Introducing Tchaikovsky

I’m sorry that it has been a while since I last posted anything, but it has been very busy at the Introduction Agency, which is good news…. Anyway, I read with interest Geoff Brown’s article in Times2 where he confessed that he did not like Tchaikovsky! To give him his due, he does admit that Tchaikovsky is “one of the world’s greatest writers of melody, a superb orchestrator, a piercing musical dramatist….” but then states”It’s that self-dramatising, neurotic and morbid aspect of Tchaikovsky” that he finds hard to take. The piece is basically about the Revealing Tchaikovsky concert series currently at the Southbank and Mr Brown goes on to say that he plans to listen hard and widely perhaps away from the emotional blockbusters. So here we have a man who knows what he likes but wants to know more. Just like me really.

So with a great deal to think about off I went to the Barbican with a group of Classical Partners for an evening of Russian music performed by the St Petersburg Philharmonic conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier, who had stepped in to replace Yuri Temirkanov who was ill. A Frenchman guiding a Russian orchestra through a programme of Russian music, surely there will be some insight here to the problems expressed by Geoff Brown. The first half of the concert was beautifully played, Liadov’s Kikimora introduced us to the wonderful depth of sound from the strings. Natalia Gutman gave a fabulous rendition of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1. As with most of Shostakovich’s music it elicited the full spectrum of emotions from me. At times I felt anger only to be replaced by romantic contemplation. A strange mix but very stimulating.

During the interval I started to think again about Tchaikovsky as we were about to enjoy his Symphony No 6 “Pathetique“. Incidentally this is not being performed as part of the Revealing Tchaikovsky series on the Southbank. The organisers clearly making a statement there! The first three movements were performed with great gusto. The strings again dominating with their depth and warmth. There is a morbid aspect but with the music played at this pace there is also an uplifting impression of hope. There was brief spontaneous applause at the end of the third movement which would normally distract me at the very least but on this occasion seemed an appropriate reflection of the mood of the entire hall. The final Adagio lamentoso was indeed mournful and faded away leaving a feeling of darkness. I suppose that Geoff Brown would have hated this. For me I ended up thinking that Tchaikovsky is a bit like a pint of Guinness: it would not be so good or have the same impact if you had a pint without the creamy head.

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The Best Music is Live Music

So I have had a little moan about the cost of Opera tickets in this country when compared to Italy, but it does not stop me going, so I suppose my love for music wins at the end of the day. I know that I am incredibly lucky position as my work with Classical Partners means that I get to go to a live music event nearly every weekend. If you want to have a look at what concerts I plan to attend in the near future you can see our events diary on our website www.classicalpartners.co.uk I do not claim to have a great musical knowledge, but I do know what I like and am always willing to try something new. Variety is after all the spice of life. I now find that I listen to less and less recorded music as it can never deliver anything like the emotional impact of a live performance. If I feel the need for a little musical stimulation I am generally happy to turn on the radio and let them do the choosing although I do have a few personal favourites to suit most moods but I will keep those to myself for now.

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First Post

Hi and welcome. I am new to this and yes I hope you may be interested in Classical Partners. You can find out more by going to www.classicalpartners.co.uk OK that is the end of the advertisement. I hope that this blog will allow me to share some experiences with you that you will find interesting. So here goes… I have just come back from a weekend in Florence. We had great weather and great food and went to see Tosca at the Teatro Comunale. It was fantastic. It was such a nice change to see an opera that was staged as it was originally intended. There were no spaceships or anything like that and the sets were truely spectacular. There must have been at least 60 people on stage for the Te Deum at the end of Act 1. Marco Berti as Cavaradossi was magnificent. What a voice! Unfortunately the same can not be said Daniela Dessi as Tosca. She was clearly unwell and having struggled through Act 1 was replaced by Annalisa Raspagliosi who really gave it everything. Have a look at http://maggioblog.splinder.com/ for some great pictures. Even though at times the orchestra was a little overpowering the standard of playing was superb. I am sorry but I don’t know who the cellist was but they deserve a special mention. Anyway this all set me to thinking. How do they do it? Good stalls seats were just Euro 50 but if you go to a touring opera in a provinchal theatre in the UK you will have to pay that much and as for a big production at Covent Garden well you know what I mean.

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