Comments on: There’s Always a ‘But’… http://gatheringnote.com/2008/03/23/theres-always-a-but/ Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:06:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Getting the Gold is Always Best « The Gathering Note http://gatheringnote.com/2008/03/23/theres-always-a-but/#comment-574 Getting the Gold is Always Best « The Gathering Note Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:27:08 +0000 http://gatheringnote.wordpress.com/2008/03/23/theres-always-a-but/#comment-574 [...] Seattle and hear the SSO in a dreadful performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor (which I did), I make a judgement about the condition of that orchestra. I don’t judge the orchestra on whether they chose [...] [...] Seattle and hear the SSO in a dreadful performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor (which I did), I make a judgement about the condition of that orchestra. I don’t judge the orchestra on whether they chose [...]

]]> By: Once in a Lifetime « The Gathering Note http://gatheringnote.com/2008/03/23/theres-always-a-but/#comment-122 Once in a Lifetime « The Gathering Note Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:28:19 +0000 http://gatheringnote.wordpress.com/2008/03/23/theres-always-a-but/#comment-122 [...] Let us not forget that the entire performance of the Passion takes a little over three hours. We started at 7:30pm and ended at 11:00pm, and despite that fact, the audience was resoundingly appreciative of all involved. It was a sincere recognition that what occurred on that day, at the place, with those people involved, was something for the ages. Fortunately, the concert was recorded and will be heard in the fall as part of Music of the Baroque’s broadcast series on WFMT 98.7 FM in Chicago, which is online for those of you outside the Second City. If you know me, you would know that Johann Sebastian Bach has been a demi-god to me for a very long time and his St. Matthew Passion, a supreme example of his art. I am heartened and gratified to now have a performance of a Bach piece in my permanent memory files. Transformative performances don’t happen that often, even when people try. See my review of the Seattle Symphony under Schwarz performing Bach’s Mass in B minor. [...] [...] Let us not forget that the entire performance of the Passion takes a little over three hours. We started at 7:30pm and ended at 11:00pm, and despite that fact, the audience was resoundingly appreciative of all involved. It was a sincere recognition that what occurred on that day, at the place, with those people involved, was something for the ages. Fortunately, the concert was recorded and will be heard in the fall as part of Music of the Baroque’s broadcast series on WFMT 98.7 FM in Chicago, which is online for those of you outside the Second City. If you know me, you would know that Johann Sebastian Bach has been a demi-god to me for a very long time and his St. Matthew Passion, a supreme example of his art. I am heartened and gratified to now have a performance of a Bach piece in my permanent memory files. Transformative performances don’t happen that often, even when people try. See my review of the Seattle Symphony under Schwarz performing Bach’s Mass in B minor. [...]

]]> By: John Blackburn http://gatheringnote.com/2008/03/23/theres-always-a-but/#comment-92 John Blackburn Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:03:36 +0000 http://gatheringnote.wordpress.com/2008/03/23/theres-always-a-but/#comment-92 Great review. I attended the Thursday night performance as well. You don't get to hear Bach's B-minor Mass performed often, so the lackluster performance was doubly disappointing. Maestro Schwartz chose some surprising tempi--too jesu-christe hectic, too what-was-he-thinking lugubrious--but the real problem was the lack of energy, most noticeable in some of the solos and duets where the instrumentalists' lax playing dulled the rhythm to rob the movements of the precision that makes them sing. The flautist in "Domine Deus" rushed the ends of many of his phrases as though bored, while the oboes in "Et in spritum sanctum" just played the notes and failed altogether to harness the haunting potential of their unison passages. As you mention, though, both the concertmaster Ani Kavafian and horn player were great. Thank you, you two. And you're right that it looked bad for the conductor to take a seat during the solo movements. Sore leg or not, there was no reason to sit with the soloists situated so far over at stage left. The choir was uniformly strong. The middle voicing in some of the denser contrapuntal movements blurred at times--stronger diction might have helped there--but this might have been due in part to a general lack of enthusiastic support from the orchestra. The solo vocalists were also good, particularly the bass, Charles Robert Austin. Great review. I attended the Thursday night performance as well. You don’t get to hear Bach’s B-minor Mass performed often, so the lackluster performance was doubly disappointing. Maestro Schwartz chose some surprising tempi–too jesu-christe hectic, too what-was-he-thinking lugubrious–but the real problem was the lack of energy, most noticeable in some of the solos and duets where the instrumentalists’ lax playing dulled the rhythm to rob the movements of the precision that makes them sing. The flautist in “Domine Deus” rushed the ends of many of his phrases as though bored, while the oboes in “Et in spritum sanctum” just played the notes and failed altogether to harness the haunting potential of their unison passages. As you mention, though, both the concertmaster Ani Kavafian and horn player were great. Thank you, you two.

And you’re right that it looked bad for the conductor to take a seat during the solo movements. Sore leg or not, there was no reason to sit with the soloists situated so far over at stage left.

The choir was uniformly strong. The middle voicing in some of the denser contrapuntal movements blurred at times–stronger diction might have helped there–but this might have been due in part to a general lack of enthusiastic support from the orchestra.

The solo vocalists were also good, particularly the bass, Charles Robert Austin.

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