fri 29/03/2024

Josefowicz, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Knussen, Royal Albert Hall | reviews, news & interviews

Josefowicz, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Knussen, Royal Albert Hall

Josefowicz, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Knussen, Royal Albert Hall

Matthews' concerto bores, Birtwistle ejaculates prematurely and Stockhausen goes mad

Leila Josefowicz: 'who gave the piece her all - and almost generated some fire from these wet twigs'
"Stockhausen's festive overture from 1977 opens the programme," declared the Proms website cheerily. Come again? Festive? Stockhausen? From my limited but largely enthusiastic knowledge of the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen - much of which is about as festive as Auschwitz - I assumed that this must either be a big misunderstanding or a lively, perhaps German, joke. It was both.
 

"Stockhausen's festive overture from 1977 opens the programme," declared the Proms website cheerily. Come again? Festive? Stockhausen? From my limited but largely enthusiastic knowledge of the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen - much of which is about as festive as Auschwitz - I assumed that this must either be a big misunderstanding or a lively, perhaps German, joke. It was both.
 

Labelling Jubilee as "festive" is but a minor bit of madness in an ocean of mental instability.

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Comments

Couldn't you find a musically competent critic to review the concert?

I found it a jolly entertaining read. What are your objections, 'Nethrsage'? You can't just throw a bomb like that and not give chapter and verse

John @ 1235h: seconded! This is an amusing and musically-informed account of I what found at best a lacklustre concert (Igor Toronyi-Lalic says it all so much better than I could!).

The above is why I've all but given up on so-called music critics, a perfect example of a "review" bearing no relation to what I heard in the flesh!

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