Comments on: BSO- Best Night in 56 Years!

By: Therry Neilsen-Steinhardt

Therry Neilsen-Steinhardt — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:35:04 +0000

I attended the Thursday performance, and while I agree completely with De Voto’s impressions of the Berg, I was distinctly underwhelmed with Miss Fleming’s performance of the Strauss. She hit the early section with a heavy “alto blotto” sounds and then sang the high parts with a too light coloratura sound. There was no sense that her registers were at all on speaking terms with each other. On the other hand, she was perfectly luscious in the Mahler. So much for her being a Strauss singer.

By: Dan Farber

Dan Farber — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:59:37 +0000

I agree with Mike’s comment and would add the following: anyone interested enough to read a concert review on what is really a blog are already sufficiently conversant with the scores in question to be aware of the points Prof. DeVoto makes at considerable length. What I am interested in is a detailed perspective on the PERFORMANCE by someone as knowledgable as he is. I attended the open rehearsal and came away, in general, with the same impression that Prof. DeVoto expresses in the first paragraph: the BSO is again a major orchestra to be taken seriously. It took Levine six years or so to pull this off, but they sound terrific now. I was moved, not only by the performances, but by the care and attention Levine devoted to making the already very good truly excellent, all for an audience, 80-90% of which, cannot tell the difference between Ozawa’s Mahler and Levine’s.

By: Renata Cathou

Renata Cathou — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:31:40 +0000

I attended the Saturday evening performance—my seat is in the Orchestra, row N. I had trouble hearing Renee Fleming in the Straus Songs; she seemed to be under expressive. However, I heard her perfectly well in the Mahler, and found her to be very expressive. I have never had any problems hearing any other vocalists in Symphony Hall from that section in the orchestra.

By: Elizabeth Gawthrop Riely

Elizabeth Gawthrop Riely — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:43:40 +0000

Fisolen is indeed the Austrian word for green beans, and the Italian fagioli means fresh or dried beans. The genus is Phaseolus which originated in Mesoamerica and has been developed into countless varieties. Italian immigrants brought this common bean back to America in pasta e fagioli, which Otto and Schenck popularized in their 1927 song, Pastafazoola: “Don’t be a fool, eat pastafazool.”

By: Joe Whipple

Joe Whipple — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:01:37 +0000

I was in the second balcony (seat A 17 on the left) on Thursday evening and didn’t get the feeling that Miss Fleming was at all underpowered. I thought she sang with a fine full voice. On the other hand, when I attend Handel and Haydn “Messiah” performances and sit in second balcony center, the singers often seem underpowered. So it may be that the second balcony center does not favor solo singers.

There is a further concern which no review I’ve seen has mentioned. Throughout the Thursday performance Maestro Levine repeatedly brought his left hand across his chest toward his right arm, and on a number of occasions appeared actually to grasp his upper right arm. And although I didn’t make a connection until this evening, during the Berg he lost his grip on the baton and it ended up on the floor in front of the concertmaster. I’m guessing he was feeling some discomfort in his right arm or shoulder.

By: Romy The CaT

Romy The CaT — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:10:30 +0000

i LOVE fleming’s voice, but in symphony hall — at least from a seat in the second balcony — she sounded underpowered . . . ove the years i’ve noticed taht singers i hear very clarly at the MET are often submerged in symphony hall, and i think the acostics do no favor the solo voice
. . . i’d be curious to know if others had this same sense
Mike, the second balcony is very freaky place to be with vocals in presence. It is very spoty and you very easily can get improper balance in one sit and much better balance just two sits away. I kind of know the “good” sits in there and the “bad” sits, let me know what you where and I would tell you if it was expected. Still, unfortunately it is very difficult to be absolutely certain and it is greatly depends how the hall is filed at given performance (presuming the conductors do the same things – a bold presumption!), how many women in the hall, how they are sited, the month of the performance and a few other things. I did not go to the live event and just heard the first part of the concert over FM. Leaving all still unresolved technical problems aside and can testify that the Ms. Fleming balance with BSO was perfect, nothing underpowered nether from Levine nor from Fleming. Ah, the lottery of the concertgoing!

By: mike

mike — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:16:26 +0000

i find it interesting that a comment that begins with a very bold claim about the quality of the PERFORMANCE goes on to devote itself almsot entirely to the MUSIC . . . not that the average music lover [which i think i am] could not gain enormously from de voto’s insights . . . but i would have valued more abot the performances themselves
let me add my own two cents: 1. de voto is not exaggerating in describing levine’s way with holding back the tempo at the end of movement one: the music almost did come to a dead stop . . . but his way of easing back into the the joyful theme that brings the movmeent to an end was breathtaking, something that he could not have done ahd he played it safte with the molto tenuto
2. i LOVE fleming’s voice, but in symphony hall — at least from a seat in the second balcony — she sounded underpowered . . . ove the years i’ve noticed taht singers i hear very clarly at the MET are often submerged in symphony hall, and i think the acostics do no favor the solo voice
. . . i’d be curious to know if others had this same sense