Missa Solemnis Study Day (Feb 19)
This event took place in London recently.
I was rather annoyed in the morning as I missed the LSO rehearsal with Sir Colin Davis at the Barbican. I had thought of just going to the 2nd session so as to keep the music "fresh" for the evening performance but to my consternation Mr Davis cancelled the 2nd session!
However the talk given by Stephen Johnson later in the day at LSO St Luke's (converted church not far from Barbican) was very illuminating in respect of Beethoven's motivation for writing the Mass. Mr Johnson highlighted the year 1815 as a kind of turning point in B's life in both the political (Waterloo aftermath) and personal (death of brother - custody of Karl) senses.
He also stressed the modernity of the piece with its almost equal measure of "faith and doubt". Indeed he commented on its more frequent performance in recent years and increasing popularity.
To his credit, such was his passion for Beethoven that the audience kept asking him supplementary questions!
Unfortunately the young lady who followed him was rather out of her depth in introducing the Archduke trio. She was hysterically OTT, gushing in her admiration of the piece - well of course! The performance itself (LSO trio) was rather inconsistent with the 3 players struggling to blend. The Boris Johnson lookalike pianist was very distracting and thumped away at the keys once too often.
And so to the main event, Op 123. After a heavenly Kyrie, a devastating Gloria and a wonderfully life-affirming Credo (that final fugue is simply the greatest!) the 4 soloists failed completely to carry the Benedictus and Agnus Dei. I could barely hear them and they sounded utterly BORED by the music!! PASSION PLEASE or this music sounds pointless.
All the same, I still left the Barbican hall with that Credo fugue ringing in my ears -"from the hear may it go to the heart"...
AMEN to that.
I was rather annoyed in the morning as I missed the LSO rehearsal with Sir Colin Davis at the Barbican. I had thought of just going to the 2nd session so as to keep the music "fresh" for the evening performance but to my consternation Mr Davis cancelled the 2nd session!
However the talk given by Stephen Johnson later in the day at LSO St Luke's (converted church not far from Barbican) was very illuminating in respect of Beethoven's motivation for writing the Mass. Mr Johnson highlighted the year 1815 as a kind of turning point in B's life in both the political (Waterloo aftermath) and personal (death of brother - custody of Karl) senses.
He also stressed the modernity of the piece with its almost equal measure of "faith and doubt". Indeed he commented on its more frequent performance in recent years and increasing popularity.
To his credit, such was his passion for Beethoven that the audience kept asking him supplementary questions!
Unfortunately the young lady who followed him was rather out of her depth in introducing the Archduke trio. She was hysterically OTT, gushing in her admiration of the piece - well of course! The performance itself (LSO trio) was rather inconsistent with the 3 players struggling to blend. The Boris Johnson lookalike pianist was very distracting and thumped away at the keys once too often.
And so to the main event, Op 123. After a heavenly Kyrie, a devastating Gloria and a wonderfully life-affirming Credo (that final fugue is simply the greatest!) the 4 soloists failed completely to carry the Benedictus and Agnus Dei. I could barely hear them and they sounded utterly BORED by the music!! PASSION PLEASE or this music sounds pointless.
All the same, I still left the Barbican hall with that Credo fugue ringing in my ears -"from the hear may it go to the heart"...
AMEN to that.
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