Lucerne Festival Orchestra M3 DVD coming out

[Jot N. Tittle]

The EuroArts DVD of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra performance of Mahler's Third, recorded last summer with Abbado, should be in American stores this coming August 1, a bit earlier in Europe, according to EuroArts Product Manager Christina Sas.

By the time the orchestra took its M3 performance to Carnegie Hall in the fall, Abbado was ill to conduct, and Boulez took his place for the evening.

(Incidentally, has anyone heard anything about Abbado's illness or current health?)

     . & '

[barry guerrero]

Just judging by the excerpts that have been posted on U-Tube, Abbado doesn't look as though he's feeling terribly well during this performance. For me - again, just judging from the snippets - this performance doesn't have the more lean-sounding, fire and spark that the Berlin performance that was recorded in London seems to have (DG). That's a great performance, but suffers from a rather constricted dynamic range (while his Vienna one has a hugely exaggerated dynamic range).

There was an earlier posting where most of us compared the Abbado/Luzern M3 snippets on Youtube, to the snippets from a live performance of M3 somewhere down in Peru (or someplace far down in S.A. - I just don't remember where). Most of us preferred the S.A. excerpts.

Barry

[Polarius T]

(Incidentally, has anyone heard anything about Abbado's illness or current health?)

Only indirectly, namely, that very recently he was driven away from the Berlin Philharmonie with flames, sparks, crackles, and smoke: basically the very moment the roof of the hall started burning down just the other day, he was to rehearse with BPO for a performance of Berlioz' Te Deum, scheduled in Berlin for any of these days (I don't have the exact date). You could check the BPO website for this.

So at the very least he is capable of conducting again (and let us hope this is for good).

PT

[john haueisen]

I haven't been able to find any recent (within the past two months) information on Claudio Abbado's health.

The fire at the Berlin Philharmonic, about two weeks ago, burned for 15 hours.  Firemen had to cut through the metal roof to fight the fire.  As seems to happen too often, the fire was believed to have been started by a welding project.

[cilea]

I found the following piece of information on the MDT website:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//2056338.htm

(Note that the label is stated to be "Medici arts".)

[bluesbreaker]

There was an earlier posting where most of us compared the Abbado/Luzern M3 snippets on Youtube, to the snippets from a live performance of M3 somewhere down in Peru (or someplace far down in S.A. - I just don't remember where). Most of us preferred the S.A. excerpts.

Barry

That was in Chile. By th way, I always thought those Chile videos remind me alot of Lenny's M2 video.
Nevertheless, great M3 indeed.

[barry guerrero]

I thought they were a lot more exciting and involved sounding than Abbado's overly refined excerpts from Lucerne. Just compare the climax of the long brass chorale towards the end of the sixth movement. The Chilean trombonists (imported?) really blast their two-part harmony right out there. It gives that passage so much more muscle and resolve. That's important, because it's truly THE main climax of the entire symphony - the ending is just a conclusion, in comparison.

[barry guerrero]

I'm going to pontificate for a little bit here (big surprise). I'm sure that DG is getting a bit nervous over Abbado's state of health. They seem to be releasing a whole slough (slew?) of strange odds and ends with him. Abbado truly is the last of the big name, "old guard" conductors who reside in DG's stable. Now they're going to have to rely on a much younger pack for their talent. I think it's a mistake that DG doesn't look at any American conductor until they've made a big name for themselves in Europe. They should be looking at people like David Robertson; Robert Spano; Donald Runnicles; Joann Falletta; Marin Alsop (happily cranking out stuff for Naxos), etc. They could have bagged David Zinman years ago, but didn't. Anyway, too bad for DG. Good luck with Dudamel (I predict that his bright, shining star will burn out somewhat quickly).

[akiralx]

I'm going to pontificate for a little bit here (big surprise). I'm sure that DG is getting a bit nervous over Abbado's state of health. They seem to be releasing a whole slough (slew?) of strange odds and ends with him. Abbado truly is the last of the big name, "old guard" conductors who reside in DG's stable. Now they're going to have to rely on a much younger pack for their talent. I think it's a mistake that DG doesn't look at any American conductor until they've made a big name for themselves in Europe. They should be looking at people like David Robertson; Robert Spano; Donald Runnicles; Joann Falletta; Marin Alsop (happily cranking out stuff for Naxos), etc. They could have bagged David Zinman years ago, but didn't. Anyway, too bad for DG. Good luck with Dudamel (I predict that his bright, shining star will burn out somewhat quickly).

Yep - they have signed up Daniel Harding as well of course.  Why don't they get Alan Gilbert (NYPO conductor)?  Not sure he has a contract anywhere does he?

Soloists-wise, they seem to be signing pretty young things, Hilary Hahn, Helene Grimaud (both brilliant though...), Rafal Blechacz (never heard him) etc, but apparently they have let Yundi Li go which is a shame as he is very good, in a different class to Bang Bang. 

[cilea]

[...] I think it's a mistake that DG doesn't look at any American conductor until they've made a big name for themselves in Europe. They should be looking at people like David Robertson; Robert Spano; Donald Runnicles; Joann Falletta; Marin Alsop (happily cranking out stuff for Naxos), etc.

Sorry, Barry: Runnicles seems to be a Scott. Otherwise I agree with you (especially on Robertson and Spano, who have already done a couple of recordings with DG).   

[Polarius T]

I'm sure that DG is getting a bit nervous over Abbado's state of health. They seem to be releasing a whole slough (slew?) of strange odds and ends with him.

I'm looking at this very differently, however true your first surmise might be: It's a whole set of new projects going on with Abbado & DG, perhaps prompted by the conductor's "second coming" that by now has brought to us such rarefied performances in the last few years. For instance, his recordings with Orchestra Mozart and Giuliano Carmignola are definitely something entirely new for him (for all the parties included). Note that we now have 4 full CDs' worth of music from this period instrument (sic!) venture (the Mozart violin ctos, a set of symphonies, and the better known sinfonia concertante). They are also touring quite a bit, which makes me think of it all as less of a birthday homage and more in line of a fresh project. There is also stuff in the pipeline that he has recently recorded with Dudamel's Venezuelan players (a newly done Symphonie Fantastique!) plus some more that I don't remember right now. Quite a bit of activity, in fact, I'd say, considering. He also seems to be quite busy in the concert circuit again.

I think you may be referring to that "Marches and Dances" issue which may or may not be a re-issue of some past compilation, though I have really no idea. That does seem to be kind of a one-off odds-and-ends type of an issue.

They should be looking at people like David Robertson; Robert Spano; Donald Runnicles; Joann Falletta; Marin Alsop (happily cranking out stuff for Naxos), etc. 

In this connection I always trumpet the merits of the second favorite American* U.S.-born conductor of mine: Kent Nagano (has also been recording for DG btw [or at least their "20/21" imprint]). (David Robertson is one and Dennis Russell Davies may be a third.) But isn't Harding a true Brit (last I heard), Alex?

PT

*Dudamel for one is "American" as well.

[barry guerrero]

My bad on Runnicles. He just became a fixture around the S.F. Opera, so I made a dumb assumption.

[john haueisen]

a very natural assumption that many of us could easily have made.

[Polarius T]

Runnicles seems to be a Scott.

For a moment I thought I had gone crazy: "Scott Runnicles"? Where was I?

Is "Scotsman" a no-no these days?

PT

[cilea]

For a moment I thought I had gone crazy: "Scott Runnicles"? Where was I?

Is "Scotsman" a no-no these days?

PT

Sorry, PT, my mistake. The proper form is, of course, a 'Scot'. According to my dictionary 'Scotsman' is also valid.