The estimable Janos Gereben gives us yet another lyrical description:

>Ask not.

Why?

>Those bells above the massed percussion and huge orchestra did not toll for
>or against the Central Committee or the dead outside the Winter Palace in
>1905 (per the title) or the dead on the streets of Budapest in 1956 (when
>it was written).

aha, musical context.

>This tremendous finale of the Shostakovich Eleventh Symphony as performed
>tonight -- and the subsequent riotous ovation, unique in Davies Hall
>history -- was a coronation scene, right out of "Boris," for the American
>czarevich of the Tomaszewskis.

Hurrah, DDS kicks some musical behind in San Fransico, and the audience
seems to love it.  Crowinging them selfs, to use Janos words, into the
Czars of music.  This is how every concert should end.

>Michael Tilson Thomas is no longer a very, very good conductor.  He
>surpassed that years ago, with those amazing Mahler performances and
>standard-setting playing of American music.  MTT is a major, exciting,
>"great" conductor, and nothing could state the case better than tonight's
>"The Year 1905."

But wait a minute; MTT, gosh - and I who have him pinned down as a
worthless puff, a hollow showman, a crowd pleaser only bettered by the
gentleman we have at the helm in my city (Ie:  Neeme Jarvi, who is the
musical director of the Gothenburg symphony since 1985 or so..) - Will
I have to reevaluate my stance on on him (MTT); well, at least he does
something as sensible as to conduct Shostakovich, thats a step up..  But
my aural memory still serves me a rather plain image.  But then even Jarvi
serves a decent Shostakovich, as he should having been thaught by the
masters in the field (Mravinsky and Mushin, in Leningard).

I love this kind of conductor bashing 8^) seriously can anyone (Janos?)
recomend a recording of the refined and enhanced MTT (The last discs I
heard from him was with music by Stravinsky and Copeland resp.  on RCA,
must have been two Years ago or so.  this knowing MTT must be musc to
expencive to ever turn up att the feet of our local orchestra or myself
being able to return to California)

>MTT referred to the work as "Russian Mahler," and it was that, but also
>an American Tchaikovsky -- very Russian in a free, brassy "American" way.
>And, beyond all that foolishness about political, geographic, nationalistic
>considerations, it was pure music, 65 minutes of uninterrupted, sustained
>flow of passion, drama, tragedy and exultation.  ...

I can not belive this, Shostakovich played in an unpolitiziced context,
dear Janos Shostakovich music is never pure music, never, never, never,
if You reduce DDS music, You send him and every thought he put in to the
work to a musical Gulag of not worthy any audience. Pust the context back
in to the music, not even MTT can be as mindless prtending that it is
pure music. In my world there is no such thing.

I have a faint memory of Janos talking down on Herbert Blomstedts 10
years at the helm of the SFSO, and of the 7 concerts I heard during the
87/88 season (wen I was staying in SF, not all conducted by HB) several
were wonderfully memorable performances, some only damn good.  And its my
decided stance that with out the 10 years the orchestra builder Herbert
Blomstedt spent in Davis hall honning the orchestra is now showing of.  I
agree, on the podium he's nothing much to see, but as a measure of musical
value Blomstedt is a Aston Martin while Tillson-Thomas mostly resembles a
Pontiac Fiero (anyone remember those) - in normal words:  Absolute
Refinement vs.  Crude Innards and a Sleek Exterior.

>The concert (which opens with Beethoven's Fifth) is repeated Saturday and
>Sunday; it will be broadcast on KDFC-FM at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb.  22.

As I am always the first to admit when I'm wrong; If there is someone
in the Bay area listening and recording this broadcast, then I'd be most
intrested to hear it, I have a few airchecks that might be of intrest, for
a tape/CD-r exchange.  If intrested please contact me of list (Email:
[log in to unmask])..

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