International Artist Series 07-08

October 1, 2007 — schubert

Please share your comments about the following concerts on this page:
Eroica Trio, Measha Brueggergosman, Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, and Bryn Terfel.

Thanks for sharing!

9 Responses to “International Artist Series 07-08”

  1. Figaro Says:
    October 1, 2007 at 6:47 pm

    I was pleased, if not overwhelmed, by this year’s lineup. Wonderful artists, all, but we have heard them all before, some multiple times. Miss Bayrakdarian is the only one who has not been in the IAS before– but she was here, wonderfully, memorably, in the summer series two years ago. There are so many extraordinary “new” pianists out there, and many, many vocal soloists we would love to see (and hear) here: Joyce DiDonato, Ramon Vargas, Juan Diego Florez, David Daniels, Deborah Voigt (whatever happened to the aborted concert date with her?). Bryn Terfel is a great performer, but frankly his last appearance here was lackadaisical, underwhelming, “phoned-in.” Enough of lazy superstars.

  2. schubert Says:
    October 2, 2007 at 10:05 am

    Thanks for your comment, Figaro. I think you’ll be very pleased with our 08-09 season, but in the meantime, you should look into our upcoming courtroom concert series starting in only a couple weeks. This free noontime series kicks off with internationally known, Simone Dinnerstein on October 18th.

    Thanks for getting the conversation started, and we look forward to hearing your post-concert comments!

  3. Quincy Says:
    October 4, 2007 at 11:28 am

    Wow! Pretty exciting concert on Tuesday night. Wonderful to hear a “classic” like the Schubert trio played with such fluency, expertise, and passion. A really terrific rendition in the grand romantic tradition! (Although it did make me want to hear it again performed on period instruments with fortepiano. And, say, doesn’t the Schubert Club Museum have some suitable fortepianos for that kind of thing?) But anyway, it was a wonderful performance on its own terms, with a much better balance between the strings and keyboard than we heard in the first half of the concert, In the Schonfeld, especially the piano playing seemed at times a little “murky” and overwhelming. Let’s not say ham-handed, but it tended in that direction. The Loeillet at the start was brilliant, such clarity of line, intelligence, and sensitivity, I didn’t miss period-performance practice at all! Bravo, Schubert Club — a great start to your anniversary season.

  4. Franz Says:
    October 4, 2007 at 12:40 pm

    In the first two paragraphs of his review in today’s Strib, Larry Fuchsberg rightly questions the “casual…repertory decisions” of the Eroica Trio. Their original program of all-American bonbons looked so slight that we had intended to blow off the concert entirely. Then you emailed us the revised, but still lightweight program, and we decided to chance it. Like Mr. Fuchsberg and like “Quincy” above, we were thrilled Tuesday evening to find a program insert, replacing arrangements of show music with Schubert’s B-flat Trio. As expected, the group played well, and of course the Schubert work was the evening’s high point. Unfortunately, before the music-making began, Ms. Sant’Ambrogio felt compelled to explain their final program change, and to promise—i.e. threaten—to perform the excised bonbons for us on a future visit. Perish the thought! Doesn’t the Schubert Club, given its distinguished history and reliable subscriber base, have enough clout to demand that artists give us their best when they visit? If their “best” is a trio arrangement of West Side Story, shouldn’t we schedule different artists?

  5. Sarah Says:
    November 27, 2007 at 10:22 pm

    Speaking of 08-09 season, when will it be announced? Also, what are the dates of the Summer 08 song festival? My June is filling up already! Thanks.

  6. schubert Says:
    November 29, 2007 at 10:40 am

    Hi Sarah, thanks for posting. Our International Artists Series will be announced in early to mid March, and the dates for the Summer Song Festival will be announced by the end of January. We’ll keep our website up-to-date with this information as it is announced.

  7. Janet Quaife Says:
    January 9, 2008 at 8:17 am

    RE: Brueggergosman. While her voice was wonderful, particularly in range (I loved the lower part of her register), she was over-powered by the piano in the Britten, and I found her second encore in poor taste and downright offensive.

  8. Tomasino Says:
    January 9, 2008 at 5:35 pm

    I enjoyed the second encore, Tom Lehrer’s “The Old Dope Peddlar,” a parody of “The Old Lamplighter,” and other similarly titled songs of nostalgia and sentiment that often end recitals such as last night’s. I freely acknowledge that I love that kind of sentimental encore, and I don’t mind being spoofed. Afterall, It’s not as if Lehrer is aestheticizing dope peddlars.

    Now the first encore does give me pause–the song about praising Jesus Christ. I really don’t know what Ms. Brueggergosman was up to. Were we being proselytized? I don’t think so. Was the music particularly interesting? I didn’t find it so. Was she showing off her high notes? I don’t know that either.

    Tomasino

  9. Margaret Says:
    April 24, 2008 at 10:52 am

    You can’t possibly argue with what Bryn Terfel did last night at Ordway Center! He gave us everything he had in a well-rounded recital of Ireland, Vaughn Williams, Warlock, Mozart, of course Schubert, and others. I was blown away by his agility and extreme care with which he sang the Schubert. It’s a big voice, no doubt, but hearing those soft sustained passages was a true joy for me, and for all of us in the audience. And, as if that weren’t enough, he worked us like a stand-up comedian, telling stories and hamming it up, charming the ladies down front, playfully checking the music that Malcolm had on the piano (which wasn’t the right encore Bryn was about to sing), throwing his hankie in the air as we applauded madly.
    I’m hooked.

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