Now that's a pairing I would love to see in recital sometime: Ian Bostridge and Mitsuko Uchida performing Schubert's Winterreise. From their recent Wigmore Hall appearance, Martin Kettle writes in the Guardian:
Bostridge's light, high tenor, and his punctilious German, were especially effective in the dreamier, more hallucinatory songs such as The Linden Tree and The Crow, and his account of the cycle became increasingly gripping. It reached a dark intensity in the solemn pairing of The Signpost and The Inn, and ended with a typically bleak rendering of The Organ-Grinder. Some may dislike Bostridge's habit of pacing around the platform in front of the piano, but this is a cycle that compels restlessness. Both the unusual timbre of Bostridge's tenor and the calculated physicality of his stage manner add to the sense of the protagonist as a person on the edge.
By contrast, Uchida's piano-playing became almost mannered in its restraint and introspection. But the control, the mastery of half-tones, and the profound seriousness of her playing of Schubert's chords, especially memorable in The Inn, was music-making of the highest order. As so often in performances as an accompanist, Uchida seemed to be silently singing every word. Not a conventional art-song Winterreise in any way, but an absolutely riveting evening all the same.
Here they are performing the first six songs from Die schöne Müllerin on Japanese TV:
Now that's a concert pairing I would love to see in recital sometime - Ian Bostridge and Mitsuko Uchida performing Schubert's Winterreise. From their recent Wigmore Hall appearance, Martin Kettle writes in the Guardian:
Bostridge's light, high tenor, and his punctilious German, were especially effective in the dreamier, more hallucinatory songs such as The Linden Tree and The Crow, and his account of the cycle became increasingly gripping. It reached a dark intensity in the solemn pairing of The Signpost and The Inn, and ended with a typically bleak rendering of The Organ-Grinder. Some may dislike Bostridge's habit of pacing around the platform in front of the piano, but this is a cycle that compels restlessness. Both the unusual timbre of Bostridge's tenor and the calculated physicality of his stage manner add to the sense of the protagonist as a person on the edge.
By contrast, Uchida's piano-playing became almost mannered in its restraint and introspection. But the control, the mastery of half-tones, and the profound seriousness of her playing of Schubert's chords, especially memorable in The Inn, was music-making of the highest order. As so often in performances as an accompanist, Uchida seemed to be silently singing every word. Not a conventional art-song Winterreise in any way, but an absolutely riveting evening all the same.
Here is the same duo performing the first six songs from Die schöne Müllerin on Japanese TV:
Long live music for herds of pianos! Proms 32 and 33 at the Royal Albert Hall this weekend feature music for multiple pianos. The horde of pianists:
Katia and Marielle Labèque, Philip Moore, Simon Crawford-Phillips, Lidija and Sanja Bizjak, John Constable, Rolf Hind, Tom Poster, Ashley Wass, Llyr Williams, Alisssa Firsova, Philip Moore and Simon Crawford-Phillips.
Over two concerts, they will be devouring these works:
Here's an amazing use of contemporary opera as an advertising application--this week London's Ikea Wembley is hosting several performances of Flatpack, a site-specific opera composed by Tom Lane and produced by Mammoth Music Theatre. About the opera:
The Opera explores issues encountered in everyday modern life and how our consumer decisions and domestic interaction with others are indicators of more profound life choices and personalities. Practically, this focuses on a selection of scenes taken from the lives of a cast of characters, which relate to furniture, living and lifestyle.
...precisely the types of issues I contemplate when strolling through my friendly neighborhood Ikea location en route to chowing down on some meatballs with lingonberry compote. The remaining shows are scheduled for June 9 and 10 at 7:30 in Ikea Wembley. Admission is free.
The classical music social network Dilettante has just launched a major upgrade, and social media junkies might to check out this unique corner of the web. In addition to a more navigation-friendly design, the reworked Dilettante features expanded offerings of user-created content, music, discussions, and events. I would also like to welcome the many first-time visitors who arrived via the latest news section from the Collaborative Piano Blog article links.
It is said that the value of a social network rises exponentially with the number of people that utilize it, so if you value a separate social network devoted to the art of classical music, be sure to sign up right away, and check out my own Dilettante profile while you're at it.
A few months ago, I wrote about the classical music social networking startup Dilettante Music. In the ensuing months, they've been both expanding their user base and releasing new and interesting multimedia content for both members and visitors. Below is a recent webcast of their July 9 Blank Canvas event at 93 Feet East in London. The featured musicians on the webcast:
Pianist Will Dutta playing the first movement of Debussy's Pour le piano (starting at ~3:32 on the video)
The Elysian Quartet playing Sean O'Hagan's The Ballad of Erpington Steel
(starting at ~8:21)
For those who haven't heard of Dilettante Music yet, it's a sort of classical-music-themed Facebook, where you can post a profile, write blog posts, friend other users, post photos, join groups, add event listings, and upload music. Right now Dilettante is mostly UK-centered, but that will probably change as the site grows and matures over the coming season.
on Japanese TV:
