What do you think about Viennas New Years Concert??
Sat, Jan 5 2013, 5:03PM
I think about this that this event what during 50 years or more, was an important musical event, for me now it has degenerated to a simple commercial project. If in the past to conduct in Vienna in this ocassion was an objective for every conductor, to day conductors avoid to conduct in this event, and if he do its only for monetary reasons. Because of that, practically the last New Years concert that I saw was Carlos Kleibers 1976 concert (Im not sure about the year), and after that none else. What do you think about this? do you see this event? Regards oscar.olavarria
Sat, Jan 5 2013, 11:53PM
#2
RE: What do you think about Viennas New Years Concert??
I also live in the US and used to watch it regularly. However, in Boston, the local TV station and radio broadcast it with sound compressors turned right up with a very syrupy commentary, so making it a pretty sterile experience. I did listen to it on internet radio which was better, but I have to agree that it has now degenerated to a simple and sterile commercial project.
This year we also watched, online, the Berlin Philharmonic's New years Eve Concert under Simon Rattle and what a difference. In an interview Rattle said that it was a party. What a party - programming was imaginative, well played and performed with everyone enjoying themselves plus excellent sound quality and dynamic range.
Sun, Jan 6 2013, 12:56AM
#3
RE: What do you think about Viennas New Years Concert??
The Kleiber New Year's concerts (1989 & 1992) were indeed outstanding, but more recently those by Georges Pretre (2008 & 2010) were sublime. I'm not a fan of Welser-Möst, so I didn't bother watching his this year and in 2011, the only little bits I saw this year were quite boring. Barenboim is signed up for next year, so I might watch that, but overall I agree that it's become mostly a commercial undertaking and thereby intrinsically less interesting to me from an artistic point of view. Another problem is a lack of charismatic conductors to lead it.
Sun, Jan 6 2013, 2:51AM
#4
RE: What do you think about Viennas New Years Concert??
I watched some of this year's Vienna concert in a hotel room and quickly became bored. No fault of Welser-Most. I'm always bored by such concerts, whoever is conducting, even though I'm a big fan of Johann Strauss II. His more substantial waltzes deserve to be played alongside any of the great symphonies and concertos; indeed the Emperor Waltz is almost unsurpassed in the orchestral domain. I'm sure both Wagner and Brahms would have agreed with me, even if the former didn't live to hear it.
Sun, Jan 6 2013, 11:41AM
#5
RE: What do you think about Viennas New Years Concert??
I agree that the 1987 Karajan and 1989/92 Kleiber concerts were extraordinary high points - occasions where you felt that the music-making was better than the sum of its parts, suggesting something deeper than the (often subtle) pieces being played.
I enjoy the New Year concerts still, and I suppose we can't reasonably expect the magic touch to descend on cue every 1 January. But where I think the concerts haven't helped themselves so much in recent years is in the programming. In theory playing lesser-known waltzes and polkas is fine, but in practice all too often one soon realises why they're lesser-known: they're simply not as good as the famous ones! Nor do I think the increasing inclusion of music by 'anniversary' composers always fits well within the programmes: it's becoming a tedious obligation.
If you look back at the programme for the Karajan concert it can be seen that it's a string of 'favourites', tried and tested pieces (okay, there's a slight novelty with Kathleen Battle singing in Voices of Spring) which created a 'platform' for the extraordinary music-making that day.
Since the New Year concert has never been about innovation - from its earliest, in the dark days of war, it had the comfortable feel of tradition - I don't see why it can't be left as it is: or used to be. As we'd say in Britain, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Tue, Jan 8 2013, 2:50PM
#6
RE: What do you think about Viennas New Years Concert??
I must admit I wasn't that impressed, it did seem to be a little underwhelming. Perhaps the VPO is not the force it used to be, and it doesn't look too good these days when there are so few women in the orchestra.
I'm not really a big fan of the accompanying dancing, but this also seemed to look very staid. I did prefer it when the dancers actually entered the auditorium during the Blue Danube, which would have been better since this is becoming increasingly popular on TV at the moment.
In the States the concert has been broadcast lately with much ballet and horse prancing footage. That's diversion I don't require. Moreover, in recent years I had the feeling that the audio had been pre-recorded and at least some portions were being broadcast with poor synchronization--the fingering seemed "off" in the string sections now and then. It was disappointing because I always looked forward to the concert, not that the selections changed very often. Is it possible that most of this audio is pre-recorded, and that's how the CD gets issued within a few days? If so, that's rather cynical.
I caught the last moments of this year's concert and thought that Welser-Moest's Blue Danube sounded decidedly less Viennese than the pointed rhythms others had asked for in the past.
Best,
Bill