The Real Thing

Deafone

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Apr 29, 2015
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What have you heard live recently?

Me - Last Friday
Shostakovich Symphony #1 & 15, Rodhdestvensky with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall Chicago
 
The Blues Festival Goulburn NSW Australia , now.....
 
Friday night
Sibelius Rakastava

Mozart Clarinet Concerto

Pärt Orient & Occident

Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings

All by Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Hall Chicago

The Mozart was really well played with great phrasing. The audience sat on their hands after the Pärt, but I found it interesting. It was a play on different sonorities. I thought it tied in well with the Tchaikovsky.
 
Went to Andy's Jazz club in Chicago a few weeks back and saw one set of "The Quartet" featuring Daniel Berkey which was very enjoyable. Went to a Cuban Jazz night in Minneapolis this week which was OK.

...But what I'm really pumped for is Hilary Hahn playing Sibelius this weekend with the MSO! Should be great!


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Cameron Carpenter and "The International Touring Organ" ( about 10 days ago)

White boxes on side of stage are multiple subwoofers - down to 12Hz

Horns best seen from side view

3 red top boxes are multiple computers running petaflops
(can we say digital audio?)

Each keyboard designed after one of the "world's best"

Set up time: 3 hours

Amazing sound and amazing to see the 21st century version of the pipe organ
 

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Did something out of the ordinary on Saturday and went to the Univ. of Chicago Folk Festival. It was fun hearing different types of music. I especially enjoyed the fiddlin by the Corn Potato String Band. Also interesting, was Nicolae Feraru playing Romanian folk music on I think a tambal mic/dulcimer. Just watching his hands while he played was a lot of fun.
 
My wife and I are going to Nashville on Thursday to see a concert at "The Cannery Ballroom"

Two of our favorite Rock groups. "Rival Sons" and "Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown"

Uber there and Uber back from my nieces house. There could be cocktails involved :exciting:
 
Last night, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center trio playing Beethoven Trio op 1, no. 2; Shostakovich Trio #2; Dvorak Dumky at the Harris Theater in Chicago. I really like the way the Shostakovich ends.

The day before, the Trio stopped by the local radio station and played a few movements. It was interesting to compare the sound through my system vs. the real thing. Of course, radio broadcast isn't the best of quality.

Whenever I audition new equipment, I like to use a Piano trio. It is easier to hear the individual instruments and compare the sound to real life. Going to concerts like the one last night helps me get a memory of how the real thing sounds.
 
I thought I was done with live music for the month until I saw one of my favorite ensembles was playing this weekend: The Fifth House Ensemble. The had a concert called Journey. Turned out it was the ensemble playing along to a person(s) playing the Playstation game Journey. They got Sony to give them a version of the game without the music. A composer took the game music and adapted it for an ensemble. It was a lot of fun to see and hear. They are touring Florida and Illinois. I recommend it highly.

http://fifth-house.com/journey/
 
Local universities are a good source of live music so less money. Last weekend, I heard student chamber groups playing movements of various chamber music. The last group played an entire Shostakovich piece. At another university I heard the symphony. This weekend, I saw Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Ida. G&S is always a fun time.

Tonight I heard the Chicago Symphony doing Jancek's Taras Bulba. The Home system doesn't do the organ justice. It's always interesting hearing how far we have to go for our electronics to approach the real thing.
 
Heard an audiophile warhorse today: Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. It was fun to hear something live that you play on your system a lot. Also, heard Gil Shaham doing Bartok's Violin Concerto #2. I think seeing it live gives you a better perspective on how difficult the piece is. Finally, heard Debussy Gigues.
 
One of the nice things about going to live concerts is that sometimes you are exposed to new music which you really enjoy. Today I went to the outdoor Grant Park concerts and heard Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos. I had never heard this before and really enjoyed it. I'll have to see if I can find a recording.
 
beethoven, piano concert III + symphony III (eroica) in a church in lambach, austria. fantastic music and sound.

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What have you heard live recently?

Me - Last Friday
Shostakovich Symphony #1 & 15, Rodhdestvensky with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall Chicago

I average a concert once a week to 10 days. Live and work in London so Barbican and southbank for Orchestral, and Wigmore Hall are close by. So is Royal Opera House but that's extremely tough to get seats in for Opera.
 
I was moved to tears by this piece: Golijov's Azul. Unfortunately, I don't think an audio recording has been released. I see a You Tube video of it though, so you can get a feel for it. I really am getting to like Osvaldo Golijov's music. I have a recording of his Oceana, which I recommend. Plus, Maya Beiser has recorded some of his music which I really enjoy.

I also heard on the same program Philip Glass' Life: A Journey Through Time. It was a multi-media presentation and was enjoyable. I don't think the music by itself would have been as interesting, but the combination of video really added to the piece.

If you ever are in Chicago during the Summer, I recommend you check out the Grant Park Symphony. The programs are quite adventuresome. Earlier this year, they played Dvorak's Golden Spinning Wheel. This piece is rarely played and it was a treat to hear it.
 
in Summer, much of the classical music moves to outdoors in Chicago. This week I attended two indoor concerts which really helped me remember what the real thing sounds like. For those in Chicago or visiting, I recommend the Rush Hour Concerts which are free. However, the highlight was the second concert at a CD release party for Cedille records. The Lincoln Trio played movements from their new album called Trios from Our Homeland. I highly recommend you check out this new CD. It is available at the Cedille website for download and probably HD Tracks.

http://www.cedillerecords.org/albums/trios-from-our-homelands

P.S. - I have no affiliation with Cedille records and just pass along this information for those interested in expanding their music libraries.
 
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