{"id":1876,"date":"2009-02-09T14:10:25","date_gmt":"2009-02-09T22:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/?p=1876"},"modified":"2009-02-09T14:10:25","modified_gmt":"2009-02-09T22:10:25","slug":"post-concert-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/02\/09\/post-concert-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"post-concert reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m a little short on time today, but I thought I’d make some observations on the current classical series that we’re finishing tonight in Portland.<\/p>\n

First, our guest conductor, James Gaffigan<\/a>, is really starting to grow on me.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m always suspicious of the “wunderkind” conductors, as they rarely live up to their hype.\u00c2\u00a0 We had a similarly young guest a few years back that was singularly unimpressive, and that left me a bit gunshy, I admit.\u00c2\u00a0 But Gaffigan is very assured, connects very impressively with the audience, and has done a nice job of shaping the works for this series of concerts.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a hard sell for a guest to come in and work over a warhorse like the Firebird<\/em>, but he did so in a very casual way, almost charming us into doing it with his inflections, and not taking away what we, as an ensemble, brought to the party.<\/p>\n

The Rodrigo has been impeccably performed by soloist Eduardo Fernandez<\/a>, but I kept waiting for more passion in his performances.\u00c2\u00a0 He seems almost robotic in his stage presence, but he’s very musical and it’s been a pleasure to have an artist of his caliber on stage with us.\u00c2\u00a0 I just wish he’d take the dogs off the leash, so to speak.<\/p>\n

Doing the Haydn “Hen” Symphony right after our Mozart 40 performances has been very interesting.\u00c2\u00a0 We’re not on such a short leash with Gaffigan, and he wants a slightly less dry style from the strings than did Kalmar in the Mozart.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a very enjoyable symphony to play, and as exposed as the Mozart felt, the Haydn feels even more so – the textures are more spare, the writing perhaps even more economical in terms of orchestration.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a delight to discover this work, however, and with so many uplayed Haydn symphonies to explore, I wish we’d do them more often.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the evening for me has been, in a major moment of surprising myself, the Busoni Elegiaic Lullaby<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s the sort of piece that doesn’t bowl you over, but it insinuates itself into your being, leaving one feeling changed after it is done.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a shame that there aren’t more Busoni pieces in the orchestral repertoire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m a little short on time today, but I thought I’d make some observations on the current classical series that we’re finishing tonight in Portland. First, our guest conductor, James Gaffigan, is really starting to grow on me.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m always suspicious of the “wunderkind” conductors, as they rarely live up to their hype.\u00c2\u00a0 We had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[148,115,2],"tags":[17,1305,3668],"class_list":["post-1876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appreciations","category-music","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-criticism","tag-james-gaffigan","tag-oregon-symphony"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-ug","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5494,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/10\/28\/the-other-jim-gaffigan\/","url_meta":{"origin":1876,"position":0},"title":"the other jim gaffigan","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"One of my favorite comedians working today is Jim Gaffigan, so imagine my surprise when I found out that he was going to be conducting this weekend's performances of the Oregon Symphony! \u00a0Well, not quite. \u00a0I actually knew that James Gaffigan, this week's guest conductor, was not in any way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "conducting"","block_context":{"text":"conducting","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/conducting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/jim-gaffigan-08Aug2007031111839250-250x294.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13608,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2014\/12\/07\/rare-sibelius-and-americana\/","url_meta":{"origin":1876,"position":1},"title":"rare sibelius and americana","author":"Charles Noble","date":"December 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Friday night we played the first of three concerts of what is, both on paper and in the flesh, a very unusual program. Firstly, it essentially runs in reverse. Rather than an \"opener, concerto, intermission, big symphony\" format that we've become quite accustomed to, the program starts with a rarely\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"James Gaffigan | Photo: Matt Henneck","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/gaffigan11_high-500x501.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2147,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/03\/15\/lisitsa-wows-chi-town\/","url_meta":{"origin":1876,"position":2},"title":"lisitsa wows chi-town","author":"Charles Noble","date":"March 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Helene Grimaud - will rue the day Photo: Mat Hennek\/DG Valentina Lisitsa - saved the day Photo: Iran Issa-Khan Pianist Helene Grimaud spaced out and learned the wrong Beethoven concerto for her planned CSO appearances this weekend, and Portland favorite Valentina Lisitsa was called in to pinch hit for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"grimaud_2007_04_e24","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/grimaud_2007_04_e24-200x178.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5428,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/10\/11\/kalmar-a-potential-in-cincinnati\/","url_meta":{"origin":1876,"position":3},"title":"kalmar a potential in cincinnati?","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"According to an article in today's Cincinnati Enquirer, OSO music director Carlos Kalmar might be a potential candidate for their open music director position, being vacated by Paavo Jarvi at the end of this season.\u00a0 Also among those mentioned in the article: James Gaffigan (who will be guest conducting the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/kalmar_original.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5503,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/10\/30\/priceless-viola-moment\/","url_meta":{"origin":1876,"position":4},"title":"priceless viola moment","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Tonight we had one of those rare moments that is hilarious and will love on in viola section lore for years to come.\u00a0 At the dress rehearsal this morning, Jo\u00ebl, our principal, decided to have some fun with a melody in the Tchaikovsky First Symphony that is played by the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "fun"","block_context":{"text":"fun","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21172,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2021\/03\/14\/what-i-would-have-been-playing-this-month-march-2021-edition\/","url_meta":{"origin":1876,"position":5},"title":"what I would have been playing this month – march 2021 edition","author":"Charles Noble","date":"March 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"March is often one of the busiest months of the season for the Oregon Symphony (aside from the run up to the Christmas holiday). This month would have brought three Classical series concerts, with some really great repertoire, the return of a favorite guest conductor, and a look at an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "covid-19"","block_context":{"text":"covid-19","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/covid-19\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}