Before I watch a concert, I usually make it a point to listen to recordings, study the scores, and brush up on the historical context of the music to be performed. This gives me a chance to familiarize myself or get reacquainted with the lined up program. By the time of the actual concert, I know which parts of the music, especially the highlights or the technically tricky ones, to look out for. It also helps to know which section of the orchestra or musician to focus on at a certain moment. Overall, it makes for a more informed experience that really heightens the music appreciation for me.
Sometimes, I am unable to do this when I lack the time or the resources are just unavailable (no recordings available for music yet to be premiered, for example). In this case, I just keep an open mind and ears and make sure to read the program notes before the concert starts.
For the upcoming PPO concert this January 18, 2019 (more on that on a later post), I’ll be putting for a spin a recording of Robert Schumann’s music for the piano and orchestra by Jan Lisiecki with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Antonio Pappano. This album was released by Deutsche Grammophon in January 2016.
Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 has been traditionally paired with Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 in numerous recordings. In this recording, the piano concerto is joined instead by Schumann’s rarely performed and recorded one movement pieces for the piano and orchestra. Having these pieces in the record instead of the usual Grieg piano concerto gives a whole new perspective and context listening to the Schumann piano concerto.
No comments:
Post a Comment