Overwhelmed by offerings
So it's New Year Day's morning, I switch on the telly for the New Year's Day concert from Vienna and find, flicking though the channels - a repeat of the Simon Bolivar concert on arte, a rehearsal of Fledermaus by Harnoncourt on 3sat, the New Year's Concert on ZDF, and the Magic Flute on ZDF Theaterkanal (German TV is what I watch here, though I can also see Spanish TV and lots of others, but nothing good British).
What a choice.....seen the first, the third is the same all the time (just check whether our favourite Vienna Phil violist, Tobias Lea, is playing but it must be his year off, and there is insufficient coverage of the second violins to check whether his identical twin brother is playing), the Magic Flute will be repeated throughout the month (last month they had a fabulous, traditional, Fledermaus, from Munich in 1986. There was also a very different 'Dido and Aeneas' with lots of almost naked bodies, athletic dancing produced by Sasha Waltz, the choreographer. If you are a chubby singer it's not so good being covered in small skin-coloured briefs. ... I grabbed the score and could hardly find the place - had she jumbled up the piece? It seemed to stop somewhere in the middle...; and at the same time another channel showed an extremely gloomy Nutcracker, all in black and with modern dance, but not without its moments of magic).
So Harnoncourt it was, with occasional flicks to the other place in Vienna. It was interesting that the Wiener Symphonieorchester which he conducted, and which I think plays at the Volksoper, was still capable of playing Strauss quite so woodenly. Did they really need to be told by Harnoncourt about lots of little things, like fading in/out, not quite ramming down some beats and so on? In some places I might have gone further than him in hamming up the piece, but that might have become a parody....
And the singers - there's always a Diva, isn't there? In this case some man who was not within the shot at all, but suddenly leaned a long way around the person beside him to make some smart-alecky comment.
You wonder why I watch TV a lot?
3 comments:
Correction - Toby Lea was playing in the Vienna Phil; did not spot him at first because a) it's the cellos and second violins that are exchanged, with the violas in the usual place, and b) the leader is on the inside desk (Toby is the leader unless he played not the leader part this time. He was certainly spotted turning the pages).
All very complicated in this orchestra...
Hi violainvilnius, Toby Lea here in Vienna. Surprised and flattered to see mention of my name; I WAS leading in the New Year's Concert, (but had to turn the pages anyway :-) ).. Brother Ben was not playing this year. I'm practising like mad now, for an unexpected opportunity that was offered to me 1 week ago; Bartok Viola Concerto with Vienna Phil under Maestro Muti, on 12th 13th and 15th of April, in the Musikverein. 3 weeks preparation is not quite enough, but anyone interested can hear it on the net, live on Austrian "Ö1" radio, on Sunday 13th April at 11am Vienna time.
Congrats on the running; I like to keep fit also, but right now I'm busy with my viola...
Cheers, Toby
Hi Toby
great to hear from you! That's a very exciting challenge, the Bartok with that team! If you saw the Strad review of Bashmet's attempt in London last year:
'Bashmet was already altering note values in the first few bars....Strangely for a front-rank soloist playing a repertoire piece Bashmet had the printed copy in front of him and hardly took his eyes off it [but we know he does that]...he still strayed from the straight and narrow often enough...
You'll be fine! I'll try to listen to it in Georgia (connection not so good). You can then cheer us on at the Vienna half marathon on 27th April.....
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