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Weber & Brahms at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , on April 25, 2026 by telescoper

It had been a month since my last visit to the National Concert Hall in Dublin, as I have had many distractions recently, so I was pleased to find the time yesterday evening to go again. The walk through Dublin was very pleasant in the fine weather, with lots of people outside the bars and pubs having a drink and enjoying the sunshine.

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland was conducted for the occasion by Peter Whelan for a concert of two pieces by Johannes Brahms either side of the Clarinet Concerto No. 1 by Carl Maria von Weber. When I first started writing this blog years ago, I mentioned that I didn’t really get why people think Brahms is so good. It’s not that I actively dislike Brahms, it’s just that I don’t find that he moves me as much as many other composers and so many people rave about him that I think I must be missing something. Anyway, I have persevered and now enjoy at least some of his music.

The Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn was written in 1873, when Brahms was three years before wrote his First Symphony. Interestingly it’s not clear whether the theme concerned was actually due to Haydn at all, but whoever supplied the raw material, this is one of the first compositions by anyone that featured a set of variations for a full orchestra. I had never heard this work before found it generally enjoyable, pedestrian in places, but with some excellent sections. There are 8 variations, bookended by the Introduction of the Theme and a Finale 7th variation is very lyrical and romantic, others are more upbeat and light-hearted.

After that introduction the Orchstra was joined on stage by Portuguese clarinetist Carlos Ferreira for the Clarinet Concerto No. 1 by Carl Maria von Weber. This is one of only two works by this composed that I’ve ever heard – the other being the Opera Oberon (which, incidentally has its original libretto in English) – and I have a couple of recordings on CD. It’s a very popular element of the clarinet repertoire and I’ve heard the last movement – a sprightly and tuneful Rondo – played on its own quite a few times on the radio. This piece was written in 1811 and you could say it provides an early Romantic contrast with the late Romantic style of Brahms. You can hear the influence of Mozart in it, and it has a slow-fast-slow three movement structure very reminiscent of the classical period.

I really enjoyed the playing of Carlos Ferreira. I especially liked the tone he produced and his ability to project even when apparently playing rather softly. The audience liked it too, and he got a standing ovation at the end (and did an encore).

After the wine break interval came the main course in the form of the Symphony No. 4 in E Minor by Johannes Brahms. This is of course a very familiar work, but that there’s always something new to find in it. and the 4th Symphony is a very fine work, which is now up among my favourite symphonies. There’s a great deal of interest in every moment from the simple phrase that introduces the first movement to the last movement, which is in three sections and which owes a lot to Bach and is almost a symphony in itself. It was performed beautifully last night by NSOI under the direction of Peter Whelan.

It was still quite warm in Dublin when I walked to Pearse Station to get the train back to Maynooth. The train filled up at Drumcondra with Shelbourne supporters on their way home from a match at Tolka Park, so it was much busier than usual but there wasn’t any trouble at all.

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National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , on March 24, 2026 by telescoper

It’s not often that I go to the National Concert Hall in Dublin on a Monday evening, but I made an exception last night to attend a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (who are currently on tour and have recently played a number of concerts in the UK). It was an interesting (and very full programme) and a very enjoyable concert. Partly because of the large Ukrainian diaspora in Ireland, hall was packed last night.

The concert opened with two pieces by Frederick Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring and Summer Night on the River, originally published together as Two Pieces for Small Orchestra. I used to listen to quite a lot of recordings of Delius when I was younger and know both these works quite well. I was a bit surprised to see them on the programme, but they certainly provided an interesting contrast with what was to come later. In fact the Orchestra, under the direction of Volodymyr Sirenko, tackled them quite differently from the versions I have heard. The sound of the cuckoo in the in the first piece was much more subtle than usually played and the overall sound was much stronger than typical performances which tend to be rather delicate.

After that we had the Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) by Ludwin van Beethoven, played by Mariia Pukhlianko. This work wasn’t immediately popular when it was first performed in 1809 – perhaps because it was considered a bit grandiose – but is now firmly established as one of the pinnacles of the repertoire. The soloist played this very well, with a splendid balance of delicacy and power, with good transitions between the ensemble and solo sections. I enjoyed this very much indeed.

After the interval – no wine for me because I had a 9am lecture this morning – we came back for the main course, The Symphony No. 3 in E♭ major (“Eroica”) by  Ludwig van Beethoven. It’s hard to know what to say about it really, except that it’s a magnificent work in its own right as well as being historically important. Before this one, which was published in 1806, symphonies (including not only Beethoven’s First and Second, but those of Mozart, Haydn and others) were much shorter (typically around 20 minutes) and much more constrained in form. This composition – which shares some elements with Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 and was apparently inspired by it – ushered in the era of the epic symphony that culminated with the likes of Mahler and Bruckner; last night’s performance took . The first movement, in sonata form, is especially long – with an extended recapitulation – and both complex and rewarding.

The performance last night was full of energy and colour and hugely enjoyable. It’s worth mentioning the unsual arrangement of the orchestra on stage. From the point of view of the Conductor, the first violins were on the far left (as usual), the cellos and basses behind them, and second violins on the far right. This was basically the same layout as was used for the last concertof this work I attended.

The NCH audience is usually generous with its applause and last night was no exception. There was a long standing ovation that precipitated two orchestral encores, neither of which was a piece that I knew.

The concert started at 8pm and didn’t finish until about 10.30pm, and it took quite a long time to get out given the nearly full house, so I missed the usual train and had to wait for the last one, at 11.21pm which got me home well after midnight. The things I do for art!

P.S. I’ve included the a page from the programme above. If you wouldn’t like to make a donation to support the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, you can scan the QR code in the right hand image above. Alternatively you can follow this link.

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Adams, Rachmaninov & Stravinsky at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , on March 14, 2026 by telescoper

Yesterday evening found me once again at the National Concert Hall in Dublin for a programme of music played by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, this time conducted by Principal Conductor Designate, Alexander Shelley, who takes over fully for the 2026/7 season. He took the opportunity afforded by the break between the first two numbers needed to bring the piano onstage, to introduce himself to the audience which made a pleasant change from having to watch in silence as all the chairs and desks were moved around.

The programme began with the exuvberant Short Ride in a Fast Machine by American composer John Adams which – believe it or not – was written forty years ago, in 1986. It is an exuberant piece based on interrelated rhythmic figures which is great fun to listen to and an ideal warm-up exercise for the orchestra.

The piano having been hauled into position, it was time to welcome Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (who has Hungarian and Ukrainian ancestry) for the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Rachmaninov. When the soloist walked on stage I was struck by how young he looked. He is, in fact, 27 but looks younger. Still, I’ve reached an age when most people look very young. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is a monster of a piece – very long for a piano concerto – and also very difficult, with some fierce cadenzas. For all its reputation as a finger-breaker, it does have some lovely melodies in it. Rachmaninov himself realized he had created bit of a beast and cut some of the toughest bits for early performances, but nowadays we tend to hear the whole original score, as we did last night. I thought Jaeden Izik-Dzurko not only coped admirably with its technical demands but also conveyed its lyrical aspects very tenderly. It was a very impressive performance. The audience at the NCH obviously agreed. A standing ovation greeted him at the end, though he looked almost embarrassed by such an effusive reaction.

After the interval wine break we had a concert performance the complete score for Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird. This is a thrilling piece, involving a huge orchestra, numbering about a hundred musicians, and stunning orchestration.  The Firebird is a tour de force: intricate but vividly coloured, full of excitement and colour and NSOI played it with great passion and aplomb. A really brilliant performance.

There was an electronic sign above the orchestra for The Firebird explaining what would be going on in the ballet as the various sections of the music were played. I found that an unwelcome and slightly annoying distraction, but it didn’t detract significantly from the performance. There was thunderous applause at the end of the concert but, it being quite a long concert, I couldn’t stay for all the ovations as I had to leave to catch the train home.

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Bologne, Mozart and Mendelssohn at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , on January 24, 2026 by telescoper

Last night I went to another concert by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. This performance was conducted by NSOI’s new “Artistic Partner” Peter Whelan, shown on the programme cover above. The NCH was by no means full, which was a shame, but the concert was warmly appreciated by those of us there in the audience and no doubt by those listening on the radio.

The first item on the agenda was a new one to me, the overture to the Opera L’Amant Anonyme by Joseph Bologne who went by the title Chevalier de Saint-George. He was born in Guadeloupe; his father was a plantation owner and his mother a slave; Saint-George was the name of his father’s plantation. He became an accompished musician, composer and soldier and a member of the Louis XVI’s personal bodyguard. The music we heard is clearly of the same world as Mozart (of whom Bologne was a contemporary) and very enjoyable to listen to. I wonder if we’ll ever get the chance to hear the whole Opera?

After that – and a long pause before she came on stage, that made me worry that something was amiss – we heard Ellinor D’Melon playing the Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, written when Mozart was only 19. This is a lovely piece and was played very nicely by Ellinor D’Melon. Apparently Albert Einstein – himself a keen amateur violinist – said that the second movement Adagio “seems to have fallen straight from Heaven”. It is indeed beautiful to listen to, and does have a sense of unity about it that makes you think it must have been conceived and composed in one go. The play Amadeus seems to have been responsible for perpetuating the idea that Mozart often composed in his head, then wrote the results out without corrections or revisions. That is largely untrue, but it is true that he could construct complex sections in his mind’s ear before setting them down on paper. If he did ever compose a piece entirely from start to finish, then the 2nd movement of this Concerto would be it.

(I can’t resist adding an anecdote suggested by this. A while ago I had to arrange a special sitting of a class test for a student who, for good reasons, couldn’t take the assessment with the rest of the class. I wrote a different paper and invigilated the student myself; there were just the two of us in the room for the test, which was to last 50 minutes. Not anticipating any difficulties I sat at a table in the corner and got on with other stuff. About 15 minutes in, I was concerned that the student hadn’t written anything at all; he seemed just to be reading and re-reading the paper. The questions were not meant to be all that difficult, so it surprised me that the student appeared to be struggling. I didn’t interrupt though. Then, about 5 minutes later the student sat up, grabbed a pen and started to write. Not more that 10 minutes after that he announced he had finished and handed me his script. It contained a perfect answer to everything that had been asked, no corrections or crossings out, and it took up less than one page of A4. I was impressed.)

After the wine break we heard the Symphony No. 3 in A minor (“Scottish”) by Felix Mendelssohn. Inspired by a visit to Scotland in 1829 – the first movement was actually composed that year in Edinburgh – it wasn’t completed until over a decade later and should probably be No. 5, but who’s counting? I’ve never really found it very Scottish, actually, but that doesn’t matter either.

It’s a piece consisting of four movements, with little or no break between them. The first movement starts with a slow theme, like a hymn, but then becomes much more reminiscent of the Hebrides Overture Mendelssohn composed in 1830. The landscape of the other three movements is very varied, sometimes cheery, sometimes lush, sometimes tempestuous. The final movement Allegro Vivacissimo has a marking guerriro (“warlike”), which in parts it is, but it also has calmer and more reflective passages before the rumbustious finale. I suppose many people consider Mendelssohn a bit Middle-of-the-Road, but I always find his music very pleasurable and this was no exception.

I always enjoy watching the musicians in these concerts, and could see last night that they were all enjoying themselves hugely. I’d like to single out the sole member of the percussion section, Tom Pritchard on timpani. He had to work hard for nearly all of this performance, as the timpani are kept very busy this work, and did an excellent job.

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Boulanger, Shostakovich and Rimsky-Korsakov at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Biographical, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 17, 2026 by telescoper

It was a great pleasure last night to be able to attend my first concert of 2026 at the National Concert Hall. It was a rainy evening in Dublin, but the auditorium was nevertheless packed. The only issue was that so many people were there, mostly with overcoats checked into the cloakroom, that it took a long time to get out at the end!

Before the performance

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland was conducted for the evening by guest conductor Anna Sułkowska-Migoń who directed a fine and varied programme of music.

The first piece (D’un Soir Triste; Of a Sand Evening) was by Lili Boulanger. I’ve heard a few pieces by her and found them all excellent, as was this one which is very atmospheric and packs a lot into the 12 minutes or so it takes to perform. The only reason Lili Boulanger is so much less famous than her older syster Nadia is that Lili suffered from ill health nearly all her life, eventually dying from tuberculosis just a few months after this piece was composed at the age of 24. Inevitably the number of compositions by her is very small, but as I said earlier everything I’ve heard by her is very good indeed. Her premature tragic death was a great loss.

After that piece there was considerable reorganization on the stage. The brass, woodwinds and percussion all left and space was made for the Steinway (between the conductor and the audience). Then we were joined by pianist Barry Douglas and trumpeter Darren Moore. The latter brough two trumpets with him, actually, of which more shortly.

The piece we were about to hear was listed in the programme as Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra (which is a more accurate description than the usual name Piano Concerto No. 1) by Dmitri Shostakovich. It’s quite hard to classify really, perhaps you could call it a Triple Concerto, but that doesn’t matter much. Music is much more important than how it is classified.

Although I admire the music of Shostakovich greatly, and look out for performances whenever I can, I had never heard this piece before. I was delighted by it. Written in 1933 when Shostakovich was only 27, it is instantly recognisable in style although I bit lighter and quirkier than one normally expects from that composer. Shostakovich had a wry sense of humour, but he often concealed his jokes to avoid getting into trouble. Not so in this piece, which is overtly playful and mischievous, rather than crypic

The trumpet plays a modest – indeed muted – part early on but, over the four movements, gradually becomes more prominent and at the end it delivers a series of exuberant fanfare-like figures as the key switches from C minor to close in C major. At this point I should given special mention to Darren Moore, Principal Trumpet of the NSOI, who played beautifully. He swtiched trumpets just before the end, where the trumpet is required to be louder and more assertive. I’m going to hazard a guess that he switched to a C trumpet for the closing stages, perhaps from a standard B♭ trumpet used earlier. I’ve heard it said that a C trumpet produces a brighter and cleaner sound, and it certainly did sound different from the other trumpet. If I am right it means that the piece concluded with none of the instruments on stage being transposing instruments.

Now a couple of questions for my readers. I have known some jazz trumpeters over the years and they all played B♭ trumpets. On this basis I always assumed that trumpets in classical orchestras would be B♭ instruments. Now I’m not sure this is true. Do trumpet players in classical orchestras usually use B♭ instruments, or does practice vary? A follow-up question is whether orchestral parts for trumpets and other transposing instruments are scored differently, or are the musicians required to do any transposition themselves? (If I had to bet I’d wager that professionally-trained classical musicians can transpose on sight.) Answers and comments through the comments box please.

Anyway, the hugely enjoyable performance was greeted with cheers and generous applause not only for the excellent soloists Barry Douglas and Darren Moore but for the whole Orchestra.

After the wine break we had a much more familiar work, the orchestral suite Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Pieces from this suite – especially the first section, The Sea and Sindbad’s Ship – often find their way into collections of popular classics and it is probably Rimsky Korsakov’s greatest hit. It’s inspired by the One Thousand and One Nights although there are only four movements, not 1001! The composer certainly included something for all sections of the orchestra, but there was especially beautiful playing by Elaine Clark (leader). I enjoyed this performance too, mainly as a bit of colourful escapism as did the audience, who have it another standing ovation.

Then it was into the queue to collect my coat and thence on foot to Pearse station for the train back to Maynooth. The rain had stopped by then.

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Mozart and Bruckner at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Biographical, Music with tags , , , , , , , on December 6, 2025 by telescoper

I was worried I might have to miss last night’s concert by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland conducted by Anja Bihlmaier at the National Concert Hall. I bought the ticket some weeks ago and was looking forward to it, but I had been a bit unwell earlier in the week and didn’t want to go only to cough all the way through, possibly infecting others on the way. By Friday afternoon, however, I felt a lot better and took the decision to go for it. I’m very glad I did because I enjoyed the music enormously and didn’t cough or sneeze once!

There were only two items on the menu, another pairing of Mozart and Bruckner.

In the first half we heard the Piano Concerto No. 15 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played by Boris Giltberg. This piece was written in 1784 when the composer had reached the ripe old age of 28. It’s an enjoyable and entertaining piece, not perhaps as profound as some of the later piano concertos (Mozart wrote 27 altogether), but well worth listening to. It’s also regarded as one of the most difficult to play, though Boris Giltberg made it look easy enough and was clearly enjoying himself while he played it as I’m sure did the composer when he performed it for the first time in Vienna. The three movements follow a standard fast-slow-fast pattern; the last being a sprightly Rondo, part of which features in the soundtrack of an episode of Inspector Morse: Who Killed Harry Field?

After generous applause, Giltberg returned to the stage to play a very solo encore piece. I didn’t recognize it, but someone I know who was there told me it was by Robert Schumann but didn’t know the name. When I got home I spent a good half-hour going through recordings until I finally identified it as the Arabeske in C Major. Anyway, it was a very nice way to send us into the wine break.

After the interval we had Anton Bruckner‘s monumental Symphony No. 9, which was unfinished at Bruckner’s death in 1896. Insufficient material was recovered after the composer’s death to enable a reconstruction of the missing 4th movement, so this work is generally performed in its incomplete state with only three movements. Even so, it’s an immense work in both length and ambition, lasting over an hour in performance and calling for a large orchestra.

The majestic first movement (marked Feierlich, Misterioso; solemn & mysterious) with its soaring themes and thunderous climaxes always puts me in mind of a mountaineering expedition, with wonderful vistas to experience but with danger lurking at every step. At times it’s rapturously beautiful, at times terrifying. It’s not actually about mountaineering, of course – Bruckner meant this symphony to be an expression of his religious faith, which, in the latter years of his life must have been pretty shaky if the music is anything to go by.

The second movement (Scherzo) is all juddering rhythms, jagged themes and harsh dissonances reminiscent (to me) of Shostakovich. It alternates between menacing, playful and cryptic; the frenzied animation of central Trio section is especially disconcerting.

The last movement  (Adagio)  begins restlessly, with an unaccompanied violin theme and then becomes more obviously religious in character in various passages of hymn-like quality, still punctuated by stark crescendi. In this movement Bruckner doffs his cap in the direction of Richard Wagner,  especially when the four Wagner tubas appear, and the movement reaches yet another climax with the brass bellowing out the initial violin theme. This dies away and the movement comes to an unresolved, poignant conclusion. With a long pause in silence as if to say “that’s all he wrote”, the concert came to an end.

Although I’ve loved this work for many years I’ve only ever heard it once before in concert.  The live performance definitely adds other dimensions you will miss on a recording and I enjoyed it enormously. For one thing you can see how hard the musicians – especially the cellos and basses – have to work. The sight of a large symphony orchestra working together to produce amazing sounds is quite something.

The National Symphony Orchestra Ireland may not be the Berlin Philharmonic but I was generally very impressed, there was split note in the brass section near the end, but this was a minor blemish. The performance was very warmly received by the audience. The NCH wasn’t full, but it was quite a good attendance.

That’s not quite the end of my concert-going for 2025. I’m off to Messiah next week. Well, you have to, don’t you? It’s Christmas..

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Ravel, Dessner and Beethoven at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , on November 8, 2025 by telescoper

Yesterday evening I made my way through a rather rainy Dublin to the National Concert Hall for a very enjoyable concert by the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland conducted this time by André de Ridder. Incidentally, the Orchestra has been searching for a new Principal Conductor for some time and as now made an appointment in the form of Alexander Shelley, but he won’t take up the baton until September 2026 so until then there will continue to be a number of guest conductors and, it has to be said, a rather piecemeal programme.

Last night’s performance followed a very typical programme for a concert of classical music: a short piece as an appetiser (often an overture or similar), an instrumental concerto featuring a guest soloist, then a wine break, followed by a full symphony or some other large work. They don’t all follow that format, but many do. I always like it when at least one of the pieces is something I’ve never heard before. That was the case last night.

We started with the orchestral version of Pavane pour une infante défunte, played very well but, as always seems to be the case, rather too slowly for my tastes. That particular piece was on the menu at NCH in March this year and I made the same complaint then. I like the piece a lot, but I wish orchestras wouldn’t take it at a funeral pace!

Next one up was the world premiere of a brand new composition by Bryce Dessner called Trembling Earth. This is a cello concerto and it was written for Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina. One never knows what to expect from a world premiere but this turned out to tremendous. It’s not a cello concerto of the traditional style – divided into movements – but is in a series of sections, with the cello introducing each theme which is then taken up by the orchestra followed by another, and so on. The texture varies from tough and sinewy to soft and lyrical and the solo passages require great virtuosity, some thing Anastasia Kobekina definitely has.

The composition was apparently inspired by a set of landscapes by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, so I suppose each section might relate to a particular painting. The sections are very varied, with one based on the theme of Dido’s Lament (When I am laid in Earth...) by Henry Purcell, another with very distinct echoes of Ravel, and another showing more than a nod to Philip Glass in its ostinato sections. At the end of the piece, which is about 25 minutes long, there were immediate cheers and a standing ovation, and the composer came on stage to receive the accolades. “Prediction is very difficult”, said Niels Bohr, “especially about the future”, but I think this work will quickly establish itself in the repertoire. I’d love to hear it again.

The concert would have been worth it just for that one piece, but after the interval we came back for the main course, The Symphony No. 3 in E♭ major (“Eroica”)  Ludwig van Beethoven. I’ve blogged about a number of different performances of different Beethoven symphonies over the years, so I’m quite surprised to discover that I’ve never written about this one. It’s hard to know what to say about it really,, except that it’s a magnificent work in its own right as well as being historically important. Before this one, which was published in 1806, symphonies (including not only Beethoven’s First and Second, but those of Mozart, Haydn and others) were much shorter (typically around 20 minutes) and much more constrained in form. This composition – which shares some elements with Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 and was apparently inspired by it – ushered in the era of the epic symphony that culminated with the likes of Mahler and Bruckner. The duration performance we heard last night was about 45 minutes. The first movement, in sonata form, is especially complex.

An interesting point about last night’s performance was the arrangement of the orchestra on stage. From the point of view of the Conductor, the first violins were on the far left (as usual), the cellos and basses were to the front and left, violas to the front and right, and second violins on the far right. I am not sure of the reason for this departure from tradition – second violins are usually adjacent to the firsts, with the cellos and basses on the right – but it was interesting how different it sounded compared to the usual layout.

This superb concert provided a great finish to a very tiring week. Thanks to the NCH for putting on such a wonderful programme. As an added bonus, the rain had stopped by the time it was over so I didn’t get drenched on my way home.

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McTee, Mozart & Strauss at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , on September 13, 2025 by telescoper

As it was foretold, last night I went to the National Concert Hall in Dublin for the opening performance of the new season by the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, this time under the baton of veteran conductor Leonard Slatkin.

The appetiser for this concert was Timepiece by American composer Cindy Mctee. It’s a short piece, quite new to me before last night, with a slowish introduction leading into a very energetic main body of the work. This piece brought out some fine playing by the orchestra, especially the percussion section. You can read more about this intriguing and enjoyable composition in the composer’s own words here. She was in the audience last night, and came up on stage at the end of the performance to receive the plaudits.

Next we had a very familiar piece: the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with David Fray at the piano. Mozart apparently composed this in a rush to meet the deadline of its first performance, but it doesn’t seem that way. The three movements (marked Allegro, Romanza and Allegro Assai) are very different in mood: the first (which is quite long) is brooding and rather Sturmy and Drangy, while the second is much gentler; both these movements feature memorable tunes; the third is much more pyrotechnical, with a very propulsive start and some virtuosic cadenzas. I think the last was played the best. David Fray is a curious performer to watch: he sat in the same sort of chair as the members of the orchestra – one with a back – rather than the usual stool, and had a very unusual posture. He slouched, in fact; he often turned round to look at the musicians behind him too. Anyway, he played very well indeed and for an encore he gave us some Bach (a solo piano arrangement of Air on the G String), which was lovely.

After the wine break we came back for a performance of Ein Heldenleben (“A Hero’s Life”) by Richard Strauss. I had never heard this piece in full before last night, and I have to say I didn’t like it much. There are some very nice passages in it, and there was some excellent playing by the brass and solo violin by NSOI leader Elaine Clark, but overall I found it a rather aimless reworking of some of Strauss’s other tone poems (some of which are actually very good). It’s also far too long for what it has to say.

The “Hero” of the title is of course meant to be the composer himself, which says something of the high regard in which Strauss held himself. At times the piece is tediously bombastic. The composer was 34 when he wrote this piece; about the same age that Mozart was when he died. I don’t think had he lived the latter would have written a self-indulgent piece like this crowing about his own achievements, which were far greater than those of the former.

Still, at least I can now say I’ve heard Ein Heldenleben…

P.S. For those of you wondering: no, the President of Ireland did not attend this concert.

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Season Finale at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Biographical, Music with tags , , , , on May 31, 2025 by telescoper

It was very nice to be able to put the marking of examinations behind me and travel into Dublin last night for the final concert of the season at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. It seems the former NSO is now to be called the NSOI, the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, no doubt for some sort of corporate branding reason. Anyway, last night they were under the direction of guest conductor Anja Bihlmaier for a performance of the Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler.

Looking back through my previous posts about Mahler I see that I haven’t previously written anything about his 9th Symphony. I am pretty sure that last night was the first time I’ve heard it live, although I have it on CD. Mahler wrote it between 1908 and 1909, immediately after finishing Das Lied von der Erde which is a symphony in all but name and which should really be his 9th. He was a very superstitious man, however, and he was worried about the Curse of the 9th, so it wasn’t given a number. After the acual 9th Symphony he went on to compose another, his 10th (though really the 11th), though he didn’t quite finish it before his death in 1911. I hope this clarifies the situation.

The 9th Symphony is a substantial piece last about 80 minutes in performance. That’s far from his longest, but it does justify it being performed on its own. The structure is unusual, with two very long slow movements either side of a pair of shorter movements, a scherzo and a rondo. The former is constructed from dance-like segments, and much of it is in 3/4 time; it reminded me a little of Ravel’s La Valse, which starts out like a standard waltz but disintegrates into a nightmarish parody of that form. The rondo described as “Rondo-Burleske” is very fragmented, grotesque and at times raucous, and also very modern-sounding. It has been described as “ferocious outburst of fiendish laughter at the futility of everything”. I think the final adagio movement is the best, and it brought out the best of the NSOI. The long sweeping passages played by only the strings, with the cellos and double-basses providing deep foundations to Mahler’s sumptuously textured harmonies. Absolutely gorgeous.

The Symphony ends very quietly indeed. Anja Bihlmaier kept her baton in hand for quite a long time before putting it down and letting the applause start. A little silence at the end of a piece of music is a very good thing: it allows the members of the audience a brief moment to reflect on what they have heard. It irks me when people starting clapping and shouting before the sound has even died away.

Anyway, when it was over, the applause was tumultuous. I’ve already mentioned the string sections, but ll the members of the NSOI contributed with outstanding contributions from the woodwinds and brass too.

There being only one item on the menu there was no wine break, but not having an interval meant that I had time to have a drink at the end before heading back to Pearse station to get the train back to Maynooth. In the old days the NCH used to treat the audience to a free prosecco after the season finale, but not any more. I had to buy my own.

Well, this season may be over, but the booklet for next season is already out. I had a look through it on the train home. I plan to resume my Friday-night concert-going at the NCH in September, but there will be more music before then.

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Shostakovich 50 at the National Concert Hall

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2025 by telescoper

Last night’s concert at the National Concert Hall in Dublin was billed Shostakovich 50 because 2025 marks the 50th anniversity of the death in 1975 of Dmitri Shostakovich, whose First Symphony was performed after the interval, by the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of guest conductor John Storgårds. As you can see, though, the programme was quite varied and no fewer than three other composers were represented.

The first piece was The Oceanides, tone poem by Jean Sibelius intended to evoke the sea nymphs of Greek mythology. It’s quite a short piece – only eleven minutes in performance – but full of movement, suggesting the ebb-and-flow of the sea and its different moods, from tranquil to stormy. Its place on the programme made it a good workout for the orchestra and a wonderful starter to whet their appetite of the audience for the rest of the menu.

After that appetizer we had a performance of the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov with soloist Yukine Kuroki at the piano. This piece comprises a set of 24 variations on a them from one of Paganini’s caprices for solo violin. The Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini is piece full of contrasts: sometimes pyrotechnical, sometimes lyrical. My favourite section is the 18th variation, in which a lovely romantic melody emerges and is picked up by the whole orchestra in a manner that’s very characteristic of Rachmaninov. This tune is just an inversion of the theme transposed into a different  key and slowed down.

The Rachmaninov alone was worth the cost of the ticket. I was amazed how pianist Yukine Kuroki coped with the technical challenges of this work but also how she managed to generate so much power for a person of such slight build. Rachmaninov himself was quite a large man who had hands like shovels, so his work often places difficult demands on a soloist. Not last night, though, as Yukine Kuroki not only played with great accomplishment but also clearly enjoyed herself. In the passages during which the piano was not playing she was bouncing up and down and tapping her feet waiting for her cue. It was lovely to watch as well as to listen to. I’ll also mention that she was wearing a gorgeous one-shoulder dress with a vivid red colour.

After the wine break interval we returned for a piece that was new to me, the Symphony No. 3 ‘White Interment’ by Ukrainian composer Victoria Vita Polyova. This is described a symphony, but it doesn’t have the traditional structure in terms of movements. It has instead a rather static structure, consisting of thematic blocks based on a poem Now always snows. It’s a sombre and rather minimalist piece, with little of the development you would expect from a true symphony, but the sound world it creates is layered in interesting ways. I enjoyed the performance.

And finally we have the Symphony No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich which I don’t think I had heard in concert before. The most astonishing thing about this work was that he wrote it as a graduation piece for the St Petersburg Conservatory. Its first performance was in 1926, when the composer was only 19. It is a substanial work over four movements (the last two played without interruption) and there are passages within it in which you can see that he had already found much of the distinct voice that he used in his later compositions. This piece isn’t really reminiscent of any other composers, either.

The performance was excellent, with particularly strong work by the woodwinds and brass. It was very well received by the NCH audience which is always very generous with its applause.

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