I've been hearing a lot of Russian music lately. Some Proko. and Rimsky-Korsakov at blogger's night at the St. Louis Symphony Last Saturday--a very good concert with a violin concerto by Thomas Adès. Then on Sunday hearing the Youth Orchestra play and last night, the Ladue high school band with more R-K, the Capriccio Espagnol this time.
Prokofief's 1st symphony is nicknamed the "classical" because it has that 18th century feel. The SLSO gave a crisp performance of it, but it's not my favorite piece: it feels a little sterile to me.
The Adés concerto was played by Leila Josefowicz, a wonderful player. I wasn't seduced by the composition itself, though David Robertson gave an entertaining lecture about it before they played it. When he had her play a bit of a Bach piece I found myself wishing she would play more of that.
The RK Sheherazade featured some of the excellent soloists in the orchestra and got a standing O, as Leila did not.
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Sunday's Youth Orchestra featured a Mozart war-horse, the 40th, a Barber symphony, as well as a Berlioz overture and Billy the Kid, by Copland, this last one directed by Robertson. No Russian music here. The Youth Orchestra is a fine ensemble in which my particular youth plays the trumpet.
Josefowicz is quite good, and I envy you the chance to hear her. I don't totally understand why they gave her a MacArthur, though, and haven't given one to any of the dozen other amazing concertizers of her age cohort.
ResponderEliminarThis makes me want to hear the Ades, all the same.
The Adès is worth hearing, as is Josefowicz. I think the Macarthur comes from her having championed certain canonical but still contemporary composers. In other words, she's a little bit adventurous, but not too much. I'm still waiting for my genius grant.
ResponderEliminarI hear a lot of contemporary music at the SLSO, but it's not super-avant garde. Just enough so the old folks don't like it, but not enough so that I do.