Tonight was the first time I've experienced Mark-Anthony Turnage's musik
live (not that I've heard that much before this..) - because we had a
lively discussion about him not likeing Messaien music still dearly wanted
to have written the Turangalila.

Tonighs concert was the the concert hall in Gothenburg, played by the local
symphony orchestra (Which happens to be the national orchestra of Sweden),
the weher led by the brilliant brittish conductor Paul Daniel (this years
best bargin is his five discs of Walton's music on Naxos, You should get
them!!  period!!) - the concert also featured Boris Berezovsky as piano
soloist.

The Turnage piece played was something called "Silent Cities" - a name
taken after Rudyard Kiplings naming of the burial grounds for the millions
of WW1's casualties.  The melodic structure of this work is something
Turnage borrowed from the American jazz guitarist John Scofield composition
"The Nag" - The work seems to me like a most intelectual construction,
poly rythmic in parts, much in the way that it (the music) becomes a
wall of sound (and not in the Phil Spector sense) that merely acts as a
hindrance for the listener.  This polyrythmic thing goes on for 15 minutes
(Constantly at about mezzoforte) then ends with some 5 minutes of more
traditional call and responce between different parts of the orchestra,
still using the same basic melodic structure but applyed more sparcely and
with grater dynamic variation (from piano to forte) - then it ended, and I
did not remember what I had heard besides a whole lot of sounds.

The concert continued with Chopins second piano concerto played by Russian
pianist Boris Berezovsky.  He played it much like russians do, taking
liberties rubatizing, it was clear that he know that there is only one
method to treat Chopin with and that is to play it like the chamber music
it is.  The orchestra was perhaps a bit to heavy in texturizing, but I
belive they were much helped by Daniels amazing ability to shape the music
along with the soloist (I experienced the same thing the last time Daniel
vissited the orchestra wen he adapted the orchestra to a soloist not yet
mature enough for Prokofievs 2'nd violin concerto, I imagine that this
comes from him having spent much time infront of opera orchestras, Daniel
is currently Musical Director of the English National Opera).  This time
thos he really coaxed the orchestra in to supporting the extremely abel
soloist in a magnificent way - I anyone on the list has heard Zimmermans
new giving of Chopin's both concerti (on DGG) will have a similar treat.

After the pause Daniel treated us for some Brahms, this time the 4'th
symphony - Oldtimers on this list will remember that I have expressed som
difficulties on coming to terms with Brahms music and this was no exeption,
I still think that there are layers of dragon varnish* that modern
conductors forget to peel from JB's music, leaving it thick and muddy and
tiresome - I still acnt think of even any recording that pleases me, and I
heard them from Furtvangler to Norrington, even if the latter makes some
effort with his period band.

*Dragon varnish is a type of very red violin varnish, the name comes from
using "Dragon blood" wich (AFAIR) comes from a tree that only grows on some
Mediterranean islands.

BTW: if any of You happen to be in town tomorrow (friday) they will
reprising the concert at H18.00, thats 6 (pm?) in the evening.

Your humble lurker

peter lundin, gothenburg.se -  Counting the days: DSCH 100 (1906-2006)