an excellent dining venue.

[Groomlakearea51]

[Y][Y][Y]

On a related note, I was at my son's school district solo yesterday. He did very well with an "excellent" rating for the trumpet. He's quite the musician, and I'm happy as my musical capability, vis-a-vis intruments, has been described as about as competent as a monkey with a kazoo...

What was interesting, however, was the band director's comments about French Horns.... A dying breed, says he; expensive instrument, and very tricky to play. Huhm... A band or orchestra relegated to using only the least expensive instruments bodes ill for the future of fine performances of the works of Pyotr and the classic gang.

Oh well, back to my daily didgeridoo practice.....

[H]

[garymd]

A truly spectacular performance! Thanks to Larry for once again putting this all together so flawlessly and to The Mighty Thebes for choosing the concert.

It was really great seeing the gang, meeting a some new folks and catching up with the Chuckster after all these years. I hope we can do it sooner rather than later next time. Mike - Very nice meeting your lady friend. She's definitely a keeper!

The concert was incredible, particularly the 20 year old prodigy on piano who gave us an AMAZING performance then came out for an encore (probably more to impress the 1st violinist than us common folk). And yes, the cannon shots were quite something!

I hope everyone made it home safely.

[Mallette]

Oh well, back to my daily didgeridoo practice.....

Take his didgeridoo...PLEASE!

As to the young pianist and his loudness...

The basic rule for piano: Loudness, quality, speed. Pick any two.

Dave

[skonopa]

All I can do is pretty much parrot what was already said. Last night's performance was awesome! The 1812 Overture, to me, was the highlight of the evening. Still, that pianist was incredible. He looks like my teenage nephew, but holy crap, can he play! I only wish I could play keyboards half as good as he was.

Also was a real treat to hear the Romeo & Juliet suite being performed. Whenever I hear that, I can only think of that joke that I've heard years ago.. "Mother calls son in college. Hey son, I did not know you were into classical music! No, Mom, I was only watching a Bugs Bunny cartoon." []

Not only that, but dinner at that Black Market Bistro place was really good. Basically this restaurant next to the tracks back in the middle of this historic residential neighborhood.

Thanks, Larry for organizing this and Marty for finding the performance and suggesting it.

Also, was cool to get to meet some of you (Thanks 'Colonel Hoo' for giving me a lift to dinner, to the music center and back to Larry's).

I hope we get to do this again sometime soon (Anything interesting coming up in the spring/summer?).

The only bummer is that I injured my knee last week while skiing. It has gotten much better than it was just a few days ago. Still never thought I'd see the day that I'd need to take their little tram from the parking garage to the hall and back. [:$] It is nice that Strathmore does an excellent job of catering to the handicap. I only hope my knee recovers well enough that I can still enjoy some skiing at Aspen next week. But I digress.....

[thebes]

A didgeridoo. That thing sounds like a kid blowing into a milk bottle.

Did I mention our special conductor for the evening?

[Mike Lindsey]

Mike - Very nice meeting your lady friend. She's definitely a keeper!

Sorry for being late to the party, its been a busy couple of days since. Like others have mentioned it was a very good concert. This was the first one we (I) have seen from the main floor (just behind the orchestra section). Normally, we are up in the balcony above and to the left of the orchestra with a birds-eye view of everything (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).

I too really enjoyed the pianist. He truly was amazing. Gary wasn't kidding about the 1st chair violinist, she was smoking hot as well. [] I also enjoyed Romeo and Juliet because everyone has heard it, and it's nice to hear pieces you are familiar with. But for me, I really liked the 1812 Overture. I tend to like the big orchestra pieces with lots of brass and percussion, and this movement had both, even though I would have preferred more horns like Marty, and maybe another Timpani or two. :-)

Thanks Larry and Marty for putting this night together. I always enjoy getting together with this group of folks (Larry, Marty, Gary and Steve have been to all the shows I have attended) every year to see a classical concert, and I look forward to the next one we pick out. I also enjoyed meeting Chuck (ColonialHoo) who bought my old Scott 299 in 2005, which also happened to be the first 299 Craig ever restored (pre NOSValves). I know Chuck has been enjoying it ever since. Thanks again guys for the great evening!

And Gary, thanks for the kind words about Robin. I'll tell her you said so. []

Mike

[LarryC]

This was the first one we (I) have seen from the main floor (just behind the orchestra section). Normally, we are up in the balcony above and to the left of the orchestra with a birds-eye view of everything (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).

I too really enjoyed the pianist. He truly was amazing. Gary wasn't kidding about the 1st chair violinist, she was smoking hot as well.

Don't think I don't agree, Mike. The conductor or someone decided he didn't like fans in that close-up balcony section, and closed those seats to Nat'l Phil concerts. That's the reason I haven't arranged concerts recently.

Wow, were you ever right about the 1st violinist (actually the Concertmaster) Every male eyeball in the place was riveted ...

http://www.nationalphilharmonic.org/EnewsLetter/National-Philharmonic-News-October-2011

I'll have more pics and comments later.

[LarryC]

dp

[ColonialHoo]

Sorry for the delay in adding my 2 cents to this thread. After making it back to Williamsburg for the
“Big Game” (to avoid any copyright infringements), I had to prepare for a trip
to the left coast for work. I’m currently
writing this from a meeting in Los Angeles.

It was great to finally meet a handful of forum folks. Larry, Marty (he’s not as crazy as he would
have you believe, although he did bring his ex), Steve and Mike are all really
nice folks. Steve, I hope your knee
heals enough for you to enjoy your trip.
Mike, as was said above, Robin is a real keeper. It was great to spend some time with such a
nice group of folks. It was great to see
Gary again and catch up, too (BTW Gary, nice wedding photos).

The Black Market Bistro was a perfect start to the evening. Good food and great company.

Now, on to the performance.

The first piece (Polonaise) started the evening off very well. As I am not versed at all in classical music
(except the aforementioned Bugs Bunny scores), I thought it was a nice
beginning. Full sound, helping to get my
ears accustomed to the depth and breadth of the National Philharmonic.

Then came the baby (the 20-year old prodigy). I think I speak for most of the folks in the
crowd when I say that he was rather impressive.
He fronted the orchestra for both the Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Romeo
and Juliet Overture (at least I think he did). His speed and
inflection on the keys was definitely a treat for me. As someone who has no musical talent
whatsoever, his performance left me speechless.
Once he was done, he regaled us with a light, fun performance of a
Chopin piece (couldn’t tell you which one though). I wonder if we can get a refund of the ticket
price, since they deviated from the “All Tchaikovsky” evening (tongue in cheek,
of course). I do agree with Gary that he
was probably trying to impress the attractive young concertmaster. I believe anyone would try, given the right
situation, and this was his.

The 1812 was the only way to end this evening. There is so much ebb and flow in this
opus. It really took me on a journey,
and it ended with a bang (literally, multiple bangs). The stacks of subs on each side of the stage
provided just the right bone-shaking punch that makes the 1812 worth seeing in
person.

Marty and Larry get major kudos for this experience. Marty for finding this performance, and Larry
for spearheading this and ensuring the total success of this event.

I have wanted to attend one of these for a while now. Having done it, I will make every effort not
to miss another. I have even talked it
up with the wife, and we might try to make a weekend out of it next time. I would also encourage anyone and everyone to
join us and take in one of these events, even if you’re not too familiar with
classical music. It really is a treat.

[LarryC]

Thank you, Chuck and everyone, for the very nice comments! Maybe we'll have to do this again next year, if we find the right concert. I think it'd be great if you could bring Wendy next time. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to Robin.

I thought the pianist was incredible. He reminded me of the incomparable Vladimir Horowitz, Arturo Toscanini's son-in law. Horowitz had a phenomenal ability right in the middle of fast passages to make instantaneous changes in tempo and dynamics and race nterpretation to its highest level. Trifonov had exactly that ability, with a blur of those very long, fluid fingers. IMO, it's astonishing and very poor form for the Washington Post not to done a review (so far).

And even more remarkable -- Trifonov is 20 years old, and Justine Lamb-Budge, the new Concertmaster (see picture above), is right around 21 years old! Now there's a pair...

Now to finish with a little trivia: someone asked about instruments in the Tchaikovsky works. Subtle, but interesting to some:

• "More Horns!" was mentioned. However, French horns are famously soft-toned and not very powerful. The rule of thumb is two horns for each other brass like trumpets or trombones.
• The concerto had sort of minimum winds and brass for the late 19th century - 4 horns, 3 trombones and 2 trumpets, but no tuba (I guess T. thought the piano didn't need a tuba behind it). It premiered in Boston in the U.S.!
• Romeo and Juliet did have a tuba in addition to the regular brass, for a full orchestral sound, plus an English Horn, harp, and percussion. The EH's melancholy tone quality is perfect for the R&J tragedy.
• The 1812, in addition to an EH (for more body) and lots of percussion, added a piccolo and a pair of military band-type cornets (not mentioned in the program notes) to the regular brass. Cornets have a more mellow but less formal sound than the trumpets. I thought we heard them, but can't be sure or find any Youtubes showing them apart from trumpets.

The 1812 score also suggested an extra brass chorus, but didn't score for it and the NP didn't use any extra brass for the ending.

Youtube links:

The following link is of the opening of the piano concerto in the fabled 1943 war bond concert by Toscanini and Horowitz; you can hear the power and the incredible rapidity and flexibility of Horowitz's playing (a few notes are wrong, but the electricity is at the max!) Toscanini's conducting is also very flexible and intense:

. This is an astounding performance IMO.

This is a good Youtube of the 1812 finale:

. It has the extra brass in a little balcony over the orchestra!