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April 24, 2005
Wish for a timemachine
Recently I was thinking about what I find the most memorable concerts I visited and why they are memorable.
One concert, many years ago given by the ASKO/Schönberg Ensemble, Percussiongroup The Hague and Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam (now Amsterdam Sinfonietta) conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw was intended to be memorable. And truly it was, but to me for the 'wrong' piece.
All attention - at least in the press - was for Stockhausen's Gruppen which was performed twice. As a member of the audience I had to find myself another seat for the second performance to experience the spatial effect Stockhausen's music. Apart from the giggles of us ordinary mortals finding our second seat in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw I cannot recall much of Stockhausen's music. It left me cold as a moon rock.
What hit home with me this concert was the twelve part sidekick Stimmen Verstummen by Sofia Gubaidulina. Every odd numbered part in D major and the rest with more amorphous material. Wow! I just didn't want this music to stop. It really got under my skin.
The moment when Reinbert de Leeuw performs his conducting with the orchestra silent and the high pitched organ sets in. Sometimes I wish I could step in a time machine and go back.
Posted by Renske at 19:19 UTC | permanent link