John Berky's site has listed the live performances of the latest SPCM completion of the Finale of Bruckner 9 in the 2011- 2012 season.
What is surprising is Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Rattle will perform this completed Finale in three consecutive concerts in February 2012 in Philharmonie, Berlin , and then on 24 February in Carnegie Hall, New York. An EMI CD release of the live performance is planned. Those of us who are less fortunate and unable to attend the concerts can have a virtual taste of it from the live streaming in the Berliner Philharmoniker's Digital Concert Hall on 9 February 2012 (the last of the 3 concerts in Berlin) at 19:00 GMT. Of course, it's not free of charge. Update: It is now known that this concert relay will be included in the Concert Archive for future viewing.
The timing is not the most convenient for viewers in the Far East: 3 am in Beijing/Hong Kong/Taiwan and 4 am in Japan. As it is a Thursday, most people will need to go to work in the following day.
The timing is not the most convenient for viewers in the Far East: 3 am in Beijing/Hong Kong/Taiwan and 4 am in Japan. As it is a Thursday, most people will need to go to work in the following day.
Dear Horace:
ReplyDeleteYou probably knew that Rattle and BPO came to Taiwan performing B9. I saw someone who attended the concert said they use Kalmus Edition, do you know anything about that edition? Thanks.
Best wishes,
Sky
Dear Sky,
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed. When I first heard about this concert, I planned to attend it. I have a friend whose relatives live in Taiwan. However on the first day of ticket sales, most of the tickets had been marked unavailable and the remaining ones were way too expensive for such seats in the concert hall. I read a lot of negative reports in the Taiwan press about this issue. Thus I had to abandon my plan.
As far as Bruckner scores are concerned, one would like to know the difference between 'versions' and 'editions'. When one mentions e.g. Nowak edition, one refers to the score edited by Nowak. However in the case of 'Kalmus edition', it refers to the publishing house Kalmus which is an American publisher (re)printing Bruckner scores usually in public domain. In the case of AB9, my guess is that it should publish the 1932 Orel edition.
IMHO, it is quite improbable that Rattle would use this older edition. He is to perform the latest SPCM completion of the Finale next year in Berlin and as such it is a good guess that he'd use the latest edition (Cohrs 2000) for the first 3 movements as well. Also, we're not talking about the study scores, we also have to consider the orchestral parts the orchestra used.
Warm regards,
Horace
I am going to Berlin to see the completed Bruckner 9 on February 7 next year.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with the finale up to now has been with the exception of the chorale the only really recognizable late Bruckner is the music added by William Carragan and the others.The rest I feel is a throwback to the "nulte" and other early works.I just wonder how ill Bruckner was mentaly when he trid to complete the work.
I am not sure if it was Bruckner or the latter day composers who composed the minimilistic theme after the recapitulation of the chorale towards the end.But to me it sounds that Hans Zimmer was impressed enough with it ,to help formulate the music at the end The Da Vinci Code which has over 2 million "hits" on You Tube.
The key to the success of this fourth movement has got to be the coda. I am looking forward to see what this latest version has to offer.By the way The Bruckner in Hollywood on you tube is very informative on the subject.
Dear Barry,
ReplyDeleteThat's great. Hope you enjoy the concert. Happy New Year.
Best regards,
Horace
Horace -We came back from Berlin last night after seeing the Bruckner 9 with the new finale by the "group".
DeleteSimon Rattle conducted the finale without a score for which I was surprised.The new coda with the trumpets playing in D major the fifth cord from the adagio is a triumph.
I know that this movement contains the birth of minimilism ,but I still dont think the music is in the same league apart from the chorale, with the rest of the symphony. Listening to Bruckner one can find the echos of this or that film blockbuster and how these latter day film score composers are indebted to Bruckner.
The symphony even begins with a look forward to Frank Sinatra's "My Way" "As I face the final curtain"
Well by the time we have motifs that sound like we are in the realms of amongst other things the ending of Hans Zimmers " The Da Vinci Code. Newman's "Greatest Story ever told" by passing Holst's Mars from the "Planets" and the opening of Vaughn Williams "Tallis Fantasia"
All in all as Bruckner faced his final curtain or after it, I can say a finale in this greatest of all symphonies deserved a finale in blazing D major and we get it.
I will watch tonight on the net, the third performance from Berlin.I expect that by now that the Berlin Philharmonic will be playing with the same excellence all four movements as they were the first three when I saw it on Tuesday night.
Dear Barry,
DeleteThank you so much for sharing with me your experience and your insightful thoughts. I didn't stay up last night for the live broadcast, but I'll view it when it becomes available in the Archive.
Best regards,
Horace
I just cannot stop listening to my copy of Rattle's performance of the 4 movement 9th. Passages from the finale are in my head in full orchestration as I type this.
ReplyDeleteIt is very compelling finale. Its relentless verve and motivic unity with the previous movements is completes this symphony. Bruckner was further along withthe finale than was thought and wasn't mentally enfeebled when he wrote this. Honestly it is growing on me as my favorite Bruckner finale.I believe Bruckner is smiling in heaven at this completion.
Delete
ReplyDeleteI was always intrigued by the incomplete finale and was fascinated (though not convinced) by an earlier performance of the put together sketches.
But I was astonished to find out just how much if this is in full score by the composer. three pages gone and the coda missing. As Sir Simon said - out of 650 bars, 600 clearly by Bruckner.
There is no doubt of what Bruckner has written. The only objection is that it is not up to standard and the three.- movement version is better without.
The more I have listened to it, the more convincing it becomes. There is far more in it than the chorale to admire. The final ascent of the whole orchestra before that hushed woodwind and horn whispering before the last bars makes my hair stand on end every time, and earlier on, the banked hors shouting against the chugging violins - as good as anything he wrote.
The fugue too grows on me all the time. This is an highly original but successful finale, more so than that of the Fourth, which he never really got right. I for one cannot imagine the symphony without this finale now - it changes the whole meaning and character of the piece.
Surprise is good, but I urge playing it a few times and getting used to it before attending a performance.
David