Wednesday, 30 October 2013

LPO stalking - Poulenc, Prokofiev and Shostakovich

Well hi there. So, over the past few weeks I’ve been to see a number of concerts by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. They have an amazing student deal on certain concerts that means you can get the best available seat for only £4. If you’re a student and haven’t signed up for the mailing list you should really check it out totally worth your time. The LPO aren’t the only orchestra that do student offer as well so you should have a nosey and see what discounts you can find.
Anyway, tangent over, one of the concerts I went to see was of the Poulenc Piano concerto, Prokofiev Symphony 7 and Poulenc Stabat Matar. Now, I’ve played Prokofiev 7 but the two Poulenc pieces were completely new to me. I adored the piano concerto, the soloist was spectacular and the orchestra were really on the ball. Excellent playing of what is really a beautiful piece. Prokofiev 7 is one of my favourite bassoon parts to play because it’s just so ridiculous at times. Have a listen if you haven’t heard it, it’s a good piece and really enjoyable to listen to. The Stabat Matar was not my favourite but was still quite a good piece.

The other concert was Shostakovich 13 (Babi Yar). This piece is not really performed regularly but was an amazing experience. The combination of male voice choir, bass soloist and orchestra was hair raisingly beautiful. Sadly I need to go to bed so I can’t give you a full review but you should have a listen. I went to broaden my horizons and thoroughly enjoyed it :)
Sorry this a bit dull but hey, I'm funny 99% of the time, this was just the unfortunate 1%, see you next time

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