The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: Lucerne Festival
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* Notes * Mariss Jansons and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (pictured left, photograph courtesy of Bayerischer Rundfunk) performed Shostakovich and Beethoven as the closing concert of this year’s Lucerne Festival zu Ostern. The orchestra played Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54 first. The piece is quite odd, having a vernal, yet dark quality…
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* Notes * Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and the Tölzer Knabenchor were conducted by Mariss Jansons (pictured left) in Britten's War Requiem op. 66 at Lucerne Festival Saturday evening. The orchestra sounded secure and polished. The brass fanfares in the Dies irae were particularly fine. The chorus was perfectly good. The boys'…
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* Program * Johannes BrahmsTragic Overture, Op. 81Daniel Cohen Ludwig van BeethovenSymphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (first movement)Giedre Slekyte Claude DebussyNuages from Trois Nocturnes Paolo Bortolameolli * Notes * Bernard Haitink has been giving master classes in conducting for the Lucerne Festival for three days. This morning's session included three young conductors from…
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* Notes * John Eliot Gardiner conducted (pictured left, photograph by Sheila Rock / Decca) English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir in Johannes-Passion BWV 245 at Lucerne Festival Friday night. The playing was crisp and genial, and any intonation errors were within reason given the period instruments. The singing was lucid and very much together. The…
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* Notes * Claudio Abbado and Orchestra Mozart Bologna (pictured left, photograph by Marco Caselli Nirmal) played a second concert at Lucerne Festival last night. The program started with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 2, played with a smooth lucidity. Martha Argerich returned to the KKL Konzertsaal stage to play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20. Both soloist…
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* Notes * Violinist Isabelle Faust (pictured left, photograph by Felix Broede) played Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas BWV 1001–1006 at Hotel Schweizerhof yesterday evening as part of Lucerne Festival zu Ostern. Faust’s playing is fluent, her technique secure. Her tempi tend to all be rather rapid, and her slower, quieter playing sounded anemic. The Presto of…
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* Notes * Lucerne Festival opened its Jubiläumsjahr yesterday with Claudio Abbado and Orchestra Mozart Bologna (pictured left, photograph by Marco Caselli Nirmal). The early evening performance began with a vibrant rendition of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3. The woodwinds played with particular exuberance. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 followed with Martha Argerich, who missed her…
The Opera Tattler 