Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4; Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (Kavakos / Philharmonia / Blomstedt)

21st November 2024
Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom

MOZART Violin Concerto No. 4
MAHLER Symphony No. 9

Leonidas Kavakos (violin / direction)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Herbert Blomstedt (conductor)



I don't know how often one gets to see a 97-year-old conducting a Mahler symphony, but we witnessed something more than a miracle tonight. I grew up listening to Herbert Blomstedt's seminal Nielsen recordings and have long been a fan of his understated, graceful and sophisticated performances. The last time I saw him, he was 89 and I called that all-Beethoven Prom "PURE. HEAVENLY. BLISS". Mahler 9 is a taxing work, emotionally, intellectually and physically. The fact that, at 97, one is physically fit and agile enough on stage for 90 minutes straight is a wonder in itself, but it's beyond belief that he managed to give a performance with such great sensitivity and youthful vitality which could easily put most other conductors in their prime to shame. The pacing and shaping of the Andante, the elegance of the ländler, the piercing transparency of the counterpoints in the Rondo-Burleske, and the transcendence of the Adagio - everything was in the right place and perfectly balanced. Sure, there were some sloppy moments from the brass here and there, but Blomstedt clearly loved and respected every note and player and the Philharmonia Orchestra duly reciprocated. Says who that Mahler 9 is all about dying and death and must be poignant? All I heard was a life-affirming and illuminating performance of supreme warmth where every performer treasured every ounce of the human spirit. Leaving the hall, all I wanted to do was to go home, get down on the knees to say a prayer and thank God for every moment that happened. I hope that Blomstedt stays healthy and happy for many more years to come. The concert started with Mozart's uneventful "Violin Concerto No. 4" play-directed by the great Leonidas Kavakos. Personally speaking, the orchestral force was too large and the straight playing was too safe, and I would prefer a more camerata-style ensemble instead, but it was a good warm-up for what then became a magical concert.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 67 - Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on 'Greensleeves'; Schoenberg: Violin Concerto; Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 (Kopatchinskaja / BBC SO / Peltokoski)

9th September 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on 'Greensleeves'
SCHOENBERG Violin Concerto
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Tarmo Peltokoski (conductor)



My final Prom of the year took me back to the starting point - a Schoenberg celebration for his 150th birthday on 13th Sept, which happens to be a Friday (a problem if you know Schoenberg). Compared to the later "Piano Concerto", which is programmatic and surprisingly catchy, the 12-tone "Violin Concerto" doesn't have many memorable landmarks. The tone row consists mostly of 2nds and 4ths, so the melodies and harmonies sound incredibly harsh. The score gives me vertigo - how can you pitch the notes, let alone play those unnatural double stopping with natural harmonics? The final cadenza colla parte is just insane. There is no performer on the planet who has got Schoenberg in his/her DNA as much as Patricia Kopatchinskaja. She even recorded "Pierrot lunaire" as a singer. Not only did she sail through the thorny technical difficulties, but she went one step further to unearth the hidden beauty and even Classical elegance in II, and make the rondo in III almost a party singalong. Turns out this technical beast of a concerto actually has a heart. Credits to the BBC Symphony Orchestra under (the 24-year-old!) Tarmo Peltokoski as well, who assuredly accompanied the soloist antiphonically and heterophonically, perhaps even became a lyrical overkill in III. It was phenomenal. I hope they will make a recording of this. A couple of "witty" encores from PatKop and Tarmo followed, which demonstrated the latter's over-the-top pianism and skills at making duck noises. DSCH 5 after the interval was solid. The first movement had some rare transparent playing, II was hard-hitting, but overall it lacked fire and felt a bit rigid (perhaps due to limited rehearsals because of the Schoenberg). Powerful and clean performance, but wasn't a wow. RVW's "Fantasia on 'Greensleeves'" started the programme. Not sure why it was there, but it was smooth. Peltokoski seems like a safe and reliable conductor. A certain Asian orchestra should be in good hands. Need more sampling.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 62 - Mahler: Symphony No. 6 (BRSO / Rattle)

6th September 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

MAHLER Symphony No. 6

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Simon Rattle (conductor)



The annual Simon Rattle love fest, this time with his new band Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, playing Mahler 6 (Andante-Scherzo tonight). IT WAS PERFECT. The BRSO sound is considerably coarser than the BPO and the LSO, and I turned up fully expecting Rattle to milk every phrase to the last drop. He didn't, and the less rounded sound (especially in the brass, even the harps were a bit rough) actually worked to the advantage of M6. It is incredibly hard, even on paper, to pace this symphony because you don't want to make a 90 min solid wall of sound, but you need to keep the momentum and volume and keep pushing it just to make everything cataclysmically collapse at the end. Aesthetically difficult too - is it a happy or sad work? A mixture of both? Or neither because it is "nihilistic"? I found the perfect Andante tonight where beauty was neither happy nor sad. The singing contrapuntal lines just blossomed gloriously at an excellent speed - to nothing, it just existed. The Scherzo was rough and ironic in the best possible way. The march in the first movement never felt forced (though could probably benefit from a faster tempo), but it's the shaping of the finale that was astonishing. Every time I listen to M6, I always wonder, what do you do after each hammer blow? The mastery of Rattle was on full display here where he demonstrated it was possible to release the tension while keeping the momentum going in order to build another climax in quick succession. It must have taken a lifetime of experience to be able to pull this off. The hammer blows were also actually on time for once. It was thrilling and touching in equal measures, the nice and the ugly were perfectly balanced and the playing was incredible. Of the many M6s I have heard live or on recording, this was one of the very best. I did wonder if the LSO would be too nice for this symphony, and conversely if the BRSO would be too rough for M2. That comparison exercise would be very interesting. Meanwhile, M6 has remained my favourite Mahler symphony. Once again, IT WAS PERFECT.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 58 - Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune; Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947); Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (Orchestre de Paris – Philharmonie / Mäkelä)

3rd September 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

DEBUSSY Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
STRAVINSKY Petrushka (1947 version)
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique

Jean-Baptiste Doulcet (piano)
Orchestre de Paris - Philharmonie
Klaus Mäkelä (conductor)



Klaus Mäkelä with Orchestre de Paris. Having seen Mäkelä for three years with three different orchestras, I can now confirm that he is a very polarising conductor. In extravagant and texturally complex works, he brings the best out of his orchestras, lets the players enjoy their moments, creates very transparent textures and often yields refreshing and invigorating results. This is particularly true for the "Petrushka" (1947) tonight, which is the best I have ever heard live. For once, the performance actually reminded the audience that the music was originally written for a ballet, has a physical dimension to it, and tells a long story, as opposed to some patchy orchestral mess you hear in most other performances. The clinical playing was breathtaking and got better and better in the later tableaux. Then his quieter and introspective moments mostly fall flat. The opening "Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune" suffered from this and felt like it was played by a different orchestra. Rather than the charged eroticism you'd expect, the flute solo was a bit lethargic and got overpowered by the strings, which unfortunately weren't as sensational and shaped as they could be. One would like to think it varies on a piece by piece basis, but it is a serious problem when this discrepancy happens within the same work. In "Symphonie fantastique", he got the whole audience to swing in enjoyment during the ballroom waltz in "Un bal", giving us a taste of classical grace and elegance this fabulous Parisian force could afford. Then the energy just dissipated in the cor anglais-oboe duet in "Scène aux champs" and the whole middle movement dragged on without direction before the excitement picked up again in the rhythmic final two movements, both brilliantly executed. There were moments where he just let his players go wild without conducting and when he shaped, he was bodily involved and got some sharp responses in return. You can see why the players love working with him. Does he deserve all the attention and jobs he gets? He sure is a special talent and well appreciated by everyone, but there is still some way to go before he becomes one of the greats. Time will tell.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 55 - Schumann: Piano Concerto; Smetana: Má vlast (Ólafsson / BPO / Petrenko)

31st August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

SCHUMANN Piano Concerto
SMETANA Má vlast

Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko (conductor)



To celebrate Smetana 200, Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko brought his opus magnum "Má vlast" to the Proms. 19th century Bohemian nationalism, six tone poems back-to-back lasting over 75 minutes, am I that interested? Not really, to be honest, but it's all about the joy of hearing one of the best orchestras in the world grinding their way through these masterfully orchestrated musical paintings. You know something special was going to happen as soon as the harp duet hit at the beginning of "Vyšehrad", and the overcrowded and smelly RAH became the most beautiful place on Earth when the glorious BPO strings sang the famous tune of "Vltava" over the magical winds. "Šárka" had some intense, dramatic moments depicting women slaughtering drugged men and the odd, quiet strings fugue in "Z českých luhů a hájů" was very effective live. Petrenko has this immense skill to instantaneously shape and mould the orchestral sound to his will and there is nothing quite like the golden BPO sound so it's worth the money just to experience that. Then the piece went on for too long and the audience's concentration waned during the solemn and militant "Tábor"-"Blaník" pair. If you enjoy big, deep brass playing, there's much to offer, but it didn't stop streams of people walking out halfway. Couldn't blame them because the first half was a questionable Schumann "Piano Concerto". The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is someone DG PR has tried to force down people's throat in recent years. Granted, I do enjoy his disciplined, soul-searching and haunting Bach in small doses, such as the transcribed organ sonata encore tonight and his award-winning album, but the same approach does not work on a Romantic concerto. Schumann's polyrhythms are fascinating but they don't need to be emphasised like a Bach fugue. It felt like he was playing to a metronome and you ended up having Cyborg Eusebius and the Florestanator sending love messages in binary code and if I were Clara I would just elope with Brahms. In happier news, it was announced that a lady in the audience celebrated her 100th birthday tonight. She got as large an applause as the BPO. It was lovely.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 50 - Kaprálová: Military Sinfonietta; Dvořák: Piano Concerto; Janáček: Glagolitic Mass (Fujita / Czech Philharmonic / Hrůša)

28th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

KAPRÁLOVÁ Military Sinfonietta
DVOŘÁK Piano Concerto
JANÁČEK Glagolitic Mass

Mao Fujita (piano)
Corinne Winters (soprano)
Bella Adamova (mezzo-soprano)
David Butt Philip (tenor)
Pavel Švingr (bass)
Christian Schmitt (organ)
Prague Philharmonic Choir
Czech Philharmonic
Jakub Hrůša (conductor)



In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, I refused to attend a Prom conducted by Gergiev. 10 full years later, Janáček's "Glagolitic Mass" finally gets programmed again, this time as part of a celebration of Czech music performed by the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Jakub Hrůša. I did expect a thrilling spectacle, but I didn't expect such a brutal sonic onslaught (in a good way, that is) where sounds, be it the well-rehearsed, homogeneous choir, the hyper brass, the timpani rolls, the powerful soloists, or that feeble, tiny, 9999-pipe RAH organ mumbling that mini-voluntary after "Agnus Dei", slapped you in the face left, centre and right for 45 minutes straight at ff at rapid speed. It was Janáček on steroids and a miracle that the cohort managed to keep it together at all. Let's be reflective in the "Credo" after the orchestral interlude. No, no, no, said the Czechs who just charged on, without letting the energy dissipate. You'd wonder if such an aggressive manner is the authentic way in which this music is supposed to be performed. Epic. Talk about pointless anniversaries: in 2004, I bought the score of Dvořák's "Piano Concerto" in Prague and I only got to hear it live for the first time tonight. It's a problematic concerto where the soloist part is unnecessarily difficult and unrewarding and historically not many pianists bother with it. Judging from his Mozart recordings, I anticipated a highly sensitive and poetic rendition (as opposed to the fireworks of Richter, say) from the Tchaikovsky runner-up Mao Fujita and it was precisely what we got. Lyrical and bright with great orchestral rapport. He has the gravitational magic that keeps pulling you in. II felt like time stood still and it was evident that he actually believed in this concerto. Nothing can save this PC, but to me it was almost a new benchmark. The programme started with "Military Sinfonietta" by Vítězslava Kaprálová, a Martinů student (evident from the use of piano for orchestral colours) who tragically died young. Tuneful and upbeat work, a bit fun but doesn't seem to have a narrative. Not sure how much it will get performed outside this setting, but why not.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 40 - Bach: St. John Passion (Bach Collegium Japan / Suzuki)

19th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

BACH St. John Passion

Benjamin Bruns (Evangelist)
Christian Immler (Jesus / bass)
Yusuke Watanabe (Pilate)
Carolyn Sampson (soprano)
Alexander Chance (counter-tenor)
Shimon Yoshida (tenor)
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki (conductor)



I hate to admit that I'm old, but there's no denying when the Prom I looked forward to the most this season was "St. John Passion", one of Bach's most monumental liturgical works, and I went all in by listening to nothing but Bach's choral and organ works all week just to prepare for tonight. 2024 marks the 300th anniversary of the premiere of "St. John Passion". Bach's Passion settings are unique in that they are not concert showpieces per se, but full-scale liturgical music for Good Friday services. They are framed around sermons and congregational singing (hence the chorales) so the best, or most appropriate, performances are those that perfectly balance the dramatisation of events and the religious solemnity. The Bach specialist Masaaki Suzuki and his superlative Bach Collegium Japan have hit that sweet spot since 1990s. It was pure perfection - note-perfect sensitivity and musical flow polished over decades of experience. The homogeneity of the choir (soloists embedded - I counted 11 upper and 10 lower voices), the diction, the word painting, the intense exchange among the choir and the soloists from "Jesum von Nazareth" at the beginning to the entire courtroom scene in Part 2, the glorious chorales, the reflective moments after the Crucifixion - it was always moving (in every sense of the word). Some might complain about the relatively modest orchestral force for the vast RAH and the lack of operatic dramatisations from the soloists, but that was precisely the spiritual and ethereal transcendence I anticipated from Suzuki and his team. The minimalistic elegance from the instrumental forces were also breathtaking, from the traversi flute duets to trios in the arias to the earth shattering moment when the veil was torn in two. I have rarely seen a Prom audience so attentive and respectful, and a number of them walked out after the concert still humming "Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine". "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise," says Jesus on the Holy Cross (though this line is from Luke), when "It [was] finished" (this line is from John), it certainly felt like that. I left the concert feeling like a transformed person. It was Heaven.



[Re-writing the above in Japanese as exercise]

【IG 日本語作文練習】（３）

年配になったと認めるのが嫌だが、今年の Proms 音楽祭には、最も楽しみにしたコンサートのはバッハの『ヨハネ受難曲』だ。今夜のために、一週間中バッハの合唱曲とオルガン曲ばかり聴いた。『ヨハネ受難曲』は、初演から今年で３００周年を迎える。この作品は、コンサートパフォーマンスのための曲より、むしろキリスト教の聖金曜日のための典礼音楽である。作品の曲が説教や会衆の歌唱を中心に構成されたので、最高の演奏には、脚色と荘厳をバランスさせるはずだ。バッハの権威のマエストロ鈴木雅明は、彼が１９９０年に創設したバッハ・コレギウム・ジャパンと共に、そんなふうに Royal Albert Hall で演奏した。何十年も磨かれた感性と音楽の流れ、絶対完璧な演奏だった。合唱団の均質性、ドイツ語の発音、冒頭の「ナザレのイエス」から第２部の法廷シーンまで合唱団とソリストとの激しいやり取り、壮麗なコラール、十字架刑の後の反省の瞬間など、全部完璧だった。古楽器オーケストラにとって Royal Albert Hall が広大すぎたかもしれないが、ソリストのドラマ性が不足したかもしれないが、これは期待したバッハの超越だった。楽団の演奏も抜群だった、そのフルートのデュエットも、アリアのトリオも、十字架刑の後、幕が二つに引き裂かれた時に衝撃的な瞬間も、全て印象的だった。Proms の観客たちがそんなに尊敬して注意して立って聴くのを私は見たことがない（笑）。コンサートの後も、何人かの観客が「Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine」を口ずさみながら会場から出かけた。「よく言っておくが、あなたは今日私と一緒に楽園にいる」と十字架上のキリストが言った。本当に、天国のような美しさを感じた。流石に最高の Prom だった。

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 31 - Brahms: Violin Concerto; Schubert: Symphony No. 9 "Great" (Mutter / WEDO / Barenboim)

11th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

BRAHMS Violin Concerto
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 "Great"

Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin)
West–Eastern Divan Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim (conductor)



MOTHER IS STILL MOTHERING. I last saw Anne-Sophie Mutter play the Brahms "Violin Concerto" in 2004. 20 years on, she still owns the piece, this time with Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. This is so much more than a concert of legendary performers, but 1) a 25th anniversary celebration of an orchestra comprising Arab and Israeli musicians that demonstrates peace is possible through dialogue, mutual respect and understanding, a message more relevant now than ever; and 2) the miraculous and triumphant return of a musical giant diagnosed with a serious neurological condition two years ago. Barenboim is frail, needed to be supported by Mutter to get on stage to conduct on a stool. It was special to be able to witness once more an old-fashioned rendition of the German Romantic warhorse. I can't think of many performances of the Brahms these 20 years that are as physical and full-bodied as Mutter's tonight, and nothing has sounded as sweet as that high D in the slow movement, even though the orchestral involvement was mostly lethargic and had to rely on Mutter driving the concerto. It was also poignant to realise that this kind of personalities and playing styles are stepping into the twilight zone right in front of our very eyes and when they are gone, there is no more. Mutter offered a sarabande from a Bach partita as a prayer for peace as encore. After the interval, Schubert's "Great" C major was lively, full of authoritative, regal vitality that prevented it from being a relentless, repetitive, hour-long bore. The Beethoven quote in the last movement really stood out. Barenboim's conducting gestures were minimal, but still commanded some sharp responses from the orchestra. Perhaps well past his prime, but it was still more invigorating than some recordings I heard over the weekend. It might be a twilight, but it's one that still glows beautifully, and one hopes it keeps shining, long enough to see the horrendous conflicts we see daily get permanently resolved.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 23 - Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances; Busoni: Piano Concerto (Grosvenor / LPO / LP Choir / Rudolfus Choir / Gardner)

5th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances
BUSONI Piano Concerto

Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
The Rodolfus Choir
London Philharmonic Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner (conductor)



I will be honest. There are certain works I have very little interest in but I turn up to see them anyway because I want to earn the bragging right of having seen them live, even if it means having to stand through Rachmaninov's tedious "Symphonic Dances" for the fourth time at the Proms. Credits where they are due, it was an outstanding performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner. It was tight and punchy, the winds were particularly delectable and the performance could not be better than that. It served as the concert opener to Busoni's gargantuan "Piano Concerto" perhaps because both works are constructed from (long-winded) culmination of themes. The Busoni is rarely performed live - 70+ min long, fiendish piano part, requiring massive forces including an "invisible" male choir (sung from the Gallery tonight), disorienting on first listens because the themes are all over the place - it's the best and worst Romanticism can offer. The third movement alone is 25 min long and divided into four parts, mostly meditative explorations. The fourth movement is a banal (and pretty tasteless) tarantella and the final movement basically becomes a choral piece with piano accompaniment. The piano part is often drowned out by the orchestra, almost taking on an anti-soloist role - who actually wants to tackle this unrewarding stamina exercise? It's easier to appreciate the work if you consider it a symphonic poem with obbligato piano. The hero tonight, Benjamin Grosvenor, seemed to traverse the ever-changing landscape assuredly, lyrical where needed, bombastic where necessary, matching the gigantic LPO sound in great overall balance and pace. Completing the performance was a real triumph in itself, but it went well and beyond. The encore was Siloti's B minor transcription of Bach's WTCI E minor prelude, as a nod to Busoni also being a famous Bach transcriber. The Busoni is not something I am desperate to hear again in the near future, but now I can tell people I saw this 15 out of 10 performance live. This is music making of the highest calibre. Just wow.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 7 - Late Night Italian with Jakub Józef Orliński (Il Pomo d’Oro / Orliński)

23rd July 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

MONTEVERDI 'E pur io torno qui' from L'incoronazione di Poppea
MONTEVERDI Voglio di vita uscir
MARINI 'Passacaglia' from Per ogni sorte di strumenti musicale
CACCINI 'Amarilli, mia bella' from Le nuove musiche
FRESCOBALDI 'Così mi disprezzate' from Arie musicali, Book I
KERLL Sonata for two violins and continuo in F major
STROZZI 'L'amante consolato' from Cantate, ariette e duetti, Op. 2
CAVALLI 'Incomprensibil nume' from Pompeo Magno
PALLAVICINO 'Sinfonia' from Demetrio
NETTI 'Misero core' from La Filli
NETTI 'Sì, sì, sì, scioglia sì' from La Filli
NETTI 'Dolcissime catene' from La Filli
SARTORIO 'La certezza di sua fede' from Antonino e Pompeiano
NETTI 'Quanto più la donna invecchia' from L'Adamiro
NETTI 'Son vecchia, pazienza' from L'Adamiro
JARZĘBSKI 'Tamburetta' from Canzoni e concerti
MORATELLI 'Lungi dai nostri cor' from La faretra smarrita

Jakub Józef Orliński (countertenor)
Il Pomo d’Oro



It was hot, and the audience was thirsty. I am, of course, referring to the indoor conditions of the RAH, not some male-modelling, break-dancing, Polish pretty boy by the name of Jakub Józef Orliński singing obscure Italian opera and cantata numbers all night long with his homies from the Baroque ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro. Countertenor is a bit of a rare species, repertoire is limited and it can be difficult for the audience to sit through an hour of male voice singing in falsetto, so modern day marketing has evolved to present the countertenor with "clever" programming, and Orliński is a champion of that. He has so far compiled four albums of Baroque countertenor works mostly by little-known composers. His latest album, Beyond, brought together the works of Monteverdi, Marini, Caccini, Frescobaldi, Kerll, Strozzi, Cavalli, Pallavicino, Netti, Sartorio and Moratelli and tonight's Prom was a semi-staged presentation of this album. With the show providing no surtitles, in almost complete darkness and presented in one continuous flow, unless one had already studied the text in advance or speaks Italian, chances are the majority of the audience had no idea what was being sung, so it was basically a spectacle to see one single, unamplified, angelic voice filling the massive RAH for a good 1.5 h, and what a breathtaking show it was. The music themselves were not necessarily the most ambitious or exciting, but hearing this voice of the highest purity, flexibility and dexterity was a great joy - and how could he sustain that voice whilst lying down or dancing around? It had a wide emotional palette, great rhythmic agility and a massive personality to top it all. I was a bit confused to see a cello in the continuo when they had a gambist as a soloist, plus other odd instrumental and ornamental practices throughout, but who cares, they are making Baroque music fun, fresh and relevant again. The audience braved the possibility of missing the last Tube and stayed for three encores which included an obligatory display of Orliński's breakdancing talent. I don't know who else can pull this off. This is extraordinary. This is the future, baby.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 5 - Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande; Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau (BBC NOW / Bancroft)

22nd July 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande
ZEMLINSKY Die Seejungfrau

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)



Let's kick off the 2024 season with a sumptuous orchestral feast, a re-enactment of a 1905 programme that paired Schoenberg's early, ultra-Romantic Pelleas und Melisande with Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau. Offering this programme early season on a Monday meant attendance was 30% at best. It's a real shame that people missed out on such a fabulous performance of these rare gems - if it weren't Schoenberg's 150, these two works are hardly performed at all. Two 45-minute emotional rollercoasters back-to-back - sweeping melodies, lush harmonies, big sounds, rich orchestrations, it was a lot to take in. Schoenberg likes writing about the passion of unfaithful women (c.f. also Verklärte Nacht); his brother-in-law Zemlinsky suffered, in real life, from heartbreak from a woman who eventually married Mahler (and we know what happened after that), and ended up writing this gigantic work on Hans Christian Andersen's story where the mermaid pursues a prince who doesn't love her back. Oh, love, German Romanticism at its very charming best. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Ryan Bancroft was outstanding throughout. Well rehearsed, well balanced, well executed, excellent narratives, top-notched playing and most importantly, incredibly fun. Sustaining the hyper-charged mood for two massive works was hard as it was, it was refreshing to see everybody pouring their hearts and soul into the performance, taking risks at the edge of the seat for these demanding scores throughout. Sure, they are not big names (which was why attendance was poor), but I'd rather see this high level of passionate playing than some big names autopiloting Stravinsky. It was definitely an "I am glad to be alive to be able to see this" performance. Very good start to the season.

雪国（1935 - 1937, 1947）、千羽鶴＋波千鳥（1949 - 1951, 1953）／川端康成

【IG 日本語作文練習】（２）

「いつか、川端康成の作品を原文で読むために、日本語を学ぶ！」と僕は七年前に真剣に言った。今、任務達成！！！

信じようと信じまいと、これこそ僕の再び日本語を学ぶことの唯一の原因だ。普通話を話さないので、台湾の翻訳が少し読みにくい。それに、よく日本語の文法が翻訳できなく、主語が紛らわしい（例えば、この文……）。伝統的な美しさ、地方の訛り、階層社会の様々な使われる言葉などを英語や中国語で伝えないのだ。

作品を原文でもう一度読んでから、川端の世界観や美学や官能的な描写をもっと深く感じた。【雪国】の有名な冒頭文は、「国境の長いトンネルを抜けると雪国であった。夜の底が白くなった。信号所に汽車が止まった。」と、リズムが文に音楽感を加え、場面を美しくしすぎるでしょうか？【千羽鶴】は文字が極簡約のだが、川端の特有の魔性も、徒労に拘りも、物の哀れの美しさも、静寂な雰囲気の中で微かに滲む。文学作品を読むのがちょっと難しかったが、大満足だった！

もう英語で【雪国】と【千羽鶴】を論じた、詳しくはこちら：
【雪国】：https://lichtesspiel.blogspot.com/2017/08/yukiguni-snow-country-1935-1937-1947-by.html
【千羽鶴】：https://lichtesspiel.blogspot.com/2017/08/senbazuru-nami-chidori-thousand-cranes.html

とりあえず、読む練習が完成した。次は聞く練習。どのアニメかドラマを見ましょうか？

小澤征爾さんと、音楽について話をする（2011 / 2014）／小澤征爾 村上春樹 "Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa" (2011 / 2014) by Seiji Ozawa and Haruki Murakami

The conductor Seiji Ozawa sadly left us in February. As a tribute and also a Japanese reading exercise, I picked up this collection of conversations between the Maestro and the perpetual Nobel Prize candidate Haruki Murakami. Regular Murakami readers would know that he references a lot of jazz and classical music in his novels, which often adds an extra dimension to the mood he paints if one recognises the composers or artists, and he used to run a jazz bar. So this meeting between the two cultural icons should be very interesting, and it is, in fact, albeit for some very specific reasons. These six conversations took place just before and after the tragic earthquake in 2011, during a period of time when Ozawa was recovering from his treatments for oesophageal cancer and thus had some free time to reflect on his career. No one should expect a deep musical discourse in this book, but "casual" as it is supposed to be, it launches straight into some very obscure musical territories (such as a Honegger cantata) early on and Murakami brings up some oddly specific recordings to go through with Ozawa which makes it very difficult to read on paper. Despite having set topics, they often go off a tangent so the bulk of the conversations appear directionless. I would imagine this book is very difficult to follow if you do not have a good exposure to classical music already. However, since Ozawa was the only person to have studied with both Karajan and Bernstein, on top of Münch and Monteux, he has a lot of fascinating stories to tell, and he does so with a colourful personality. These conversations are full of anecdotes, insider stories and big name-droppings that would delight the classical music aficionados, such as Glenn Gould's peculiarities that Murakami needs to censor ("残念ながら活字にはできないエピソードがいくつか披露された") [1], Peter Serkin being a rebellious child [2], flat hunting in Boston with Zimerman [3], his difficulty in understanding Berg's "Wozzeck" [4], Stravinsky editing the rhythms of "The Rite of Spring" whilst the NYPO was rehearsing the old version and thus angering everybody [5], him "stealing" batons from Ormandy's office [6], him breaking a finger conducting "Das Lied von der Erde" [7], him storming out of a rehearsal of Ginastera's "Estancia" over some unruly BPO players [8], and his mother mistaking the La Scala boos as "Bravos" after his "Tosca" and Pavarotti had to comfort him [9]. This 2014 reprint also includes an additional essay about Murakami meeting Kazuo Ishiguro, and Ozawa insisting on a jazz pianist to get out of retirement and play "Rhapsody in Blue" with the Saito Kinen Orchestra. If you are a long time classical music fan, this is a highly entertaining page-turner, not least because it gives us another opportunity to revisit the golden age of pre-globalisation music-making that, for better or worse, will never return. For all the cultural clashes mentioned, it makes one realise how many barriers Ozawa had to overcome and what achievements he had. This was published 13 years before he died and already you can tell it's a life well lived. Rest well, Maestro, we can now hear your Beethoven beyond earth.



1 p. 51
2 p. 99
3. p. 101
4. pp. 170 - 171
5. pp. 185 - 192
6. pp. 214 - 216
7. pp. 316 - 317
8. pp. 345 - 348
9. pp. 359 - 360

秒速５センチメートル（2007）／新海誠 大正浪漫（2022）／NATSUMI

【日本語で IG post を書いてみよう、誰も構わないけど】

練習として、知り尽くした物語を日本語でもう一度読むつもりだった。ある日本語レベルに達したからといって、毎日日本語の新聞を読めるからといって、小説を流暢に読めるわけではないのだ。だから、流行小説は適当な最初の速読練習……と思った。

難しすぎた！

日本語は、文法やリズムや深度が英語と中国語とかなり違うのだ。始めは、脳がこんな変化に慣れるように、中学生のように一々句を繰り返して読み、単語を一つずつ辞書で引き、知らない文法を教科書で引き、六頁が四時間もかかってしまったのだ。ありがたいことに、読めば読むほど易しくなってきた。遅くてつまらないのに、こんな訓練は必要だと思う。どんな言語でも。

新海誠の「秒速５センチメートル」は驚くほど読みにくかった。主人公視点が数度変わったのだ。しかも、アニメより小説は大分多くの心理描写があり、地方の訛りも使われたのだ。３話がアニメと違う、読んだ後、物語の結局が最早悲しくなくなった。「なんて駄目なやつだ」と思ってしまった。僕はシニカルな老人になってきたからかもしれない。（笑）

「大正浪漫」は YOASOBI の曲の原作小説だ。小説のお陰で、MV と歌詞がよくわかってきた。簡単で単純な愛情物語にすぎないから、完璧な速読練習だった。

今、基本練習は終わった。次のレベルへ！