Memo to: TBSH'ers
From: Johannes Brahms
In re: China Philharmonic/Fabio Luisi performance of my 2nd Symphony, in D Major, Op. 73
Last night, I was stirred from my grave (note - didn't roll over in my grave, not until the last movement) by a rousing performance of my 2nd symphony. The playing was energetic and committed (most of it), even if the wind/brass intonation was at times, "ripe." Maestro Luisi conducted from memory (he knows my score very well); he is an elegant looking man with great hair - no beard, but I won't hold that against him. His view of my music was interesting; I used the word "rousing" above, but I don't really know if that was my intent in this work. Some have referred to my 2nd Symphony as my "Pastoral." I don't know if it is that, either.
I am always grateful when someone decides to perform my music in public, even though I am usually nervous about what they will do with it. As I am no longer very energetic, nor was I when I wrote the piece, it is difficult for me to reconcile Mo. Luisi's athletic physical approach to my music with my own girth and gait, or at least that of my former self.
"Interpretation" aside (Mein Gott, how I hate that word!), the intonation truly suffered the longer the performance went on. Main culprits were the 3 and 4 horns (und warum immer so stark?), oboe, clarinet and trombones. The matching of pitch was acutely off in the 2nd movement, and Mo. did nothing to address the concern.
That said, there was a lot of beautiful playing. Don't understand why the 1st violins didn't all use the same fingering, and there were some indiscriminate slides - schöne - but not uniformly executed. Great principal violist; I want him for my new "Dead Philharmonic" (by the way, if anyone wants to help fund it, I can get you in now on the underground floor...).
This, from our "DEAD CRITICS ARCHIVES."
Enjoy the weekend; now I go back to work on Elgar 1, which is a heckuva of a piece. More on that later, friends. - MG
From: Johannes Brahms
In re: China Philharmonic/Fabio Luisi performance of my 2nd Symphony, in D Major, Op. 73
Last night, I was stirred from my grave (note - didn't roll over in my grave, not until the last movement) by a rousing performance of my 2nd symphony. The playing was energetic and committed (most of it), even if the wind/brass intonation was at times, "ripe." Maestro Luisi conducted from memory (he knows my score very well); he is an elegant looking man with great hair - no beard, but I won't hold that against him. His view of my music was interesting; I used the word "rousing" above, but I don't really know if that was my intent in this work. Some have referred to my 2nd Symphony as my "Pastoral." I don't know if it is that, either.
I am always grateful when someone decides to perform my music in public, even though I am usually nervous about what they will do with it. As I am no longer very energetic, nor was I when I wrote the piece, it is difficult for me to reconcile Mo. Luisi's athletic physical approach to my music with my own girth and gait, or at least that of my former self.
"Interpretation" aside (Mein Gott, how I hate that word!), the intonation truly suffered the longer the performance went on. Main culprits were the 3 and 4 horns (und warum immer so stark?), oboe, clarinet and trombones. The matching of pitch was acutely off in the 2nd movement, and Mo. did nothing to address the concern.
That said, there was a lot of beautiful playing. Don't understand why the 1st violins didn't all use the same fingering, and there were some indiscriminate slides - schöne - but not uniformly executed. Great principal violist; I want him for my new "Dead Philharmonic" (by the way, if anyone wants to help fund it, I can get you in now on the underground floor...).
This, from our "DEAD CRITICS ARCHIVES."
Enjoy the weekend; now I go back to work on Elgar 1, which is a heckuva of a piece. More on that later, friends. - MG
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